Умер известный садовод и автор колонки «Garden Guru» Джордж Ирвин в возрасте 84 лет

THE Greenock Telegraph's gardening expert, George Irvine, has died aged 84. George, who wrote the paper’s Garden Guru column for more than 20 years, passed away peacefully earlier this week after a short period of ill health. As well as his Telegraph contributions, George was a leading light for many years in Gourock Horticultural Society and in the organising of the town’s annual Garden Party. He also worked as a tour guide for horticulture-based holidays and was a long-time judge of the popular Gardenfest competition at Cardwell Garden Centre in Gourock. Born on December 19, 1941, George was brought up in Belville Street, in Greenock’s east end, and attended Hillend Primary and Greenock High School. Always a keen gardener, George took early retirement from an illustrious career as an industrial chemist at the age of 57, enabling him to devote more of his time to his passion for horticulture. He took over as the Tele's gardening writer following the retirement of Ian Walls in 2003, and sent in his final Garden Guru column the day before his death. Greenock Telegraph group editor Gillian Murphy said: "George was a gentleman whose contributions to our community include his remarkable achievements in science and horticulture. "For many readers, he was the face of gardening in Inverclyde. His weekly columns were packed with knowledge, humour and encouragement, and he inspired countless people to discover a love of gardening. "What stood out about George was his generosity. Despite travelling the world as a respected chemist and consultant, he remained humble, approachable and passionate about sharing his expertise with others. "He was a valued contributor to the Greenock Telegraph, a trusted friend to many of our readers, and a huge champion of local horticulture. “Everyone at the Telegraph extends their deepest condolences to George's family and friends. He will be remembered with great affection and gratitude." After leaving school, George landed a job as a lab assistant at the Poynter’s bone factory, based at Shaw’s Water Chemicals in Dellingburn Street, before going to work for Scottish Paints in Renfrew and studying at Paisley Technical College. He spent six years as a process chemist at the Rolls Royce works in Hillington before returning to Poynter’s in 1971 – this time as the man in charge of the lab. During his career, he patented the manufacture of synthetic bone, intended for use in the bone china market, and developed a method of using charcoal in water treatment which was picked up by water authorities all over the UK. At Poynter’s he was eventually appointed as a consultant following the takeover of the firm by Tate & Lyle, and he travelled all over the world, to the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia and Cuba, before retiring 29 years ago. He married Janet at St Margaret's Church in Greenock in 1969 and the couple were happily married for over 50 years until she sadly passed away in 2020. George’s enthusiasm for everything garden-related made him a familiar face at Cardwell Garden Centre, where he and Jan were customers for many years. He was also an occasional team member and a good friend to many members of the centre’s staff. Cardwell director Kieran Gallagher said: “I’ve known George for as long as I can remember. After my dad died, I joined George as a judge for the Gardenfest competition, and we travelled Inverclyde to explore the area’s amazing gardens, with George being the expert and me as his apprentice. “We became good friends and I enjoyed a long chat with George regularly. I visited him very recently; we had a great catch up and discussed our plans for the future. “It’s such a shock that he’s gone. It’s a very sad day for all his friends.” The garden centre’s flags were lowered to half-mast as a mark of respect.