Chair of Wensley Tenants and Residents Association, Roger Sheldon, died in August after a short illness. Roger had served as Chair of the TARA since 1997, but this was only a part of the public service he had given throughout his life.
Roger was born in the Northern General Hospital in July 1940, and grew up on Woodside, which was then terraced housing.
After various jobs he became a porter for British Railways at the age of 18. He went on to be a driver, specialising in transporting glass, and was involved in delivering the glazing for the Arts Tower when it was built in the 1960s. He became a Trade Union representative for the National Union of Railwaymen and was branch secretary in the 1980s.
His wife of 49 years, Anne, spoke to the Messenger about his life and the many ways he had helped people:
“He helped a lot of people. He knew all about employment law and travelled all over to support people at disciplinaries and appeals.”
Roger took early retirement in 1986, after an accident at work, but his service to the public did not stop. He served in the Magistrates Court as a JP (Justice of the Peace) for 24 years, retiring when he turned 70. He was also a governor at Whiteways School. Anne told us,
“People were always asking him to help or get involved, and he did. He would do anything for anyone, helping people with paperwork and forms.”
Roger and Anne moved to the Wensley estate in 1976 when it was first built, and both supported the TARA for many years, helping to restart the group in 1995.
Roger will be sadly missed by his family and many residents on the Wensley estate.