O B I TUARY Denis lived for today, not yesterday and not tomorrow, and he would have been the rst to say: Dont be sad, Ive had a ball DENIS CAULFIELD Denis Cauleld, former FEDEMAC President and moving industry legend, died suddenly in France on 4 July, aged 75. Fellow former FEDEMAC President and friend Tony Richman pays tribute T TONY RICHMAN WW W. F I D I. O R G FF293 OctNov19 pp94-95 Obituary.indd 95 he international moving industry has lost one of its great characters. Everyone who knew Denis will remember his smile, friendship, easy-going nature and ability to mix so well with all ages and all nationalities. A great socialiser, superb host and great company to be with, whether it be on a one-to-one basis or in a larger group. Denis was indeed a special character. Streetwise having left Ireland, he spent part of his youth studying and working in Paris, Brussels and Heidelberg, as well as travelling across Europe where he experienced many cultures and situations. He spoke French fluently, could also speak German well and, somewhere along the line, drifted into the removals industry where he soon gained management positions. I first got to know Denis in the early 1970s. He had been working previously at The Pantechnicon removals and storage company in London and had moved on to a couple of enterprises, including Mayfair and Gazelle, attracting upper-market customers and venturing into road removals to Europe, as well as international moves. Later, he moved back to Ireland to work alongside Patrick Oman at Oman Removals in Dublin. Together they built up a formidable and well-respected company and it is from there that many will remember Denis. While at Omans, Denis was put forward as the FEDEMAC representative for the movers in Ireland and soon after he became a Board member, a position he held for around 20 years, including his spell as President of FEDEMAC from 2002 to 2006. This was a time when he was able to use his social skills to best effect, forging links between the Federation and the various supply companies, encouraging ideas and innovative possibilities to increase the professionalism of the industry. None were more special than his long-term commitment and interest in working with the Young Movers whose conferences and networking developments have gone from strength to strength and have helped unite the movers throughout Europe. Space does not permit me to cover all his career achievements and the help that Denis gave others to reach their goals; you will all have your own personal recollections. Apart from our business relationships over the years, I will mostly remember Denis for the many social occasions we shared together and the fun. Again, there are too many to list but the one that sticks in the mind is when we were travelling back from Amersfoort in The Netherlands to Brussels after a long, hard and tiring all-day Board meeting. We both fell asleep on the train only to find that, three hours later, we were back in Amersfoort. The train had split into two halves at The Hague with one half going on to Brussels and the other returning to Amersfoort and beyond. We were in the wrong half! It turned out to be a very long day indeed and expensive. We had to book an overnight stay; I missed my Eurostar connection from Brussels back to England; and Denis had to rearrange his flight to Ireland. Weve had many a laugh about that day since. Cheers matey, I hope to dine out on this story many times yet. After Omans, Denis set up his own company, Relocate DC, working out of Dublin initially before moving to the South of France for semi-retirement, but still keeping his hand in with selected moves. For the last period of his life, he found a new home in Palavas-les-Flots, southern France, mixing with new-found friends and enjoying life living close to the sea. Denis lived for today, not yesterday and not tomorrow, and he would have been the first to say: Dont be sad, Ive had a ball lift a glass of Pastis and give a toast to the wonderful times we shared. But its hard not to be sad when we lose such an icon. Our hearts go out to all of his family at this difficult time. 95 18/09/2019 13:25