Mr Robert Geoffrey Feather

Robert Geoffrey Feather, best known to us all as Geoff, was
born in Birmingham on the 20th May1936 To Robert Feather, a civil servant who worked for the Post Office, and Mary, a teacher whose maiden name was Gould.

Geoff was the second oldest of the Feather children. His big brother was William or Bill Feather. Then after Geoff came Marianne, Geoff’s only sister. He was particularly close to Tippy, which was the pet name he gave her after they’d been to a pantomime. Geoff claimed that the elf in the panto called Tippy looked like Marianne.

Sadly neither Bill nor Tippy are still with us. Richard or Dick Feather was the youngest and/came along 19 years after Geoff was born. Dick has provided some insights into some of Geoff’s early years – some of them from stories you may have heard from Geoff himself.

When Geoff was three years old war was declared on Germany. His father served in the Navy and was rarely home during the war years, so his mother had to bring up the children mostly on her own. In November 1940 when Geoff was just four years old, the conflict was not going well. The USA had not yet entered the war, France and Europe had fallen.
The troops had been evacuated off the beaches of Dunkirk.

Britain was now alone. Its air defences were inadequate, and everyone knew the bombers were coming, and the biggest air raid to hit Britain during World War Two was about to happen. Just over 400 German bomber and fighter planes were heading for Coventry. The little village where Geoff and his parents stayed was in the direct flight path of the bombers. So Geoff, Bill and his mother heard sirens and headed off to the makeshift shelter in the back yard. It was fine weather, the sky was clear and there was bright moonlight.

The drone of the descending bombers would have been terrifying as they passed overhead. Local anti-aircraft guns boomed out. The searchlights would light up a bomber which would then dive out of the light beam. Despite thousands of rounds being fired not one plane was shot down over Coventry. During the bombing Geoff’s mother took the children out of the shelter, as she knew it was an historic event that was happening, something to be remembered lifelong. The sky for miles around was red with flames from the burning city and incendiary bombs exploded like massive fireworks. Geoff has told many of you how he saw the swastika sign on a bomber being lit up by the search lights and he never forgot that sight. He could see and sense even at the age of four that war was a terrible thing. It took him a long time to restore personal diplomatic relations with Germany.

Geoff hated all wars. But he learned that you had to be able to protect, and look after yourself, and he had that wartime attitude of making the best of it. And never let the buggers get you down.

There’s little doubt that Geoff learned how to grow vegetables during the war as that would have been one of the family’s daily chores. Academically he was a determined and a dedicated student. He was considered to be the cleverest in the family, as he went to a grammar school, then to the Warwickshire Institute of Agriculture to study further. This took him on work placement to Wales and then to Denmark where he studied Danish methods of farming. He spent time working in a market garden, and he really was doing well. Then his perfect world was turned upside down when he was conscripted to do two years’ National Service in the RAF.

After his initial training assessment his closest friends and colleagues were sent to serve their time at RAF bases close to their homes in the UK. Geoff, on the other hand, was posted to an RAF base in the middle of the Iraqi desert. It was called Habbaniya, 50 miles west of Baghdad. This was a really difficult period in his life, because it wasn’t just that he detested wars, he hated the RAF regime. A vast amount of his time was spent doing punishment exercises like peeling potatoes. What’s known in the army and RAF as ‘jankers” – “a restriction of privilege or punishment for minor disciplinary breaches.” He was on active service during the Suez crisis and had that escalated further his base would have been attacked and taken. Even on his way home he was made to travel through war torn Cyprus.

It wasn’t all bad – The services are great for creating close friendships and travelling the world. Geoff did make lifelong friends and even quite recently he was in contact with his old RAF pals in England.

When he came back from Iraq in the late 1950s he worked for two years as a landscape gardener. He then got a job working with the English Milk Marketing Board on a cattle breeding service. During this time he went to the Young Farmers Ball and other dances. It was at one of these he met his wife-to-be Margaret.

Margaret was undoubtedly a calming influence. She often inspired Geoff’s interests in gardening, music, art, woodwork and writing poems. He had a couple of short articles published, and he was a lifelong hobby stamp collector.

Dick Feather remembers that as a small boy aged five or six, his first job was to act as a chaperone, whilst travelling in an old grey and blue Morris 1000 van with the two lovers, Margaret and Geoff. Dick’s services were no longer required when Margaret and Geoff got married on the 11th of August 1962, at the Curdworth Church which Geoff often visited in later years as it brought back many happy memories. They moved into a newly built house in 1963.

So when did they first come to Shetland? It is thought that while they were on holiday in Scotland visiting Margaret’s relatives, Geoff’s father suggested that they should take a trip up to see Shetland as he had been there before, and so they did. In fact it was on their way home from a holiday in Shetland, in the romantic surroundings of a Leasks bus heading for Sumburgh, that Geoff popped the question and the couple got engaged. They came back to the isles several times, and every time they left they wanted to return immediately. In 1966 there was a chance for Geoff to go and live and work in Shetland for the Aberdeen Milk Marketing Board, on their cattle breeding scheme. Geoff and Margaret sold their new house and moved to a rented house in Valladale. They bought an old ex army truck, filled it with all their belongings and the three boys, and headed north to their new life.

Many folk will remember the truck in the photo. It sat in the front garden at the Urafirth shop for many years, and inadvertently gave birth to a local Shetland institution. One day a man knocked on the door and asked if the truck, which was looking a bit worse of wear, having not moved for many years, was for sale. He wanted the engine, he said as it was the same one used in a JCB, and his only digger’s motor had failed terminally. As long as you take it away, said Geoff. Cash changed hands, the JCB was repaired and Geordie Mundie’s business empire took its first steps towards success.

In fact it was in 1968 Geoff and Margaret decided to buy that general merchants shop at Urafirth which they ran for 26 years, building a house around what was already there, two of the military huts that had been shipped there from the former Voxter Camp. They built the pier and shed at Urafirth, still in use to this day. In fact you can see right here on the photo one of the hand-woven shopping baskets used in the shop, made in Heylor by Addie Williamson, who lived in South House. They have stood the test of time and the one in the photo is still used in the house of family friend, Tom Morton, today.

In order to better support the family Geoff took the opportunity to work at the labs at the Sullom Voe Oil Terminal whilst Margaret did the shop. He worked at Sullom Voe for over 20 years and when the oil industry took a downward trend he was made redundant along with other employees nearing retirement age.

But Geoff was never one for hanging about and he soon found part time work at the fish market, checking the boxes of fish for weight. He said it was the best job he ever had. He also became a school cleaner at Scalloway. He kept these part-time jobs going until he got his pension.

Eventually, Geoff and Margaret sold the shop and the house at Urafirth and moved to a much larger house at
Gulberwick, converting the lower part into a flat.

Geoff and Margaret were blessed to see all three sons married. Duncan and Alison on the 14th February 1987 , Stewart and Anita on the 26th Sept 1992 and Jimmy and Julia on the 28th July 2017. See the next section for photos of the grandchildren.

In 1964 Freddy And The Dreamers were singing “I Love You Baby” as were Geoff and Margaret. On the 13th of May Duncan was born.
1966, some of you will remember and possibly rejoice that England won the World Cup and celebrations continued when Stewart arrived in December.

They thought it was all over. Then James arrived in the summer of 1968. To make it a hat-trick of fine Feathers in Geoff and Margaret’s cap.

Geoff and Margaret enjoyed some super holidays. The trips to Canada, Italy and Ireland were to visit sons Stewart (Canada & Italy) and Jimmy (Ireland).

In 2003 Geoff decided he would like to stand for election to become a local councilor for the Lerwick Upper Sound, Gulberwick and Quarff ward. It was a safe seat for the Liberal candidate. Geoff stood as an independent and despite being the underdog he won and there was no one more surprised than he was. In council meetings he was very direct and to the point, and of course he did not always agree on certain matters of council policy. He always tried his best for those who came to him that were part of his ward. He attended meetings regularly and faithfully. He served until 2007. When he died in November 2024, at the age of 88, Council convener Andrea Manson paid tribute to him. Among much else, she told councillors that
Geoff was a very well-liked and active member of the Hillswick and Urafirth community.

Andrea said this: “Geoff and his family moved to Gulberwick in 1994 after selling their shop.
Following his retirement he needed something worthwhile to do, and he put himself forward for election to Shetland Islands Council in 2003. He was elected as the Councillor for Lerwick Upper Sound, Gulberwick and Quaff for the term 2003 to 2007”.

“Geoff was a very active Councillor, serving on the Infrastructure Services Committee, Planning, Scrutiny Committee, Licensing Board, O&S Valuation Joint Board, Marine Development Sub-Committee, and many more sub-committees, groups and boards of the Shetland Islands Council.
He will be greatly missed by his wife and family, and by his many friends throughout the isles.”

Perhaps more than anything else, Geoff was a proud and loving family man, a great example and inspiration to his children and grandchildren, who in turn were and are intensely proud of him. He and Margaret were beloved members and activists in this community. As well as being a councillor, he was a member of the Hillswick Auxiliary Coastguard for over 23 years, a founder member of the Urafirth School Parent-Teachers Association and on the committee of Shetland Chamber of Commerce.

The family held a Celebration of Geoff’s life on 17th May 2025 at the Gulberwick Community Hall. Family friend, Tom Morton, led the eulogy. Duncan, Stewart, Jimmy and the rest of the family wanted to celebrate Geoff’s life, to remember him, grieve his loss, and say goodbye in thankfulness for him.
It was a truly wonderful gathering, full of chatting, memories shared, the browsing of many, many photographs on display as well as tea and tab nabs. There was a collection box at the door in aid of the NHS Shetland Endowment Fund, Alzheimers Scotland and the Stroke Association which raised £300.

Geoff’s grave stones were discovered by Duncan his eldest son and is in the Gulberwick yard. It is one of the most distinctive in all of Shetland, made from two stones, one from Northmavine and one from Unst.

Before the gathering dispersed  at Geoff’s celebration of life, they heard some music that Geoff was particularly fond of. A song was very dear to both Geoff and Margaret as it was playing when they first met; Smoke Gets in your eyes and Here Comes The Sun.

This is not the end
Of all the happiness,
The joys and glories caused

A life’s effects don’t stop
They only pause

Now, we must say goodbye
And try
To learn
To move
To leave
Believing that our love
Stays true

It’s love
That will sustain us
Through the darkness and the light
It’s love that lets us say goodbye, goodnight
And memory that will stay
Renewing all you were to us
And are to us
Each day

Let’s remember Geoff with love, affection, respect and pride
Let’s honour him
Take comfort in the way he lived a full and rewarding life
Treasure all the memories we have of him
The huge impact he had on so many lives
The love and many joyful memories he leaves us with

We will trust in each other’s support and companionship
In the strength of family and community
In the love and care we share
And which Geoff expressed in his actions, his love for family,
His generosity, wisdom and kindness.

Saying goodbye to someone is hard
Death means a final farewell
But it is not the end.
Because we will always remember,
We will always love
And as we accept that death is part of everyone’s journey,
Let’s be inspired by
And celebrate Geoff’s memory,
His example
His spirit.
Let’s remember
That tears are for the washing away of grief
Hope is for the building of dreams
And love is the tender life force which conquers death

There are many things in life we can’t understand
And many things we must accept
May our memories of Geoff
our love for him and each other
Encourage us never to give way to bitterness
But grow to live with
More tenderness
More courage
More purpose
More positivity, caring and gentleness
More optimism
Than ever before

May this be true for us all
For in the mystery of love
Life springs out of death

“And into that gate they shall enter, and in that house they shall dwell, where there shall be no cloud nor sun, no darkness nor dazzling, but one equal light, no noise nor silence, but an equal music, no fears nor hopes but one equal possession, no foes nor friends, but one equal communion and identity, no ends nor beginnings, but one equal eternity.” (John Donne)