From Bryan Paisley

2014 began for me in a horrible manner with the tragic news of Gary's death. Given I hadn't seen or spoken with Gary for about twenty five years, this may seem an odd reaction but it's a measure of the man that, despite this period of time, I am so profoundly saddened by his death.

I know Gary through the 1st Whitehead Sea Scouts back in Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. He was a couple of years ahead of me at school (although in retrospect, only eighteen months older which seems like nothing when you're in your forties) - this made made him a relative elder and someone who, as I got to know him, I really looked up to.

The most profound impact Gary had on me was sharing his love of music and encouraging me by example to explore new things and not necessarily follow the herd.

We shared a love of Bruce Springsteen and spent a great deal of time discussing 'Born to Run' - his favourite track was 'Junglelands' and I recall him describing the artistry in the lyrics in some depth.

He also greatly appreciated Jim Steinman's talent in composing Meat Loaf's album 'Bat out of Hell' and discussed at some length his 'Bad for Good' side project. Back in the days before the internet, getting information on these sort of things was really tough but Gary always seemed to know what was going on.

I recall other distinctive favourites of Gary's from the time were Billy Joel, The Doors, Big Country and Dio (see photo attached of Gary in 1985 in a Dio t-shirt - try as I might, I never got it with them).

I also remember his enthusiasm for playing music, whether it was the Casio keyboard with the revolutionary new sampler (which we managed to use in a number of extremely puerile manners) or trying to play U2's 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' on an old accordion.

I have happy memories undertaking the usual range of scouting activities with Gary - the international jamboree at Portumna in 1985, the annual Easter camp at Castlerock, the camping, trip to the Isle of Man, sailing GP14s at Lough Neagh along with the weekly meetings in the scout hut in Whitehead.

I attach a photo from a troop visit to St Patrick's barracks, Ballymean in (about) 1983 - Gary back row, second from left)

I'd never have seen him much outside Scouts but would always keep an eye out for him on the roads around Whitehead and Ballycarry in his distinctive Morris Minor, 'Simply Red'.

I lost touch with Gary after he left Northern Ireland to go to university in Stirling in 1988 and haven't seen him since.

Being a) Northern Irish and b) at the time, male teenagers, it wouldn't have been in either of our emotional comfort zones for me to express how much his friendship meant to me or how highly I thought of him.

He was (as we are want to say in Northern Ireland) great craic - but in addition to this he was intelligent, supportive, capable. A leader by example rather than by words.

Reading the other posts on this blog and the comments on Twitter, I can see how Gary has continued in this manner down the years and has meant so much to so many people.

I am not surprised in the least by the great things Gary has achieved since I knew him or by the evident degree of profound sadness which his untimely death has caused so many people.

My thoughts are with his family (and his wife and children in particular).