Where it all began…

Life Members

Being named a ‘Life Member’ is a way for us to recognise and honour the significant contribution individuals have had on the life of the choir over several years.

Without the dedication and commitment of these members, our choir would not exist today.

The following people are current Life Members of the Lindisfarne Riverside Arts Club.

• Heather Turner

• Harry Booth

• Glenys Brooks

• Jeff Cheal

• Kath Grace

• Jenny Roddam

• Royena Smythe

• Sheila Spargo

Five new Life Members were presented with membership badges in August 2011 in recognition of their contribution to the club; Barbara Allen (now dec), Dorothy Brownell (now dec), Kath Grace, June Lovett (now dec) & Royena Smythe.

Jeff Cheal & Bernard Gillon (now dec) were presented with their Life Membership badges at the AGM in February 2014

Harry Booth, Glenys Brooks & Chris Hemming (now dec) were presented their Life Membership badges at the Christmas concert in 2018.

Heather Turner was presented with her Life Membership badge at the Midyear Concert in 2024.

Vale Howard Richardson.

Many of our current choir members may not have known Howard, but he was a member of LRAC for many years.  He was a singer in our bass section and was known to help out the tenors on occasions.  He performed solos, small group items and duets with the late Val Price at many of our concerts.  He acted in melodramas and comedy skits that the club performed over the years and was Drama Director & Stage Manager for a period of time.

Vale Greg Hanlon

Greg was a member of LRAC for more than twenty years and passed away in December 2025. 

He was an accomplished tenor, who performed solos at many of our concerts, and also acted in some of the dramas and comedy skits that the club put on over the years.

He  served on the Committee for many years and from 2011-2013 held the position of Treasurer.

Greg always had the club at heart and was a willing and enthusiastic volunteer at our club concerts, working bees, social events and fundraisers over the years.

We will always be grateful for the loyalty and generosity Greg gave the choir.

Vale John Malcolm Thompson

Malcolm Thompson, a Life Member of The Lindisfarne Riverside Arts Club, passed away in September 2025.

Malcolm had been a club member since the late 1970’s and had served the club in many roles over the years including President, Treasurer and Drama Director.  He had a fine tenor voice and was a soloist on many occasions.  He was also heavily involved in the drama side of the club with many appearances in the 3-act plays that the club was known for in its early days.  More recently he provided light entertainment in the form of comical skits in our ‘Melody & Mirth’ concert programs.  He retired from the choir in 2018, but always supported us by attending concerts and social events.