Wednesday, November 13, 2024

A moving tribute to the great Sir Howard Bernstein


The great and the good of Manchester business, politics and public service came together at a packed Bridgwater Hall yesterday (12 November 2024) to celebrate the life and work of Sir Howard Bernstein, who passed away in June 2024.
Invited guests heard a series of impressive and compelling speeches from those who knew the former chief executive of Manchester City Council best, including his son Jonathan who concluded the service with an emotional tribute to his late father on behalf of the family, many of whom had also recorded powerful stories on video of the person they loved as their Dad, Grandpa and brother.
Eammon Boylan, interim chief executive of Manchester City Council, and a successor to “SHB” opened the speeches with a fulsome account of how Bernstein galvanised the city in the wake of the 1996 IRA bombing of the city centre, and also delivered the 2002 Commonwealth Games amongst his many achievements.
Wearing an impressive scarf in the Bernstein style, Boylan also recounted his successor’s unique way of creating wins for the city out of occasional setbacks.
Former Chancellor George Osborne described him as “the most important, influential, public official, in any city in any part of government, local or national, over the last few decades.” He also noted that the late “civic entrepreneur” gave Osborne time and support when he was sacked from the government and came to Manchester with the idea for the Northern Powerhouse Partnership – “the real measure of the man,” he said.
All the tributes noted his passion and obsession with Manchester City Football Club, notably from board director Marty Edelman, who recalled a friendship that started when his client, the Abu Dhabi ruling family, took over the club in 2008, and culminated in their embrace on the pitch in Istanbul in 2023 as they celebrated the Champions League victory together.
“He welcomed me to Manchester with no fanfare, but a pint, and a message that though it may rain, Manchester is always sunny if you know where to look,” he said.
Musical interludes from the brass section of the Halle orchestra, and video tributes from young beneficiaries of the SHB Endowment Fund to which attendees were invited to donate to.

Friday, November 08, 2024

Sliding Doors

 




Back in my early career as a journalist in Australia I was told by an entrepreneur that I had profiled that “Perth needs people like you” and that it was a shame I was returning to the UK.

I held that thought all through the boozy Britpop 1990s when literally no-one in London said anything remotely similar to me. 

Yet it was only last month that I finally returned to Western Australia for a holiday and to catch up with old friends from back in the day. 

In doing so, I need to say, I acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people as the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters where Perth city is situated today, and pay my respect to Elders past and present. I never said that back then.

It’s safe to say that Perth has done quite well without me. Probably Australia’s boom town, thanks to the mining and resources industry, the skyline has notably transformed. Back then the tallest building bore the name of Bond Corporation, the plaything of Alan Bond, the man who went from hero to zero in a decade. He won the Americas Cup yacht race for Australia, overstretched himself financially, and ended up in jail before his lonely death in 2015. I would love to have written that story.

The names that dominate the skyline now are Chevron, Woodside, Rio Tinto and BHP.

I appreciated the high quality public realm, the cycle paths and the parks, the gentrification of neighbourhoods I used to consider a bit ‘daggy’, and the embrace of a more multi-ethnic city than the one I remembered. Through more experienced eyes I contemplated the ‘Sliding Doors’ moments over the years and wondered whether I would have fitted in.

On the eve of the US election we went to see British politico turned podcast sensation Rory Stewart at Perth Concert Hall (Last Night of the Poms). A reminder that the world is in fact quite small. 

But it was at the celebration of the life of Sir Howard Bernstein at the Bridgewater Hall this week where I was reminded of the community and the project that has been at the forefront of my professional life for the last 25 years.

Manchester’s renewal has provided a rich seam of stories for me, the source material for my academic thesis, but also a phenomenal network of supportive people focused on a project of regeneration. It might not be a new frontier, but it’s been incredible to raise a family in the original modern city. 

It’s good to be home.

Have a great weekend.