Who was Iain Rennie?
Iain Rennie was born in 1944 and grew up in Lanarkshire. A Chartered Civil Engineer, he studied for his PhD in Soil Mechanics and enjoyed a career in the oil industry, eventually joining Shell International. He worked in New Zealand, Holland and London. Iain and Moira married in 1970 and they have two sons, Alexander (Sandy) and Alistair. The family settled near Amersham in Buckinghamshire.
Iain was a talented athlete. He enjoyed all sports as a youth and, as a scratch golfer, represented Scottish and British Universities. He played regularly at County level while living in Buckinghamshire and was a member of the scratch team at his local clubs.
Iain was diagnosed with cancer in 1978. Throughout his illness, his calm steady acceptance of the tumour enabled his family and friends to accept the inevitable. In 1985 Iain's condition worsened and he was admitted to hospital. Further treatment became inappropriate and he decided, along with Moira, to come home. This difficult decision was only possible because of the full support of Iain's GP and the District Nurses at his local practice. Iain came home at the beginning of June, 1985.
Through a friendship between Moira and a hospice trained nurse counsellor, five nurses came together to provide the nursing cover that was needed for Iain and the family on a 24 hour basis. The care and support they provided was superb, both in practical and emotional terms. The model of care offered to Iain has not changed over the years, and patients still receive practical, hands-on nursing care on a 24 hour on-call basis to this day.
Iain's family believe strongly that the quality of the final 10 weeks of his life was enhanced greatly by his being in his home environment. There he felt safe and the family were constantly involved in his care.
Today, Iain's family remain very conscious of the help they received and are very committed to ensuring that the organisation which bears his name continues to provide the same excellent, professional service to others.
We are proud to have Moira Rennie as our President.
