OBIT UA R I E S WILLIAM (BILL) BEUTHIN B ill Beuthin, co-founder of Worldwide Movers Africa Group, has died in Chantrign, France, at the age of 79. Bill started his moving career at North American Van Lines International in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he worked alongside industry personalities including Tom Harris and Roman Hildt. After working for the company in Munich, Bill then headed its Beirut office, alongside Val Prinsep, current company chairman of Worldwide Movers Africa Group. Prinsep, company chairman and friend, said: Never comfortable with humdrum living, Bill developed the moving markets in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Oman and, afterwards, became the co-founder of the very first branch of Worldwide Movers Africa in Tanzania, which, with his guidance, has grown into 18 countries across the African continent. Intrepid travellers, he and his wife, Myriam, visited too many moving convention cities to mention and places extraordinarily remote. Never forgetting the smallest needs of staff, Bills experience, twinkling eyes and universal kindness will be sorely missed by the entire Worldwide Movers Africa team, friends and colleagues around the globe. I really cannot find words enough to describe the overwhelming sadness this news brings to us all at the Worldwide Movers Africa Group and all his friends around the world. For my part, after no fewer than 48 years of friendship with a simply wonderfully kind and thoughtful man, his departure has left me and so many others bereft of his generous companionship. Bill is survived by his wife, Myriam, children Eric and Greg, and granddaughter Maxine. JAN PAUL (JP) MEIRING J an Paul Meiring, of The Moving Company New Zealand, died at the end of April after a three and a half year illness. He was 47 years old. Mark Pitcher, Group Managing Director, said: JP was a true fighter, but has been taken at the early age of 47. Even though we knew JP was facing this battle, he leaves a tremendous void in our lives. JPs incredible intelligence, friendship, infectious humour and fun attitude towards life is going to be sorely missed by us, his friends and colleagues throughout the global moving industry and, of course, his absolutely beloved family, Natasha, Ella and Luke. JPs passion for life, for the global moving industry and for his family was testament to the outstanding calibre of person he was. The world was a better place for having you JP, and you remain in our hearts forever. At the FIDI Conference in San Diego in 2018, a group of JPs friends made a video with the message Never Give Up 78 WWW.FI D I FOC U S . OR G