Over 350 people attended the Town Hall on Thursday 22nd February 2007 to celebrate the contribution to Sheffield of Dr Abdul Shaif as he, his partner Muna, and family leave for the Yemen.
The following poem was contributed to the event by Chris Searle, who had worked closely with Abdul:
Arab of steel
Yorkshireman of flesh
a mind always real
where two worlds mesh
maker of unison
alloy of life
defiant of division
enemy of strife
in a city of smoke
in factories of fire
where foundrymen choke
in the molten metal's ire
from your streets of exile
you saw a nation reborn
and from many a mile
saw it savaged and torn
take back the rolling mill
of unity and power
to the mountain and hill
and the valley's green bower
to the farm and terrace
to Shaibi and Aden
take the human's furnace
its heat never fading
now your returning
bears the hopes of us all
a dream forever burning
in Yemen's proud soul
Chris Searle, Toronto: February, 2007
