In Memoriam – VIC

We wish to advise the passing of Libby Boyle, wife of long time QCC Member Jim Boyle. Libby came along to all of our IBM Alumni Events with Jim. She will be missed very much by all who knew her.

Elizabeth BOYLE Obituary
 Elizabeth (Libby) Axford
9 April 1941 – 15 June 2026

It is with broken hearts that we announce the passing of Elizabeth (Libby) Axford Boyle aged 85, who died on the15th June 2026 surrounded by the love of her family.

The Funeral was on 22nd June. 

We contacted Jim and he confirmed Libby died on Monday 15 June about 12 months after we sought help to diagnose and treat neurological deterioration that was finally diagnosed to be MND.   I regret that in the family circumstances we had to arrange the funeral very quickly, so we missed contacting many who would have appreciated the news in appropriate time. 

A video of the funeral Mass that included eulogies from friends and all our immediate family is available on the website below.  

https://tobinbrothers.com.au/tribute/elizabethlibby-boyle-2604571/

I passed on IBM Alumni’s Condolences to Jim and his Family

Jenny Anderson

Stephen Peters began his career with IBM in 1986 and subsequently became one of IBM’s most respected technical specialists in the roll-out of local area networks with IBM’s customers in Melbourne.  In his spare time, Stephen pursued a number of pursuits such as off-road motor biking, camping and hang-gliding with moonboots and arm-slings becoming part of his business attire.

He left IBM towards the end of 1993 to take up a position with Uncle Ben’s in Wodonga where he continued to engage in high-risk leisure activities.  Having fallen in love with a local girl, he purchased 45 acres of land at Yackandandah where he planned to build a home. … more

Wednesday 28th January 2026 is the 31^st anniversary of Stephen’s death at the age of 31 years.  The friends and former colleagues of Stephen Peters are invited to join our Alumni Lunch at Bells Hotel on that day to share their memories, and perhaps some photos, of Stephen who will remain forever young as a bright star full of energy and enthusiasm.

Doug McIver passed away on 22nd October 2025, aged 91. 

Doug joined IBM in the early 1960s and trained as a Systems Engineer. He was instrumental in installing 360s for Gas and Fuel and SEC, as well as working with teams in insurance, Victoria Police etc, often achieving the Hundred Percent Club. Doug also worked in education for several years and took early retirement to enjoy family life and his many other interests.

With great sadness we report the passing of QCC Member Rodger Tremlett.  

Rodger joined IBM in October 1966 and went on to become highly valued and respected by customers and Field CEs for his large systems skills.

Rodger was a Ham Radio enthusiast with his name appearing in a global listing of Amateur Radio Operators used by IBM security departments and Amateur Radio Clubs around the world as an emergency communications resource.  David Byrne, a fellow amateur radio enthusiast, recalls meeting up with Rodger at Sturt Street in Melbourne in the early 1980s when collecting parts from the spare parts store.

In 1989, Rodger reported to Paul Galloway, Branch Operations Manager in Melbourne and ran the service help emergency desk called the SHED.  Rodger’s special skills with Retain ensured the right support processes were in place and the right people involved to support CEs when needed.  

In retirement, Rodger and his wife spent many months travelling through the Kimberleys and Cape York with a campervan in tow.

There will be no funeral other than a private memorial event.

It is with deep respect and fond remembrance that we honour the life of our former colleague and friend, Phil Smallwood, who passed away on the 30^th April at the age of 96.

Phil’s life career was defined by dedication, innovation, and quiet professionalism.

His journey began as an electrical apprentice with H. Hosking and Sons in Newport, Victoria.  During those early days, he developed a hands on approach style and a sharp technical mind that remained with him throughout his career.

After graduating, he joined an electrical company in Hamilton, Victoria, where he travelled to rural farms installing 32-volt generating plants to provide power for milking machines and household appliances. He also prepared many of these properties for the future, by preinstalling electricity wiring into homes to support the State Electricity Commission’s 240-volt power grid when it was introduced into that area.

Phil went on to work at a brown coal mine near Geelong, maintaining and operating generators that powered both the mine and its surrounding facilities. He then joined the GMH manufacturing car plant at Fishermans Bend, where he spent five years installing and maintaining plant equipment.

In 1958, Phil responded to an IBM advertisement in the Melbourne Sun, that began a long and motivating chapter of his life. He joined IBM as a Customer Engineer (CE) completing his initial training in the CE Training school at Lidcombe, NSW and staying on after that as an instructor.

Back in Melbourne, Phil became the CE specialist for the IBM 305 RAMAC system installed at GMH—the first commercial computer to use a moving-head hard disk drive, with 24-inch diameter magnetic disks and a storage capacity of 5 Megabytes. It was groundbreaking technology, and Phil competently managed the ongoing servicing of the system ensuring its service reliability!  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_305_RAMAC

During his long career at IBM, Phil was involved with many computer system changes being from the early generation computers that used radio valves for switches and amplifiers in their logic circuitry and utilised Punch Card peripheral devices for their input, output and storage facility – followed on by the updated generations of transistors, integrated and micro processing units (CPU’s), keyboards, monitors, magnetic tape, disks and other memory and storage mediums.

Additionally during his IBM career he spent time as a first line CE manager and prior to retiring was working as a system assurance specialist investigating whether proposed IBM solutions would meet customer requirements.

During his time with IBM, Phil earned a reputation as someone who was always helpful, pleasant and professional. Colleagues appreciated his intelligent and practical approach to problem solving and respected his handicraftsman skills. He consistently proved to be a reliable team player and his steady demeanor and respectful style made him stand out as a true gentleman in the workplace.

Phil retired after 30 years with IBM on 1/7/1989

We are thinking about his son Rodney his wife Denice and their family, sharing in their grief and honoring his memory with deepest sympathy. Phil’s legacy will endure in the memories of all of us who had a close working relationships with him throughout his IBM career.

Phil’s Funeral Service will be held at St James Anglican Church, 53 Langhorne Street, Dandenong on Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 3.00pm.  Refreshments will be served following the Service.

Francis James (Jim) McGuirk joined IBM in January 1955 and was one of the first to qualify for Quarter Century Club membership in Australia.  Jim passed away on April 8 at the age of 92.  His funeral service will be held on Tuesday April 29 at St Gerard’s Church, 3 McCulloch St, Warrandyte. 

In Memory of Paul Doherty

It is with deep sadness to announce the passing of Paul Doherty, beloved husband to Marie.

Paul’s life was marked by his enduring strength, even as he faced the challenges of a brain disorder (PPA) and worsening Essential Tremor in recent years. Though his health struggles were profound, his spirit and character remain an inspiration to all who knew him.

Paul’s journey with IBM began in 1969 in Ireland, where he started with his passion for working with technology. In 1973, he made the move to IBM Melbourne, joining as a Customer Engineer. It didn’t take long for Paul to make his mark, becoming a valued member of the General Systems Customer Engineering group in Melbourne. His dedication, knowledge, and positive attitude made him a great person to work with, and he was known for his exceptional teamwork and solid contributions.

As Paul’s career progressed, he transitioned into the role of a first-line CE Manager, where his leadership skills shone. His ability to inspire and support his team members was unmatched, and he became a cornerstone of the team. He left IBM in 1990, but the relationships he formed continued with his colleagues long after his departure.

Paul was one of the good guys—a person who always gave his best and supported those around him with kindness, respect, and humility. His dedication to both his work and his family serves as a testament to the character and integrity he embodied throughout his life.

Our thoughts are with his wife, Marie, his family, friends, and all of his old teammates at this difficult time. Though Paul has gone ahead, his legacy and spirit will live on in the hearts of all who were fortunate to know him.

Now at peace, Paul will be deeply missed but never forgotten.

Roger worked with IBM in Melbourne as a Customer Engineer and Systems Engineer.

He began his career with the Department of Defence in the late 1950s, working at an Australian Government/Defence Force garrison located at Woomera South Australia, where he showcased his technical prowess and dedication.

Later, he joined the Rola company in Melbourne, contributing to the manufacturing of loudspeakers and Byer Reel to Reel tape recorders.

In the early 60s Roger embarked on a new chapter with IBM taking on the role of a Customer Engineer.  His skills and expertise quickly earned him recognition, and he became the initial CE Account Management Specialist with ANZ bank.

Roger’s career continued to flourish as he transitioned to an IBM Systems Engineer, where he developed very strong professional bonds with his clients and his colleagues.  Roger was not just a professional, he was a person of great character.  His dry sense of humour and steady, methodical approach made working with him a pleasure.

After retiring, he organised regular reunion get together lunches for retired Customer Engineers who had also commenced their IBM careers in the 1960s and 1970s.

His funeral service will be held on Wednesday February 26 at 2pm at St Mary’s Catholic Church, 208 Dandenong Road, St Kilda East.

Close friends and former colleagues of Seamus Quinn will be saddened to hear of his passing on 28^th December 2024.   Seamus joined IBM in Melbourne in August 1981 and was highly regarded by customers, account teams and all who had contact with him over more than 43 years with IBM.

He played a critical role in IT set-up and support for Tennis Australia over numerous Australian Open events and will, no doubt, be fondly remembered by those in attendance at the 2025 event in coming weeks.

Our condolences go out to his wife Josette and family.

Requiem Mass will be offered in St Timothy’s Catholic Parish, 17 Stevens Rd, Vermont on Friday January 3, 2025 commencing at 11am.

Sad news from Tony Austin of Vic’s passing on 10th October 2024 after declining health over recent months. 

Vic’s funeral will be held at the Renowden Chapel at Springvale Cemetery on Friday 18th October at 10:30 a.m.  For those unable to attend, it will be live streamed at https://smct.org.au/view/1019262612

Our sincere condolences to his wife Barbara, daughter-in-law Jackie, and family.

We regret to inform all QCC members of the passing of Ray Simpson, who died on Wednesday June 22.

Ray was inducted into the IBM Quarter Century Club of Victoria in 1987.

Ray Joined IBM in the Operations area of the Data Centre in 1962.  That meant handling and sorting large volumes of punch cards.

By the end of the 60s, he was in the Development area of the Data Centre working with REAL Computers (1401’s and 360’s) as a programmer/analyst.

In the early 70s, Ray became a SE Manager, first in the Data Centre, and then moved to Market Street, in the mainstream part of the business, responsible for Retail customers.

In the 80s, Ray became the Country Retail Specialist resulting in lots of travelling in Australia and overseas.

He, like many others, left IBM in the early 90s, and he continued to take on Project Manager roles for various customers in the retail world.

Later in life, Ray lived alone. This always seemed in contrast to his time in IBM where he was always a people person. He supported and helped so many of his colleagues in their careers

His interests were hobby farming, horse racing, snooker, horse racing, cricket, horse racing, American baseball, horse racing, golf  – and horse racing.

About 10 years ago, Ray developed some minor heart issues and it was about this time that he stopped smoking.

From that time on there was a slow but steady decline in his overall health resulting in several falls early this year. In the last 2 months his decline accelerated.

He will be remembered as a gentleman and a friend to many.

Our deepest sympathies go out to his family, friends and colleagues..

We will update this post with any further information on funeral details/service as they are available.

(My thanks to my colleagues, Ray Ffrench and Geoff Newnham, who knew Ray well, for these words of remembrance).

NSW QCC member David Lee passed away on Anzac Day after a short battle with cancer. David started in the IBM Support Centre in the late 80’s, providing customer support for the newly announced AS/400. After many years in the support organisation, David’s career progressed into Sales, where he had various roles in the Systems business, primarily focused on IBM Business Partners selling Power systems running IBM i – the new name for what was the AS/400 of old. In this role, David developed many great relationships with IBM partners and this no doubt helped him achieve success in this role. 

During his career, David made many good friends in the IBM Systems family, and especially in the close-knit team around the IBM i platform. David was known for his positive attitude and thoughtful approach to dealing with all people. He often had personal anecdotes to relate that would help in most sales situations.  He will be missed by all who worked with him.

Our deepest sympathies go out to David’s family, his wife Jacqueline and his seven children.

Funeral arrangements are as follows:

Wednesday 8^th May at 11:am

St. Matthias Anglican Church, 471-475 Oxford St. Paddington

Refreshments from 1:00pm at Horizons (Level 2), South Maroubra Surf Club, Bernie Kelly Drive, Maroubra

Quarter Century Club member Aivars Saulitis passed away on Sunday, 24th March 2024.  Julian Robertson attended the funeral service on 2nd April and passed on the condolences of our QCC Members to Aivars’ son Peter and daughter Anda.  The funeral was well attended by the local Latvian community with a feast of Latvian dishes offered at its conclusion. 

Aivars Saulitis may not have been well known to many of our current members, but an article by Jānis Kārkliņš (Laikraksts Latvietis Nr. 569, 2019. g. 3. nov.) pays tribute to his character and achievements.  See extract below.

Aivars was born in Riga, Latvia on October 22, 1929.  In 1944, the family fled to Germany and later to Australia in 1949, where they lived for the first year in the Bonegilla camp outside Albury.  Aivars already had excellent English and was assigned to the labor camp in the office of the Department of Social Services . In 1950, Aivars moved to Melbourne and, along with working in an electric motor manufacturing factory, entered the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Melbourne. However, studies had to be stopped when his father died suddenly and Aivars had to take care of the family.

In 1952, Aivars married Māra Pilskalnas, and together they raised a daughter Anda and a son Pēteris. Aivars worked during the day and studied accounting at RMIT in the evenings, which he also successfully completed. In 1961, he started his career at IBM, where he worked until his retirement in 1991.  During his time with IBM, Aivars and his family lived in Melbourne,  Adelaide, Perth and Sydney.  In retirement, he and Mara moved back to Melbourne, where their children and grandchildren lived.

Throughout his working years, as well as most of the time after his retirement, Aivars actively participated in Latvian society. He was also active in Latvian umbrella organizations, the Association of Latvians in Australia and New Zealand (LAAJ), and a member of the board of the World Association of Free Latvians (PBLA). Aivars participated in the Christian life of Latvians in Australia, being a member of the board of the Holy Cross Church in Melbourne in the 1970s. Aivars also took active in the cultural life of Australian Latvians, leading the group of Applied Arts in Melbourne and later singing in the Sydney mixed choir. Aivars chaired the Australian Latvian Cultural Days in 1987 in Sydney and in 1994 in Melbourne.

R.I.P. Aivars

With regret we pass on news of the passing of Keith Jones in Geelong on Thursday 1st February after a long battle with cancer.

Keith joined IBM in Melbourne in October 1964 and worked as a Software Services Representative. 

Keith’s Funeral will be held at East Geelong Uniting Church on Monday 12th February at 2pm.  It will be streamed live through Jonathan Hepner Funerals.

Many thanks to Ian Harry for sharing details with his QCC colleagues.

This is a post I wish I did not have to write to you all. I am very sad and shocked to tell you our esteemed and ever-popular colleague John Cutterham passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Sunday last.

John was such a pillar of strength and character for the IBM Melbourne location and for the FSS team, both in Melbourne and across the country, in particular. His fearlessness in doing what was right for the customer – and for telling them when they were out of line, as well – was legend and universally admired. He will be sorely missed at our gatherings and I know you join with me in expressing our deepest condolences and sympathies to Lesley and their children at this terribly sad time. 

Stay safe and remember your best stories about John – let’s remember and celebrate a terrific IBMer  – and a good man.

Doug Parke, Secretary

Sad news of the passing of John Kidd on Monday November 15.  Our deepest condolences go to his wife Grita and family.  John was well respected by colleagues and customers over his many years as a CSR in Melbourne.  He qualified as a QCC member in September 1990. 

Vale John Vandekolk.

The IBM Quarter Century Club of Victoria Inc regretfully advises all our members of the recent passing of a colleague, John Vandekolk. 

John was ex-Royal Australian Navy, and was a well known and respected CE in the late 70s and 80s. John was Inducted into the IBM Quarter Century Club of Victoria Inc on 26/01/1995.
 
John was absent from later QCC events in Melbourne as he moved to Warrnambool after his retirement and was focused on his health. John fought a long running battle against cancer and was in remission for some time. 

John is survived by his wife Merri and his son Jake.

John’s funeral will be on Monday., 21st February. The service will commence at 2pm at Guyett’s Funerals, 271 Raglan Parade, Warrnambool. 

The IBM Quarter Century Club of Victoria Inc sends its sincere condolences to Merri and Jake and to his close friends, in and out of the IBM community.

Sad news on the passing of Terry Disher in Melbourne on 25 May 2021, aged 78.

Qualified for the IBM QCC on 3 October 1991.

33 years at IBM, retired Dec 1999, retired up onto Lake Eildon for many wonderful years.

Went back to IBM for consultancy twice in the following years.

He is survived by his wife, Anne, children: Shauna, Heath, Trent, grandchildren: Deni, Kale, Dakoda, Beauie, Zanek, Kushla, Keeley, great grandchildren: Hudson, Cooper, 2 more to come.

Rob Owens passed away in Melbourne on Monday 29th June after a courageous battle with cancer.   Rob began his career as a Program Support Representative (PSR) with IBM in November 1975 and became a guru on IBM’s large systems operating systems software.  After some years as a Systems Engineer, Rob moved into Sales and Marketing where he applied his in-depth product knowledge and persuasive skills to great effect.

Rob will be long remembered by for his good humour, wit and his love of wine, vintage sports cars, outdoor adventures and travel.  He was a much loved husband to Sue, and father to Clare (dec), Mark and Louise.

His family would like his friends and former colleagues to share any memories of him via https://www.forevermissed.com/robert-edward-owens/about?invitation_code=a4045839e41c30d579ab22949700a62&utm_source=fm_emails&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=memorialInvitation&utm_content=visit_link

It is with great sadness that we heard in recent weeks that Mark Chan had passed away in October 2013.  Mark was a banking systems specialist in the Banking and Retail Branch in Melbourne and was highly respected by banking clients and all IBMers who worked with him for more than 30 years across various accounts.

The following death notice was published in the Melbourne Herald Sun newspaper on 29th October 2013:

CHAN. _ Mark. 02.11.1947 – 22.10.2013

We will always love you. Lost to us too soon and sadly missed _ Your loving children Milton and Michelle, wife Maria and daughter-in-law Amy. Beloved sisters Lucy, Sue and Catherine.

Alan Lee Ackland passed away on Sunday, 3rd November 2019, at the age of 86 years.  He worked for IBM in Melbourne for 32 years, qualifying for the Quarter Century Club on 18th November 1982. 

Alan was a much loved husband of Joan (dec) and father to Diane and David.  His funeral service will be held at the Le Pine Chapel, 513 Greensborough Road, Greensborough on Friday 8th November commencing at 2:30pm.

We have received notification that George Hawthorn passed away on 20th April 2017.  George qualified as a QCC Member in Victoria in January 1991.

Joo Thong Ng joined IBM (Malaysia/Singapore) in April 1966, reached his 25 years with IBM Singapore and worked with IBM for over 30 years including a massive project with IBM Australia on Ansett Airlines in the 1990s.  He and his wife Doreen (also a QCC Member) moved to Melbourne after retirement and transferred their QCC memberships to the Victorian Chapter.

The family have requested no flowers.

On behalf of all IBM QCC Members we extend our deepest condolences to Doreen and her family. 

Pat Seivers worked with IBM in the UK from 1963 and joined IBM Australia in Melbourne in 1969. She was inducted into the QCC in 1988 and left in 1991 and subsequently moved to the Gold Coast.  Her husband Kevin passed away in 2011.

Pat was 85.  May she rest in peace.  Her funeral will be held on Thursday 15th August 2019 at 2.00pm at Sacred Heart Church, 50 Fairway Drive, Clear Island Waters, Gold Coast, QLD.

We have received confirmation that Roy Mitchell passed away at Myrtleford in November 2017, just five months after the death of his wife Valerie.

Roy qualified as a QCC Member in November 1998.  

Derek Neill passed away at his home in Frankston on Sunday 14th July 2019 at the age of 88.  Derek is survived by his wife Maureen, 2 sons, 4 grand-children and 10 grand-children.

Derek qualified as a QCC Member on June 4, 1987.

We have recently learnt of the passing of Barb Perley  who  will be fondly remembered by all who worked with her in Melbourne over many years. Barb qualified as a QCC Member in September 1991.  The obituary notice below was published in The Age on June 23, 2018.  Her husband John passed away on March 22, 2012.

PERLEY, Barbara Diane
Daughter of the late Gordon and Marjorie Morley, New Zealand. Wife of the late John Perley. Friend to Geraldine, Christopher, Andrew and many more.
Requiescat in Pace – privately cremated.

Peter Byrne passed away at Mt Martha on Tuesday, 20th November 2018 after a long and difficult illness.  He is survived by his wife Joy.

Friends and former colleagues of Peter are invited to pay tribute by adding Comments to this page.

Regretfully, the advice of Frank’s passing in July 2016 was not communicated to our QCC Members at that time.   Frank is survived by his wife Anne who still resides at their home in Viewbank.

His friends and former colleagues are invited to share their memories of Frank by adding comments to this page.

IBM QCC Victoria is saddened to hear of the passing of Gerard Holuigue on Wednesday 24th October 2018. Many will have fond memories of Gerard’s years as a Systems Engineer in Melbourne.

A service to celebrate his life will be held on Thursday 1st November 2018 at 2.00pm in Gardens House, Botanical Gardens, South Yarra.

The following Obituary notice appeared in The Age newspaper:

HOLUIGUE, Gerard

Formerly of Le Touquet – Paris – Plage France died peacefully last Wednesday in his favourite chair, in his favourite room with his favourite dog by his side.

A selfless and devoted family man who was loved by Di, Marni, Nick, Fi and Stu and his five grandchildren Noah, Alfie, Louis, Billy and Charlie.

Il va nous manquer beaucoup.

Quentin Bradfield passed away on 25th October 2018. He became a Member of the IBM Quarter Century Club in March 2002.  A ceremony to celebrate his life will be held at the Mission to Seafarers Victoria, 717 Flinders Street, Docklands on Thursday (November 1, 2018) at 11.00 am. No flowers by request – donations to Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia would be much appreciated. 

Memories of Quentin – contributed by his IBM friends Paul Clayton, Justin Murphy and Will Davis

Quentin Bradfield, better known to his many IBM colleagues as QB joined IBM in March 1977 and was a very likeable South African with a pleasant smile and engaging accent.  He soon became a team player at IBM, quick to welcome and assist others, and happy to receive assistance when needed.

Throughout his 35 years at IBM, QB’s flexibility enabled him to take on many roles, from ‘Office Products Customer Engineer’ to Management, Account Management & Administration Roles.  QB was always willing to help – at the great IBM Christmas Parties held at Luna Park, there was QB transporting Father Christmas in his MG sports car.

At weekends, Sue and QB often enjoyed early morning runs in the MG with Don & Greta Hayes in their MG. However, like most sports car enthusiasts, more time was spent procrastinating about his two MG’s than driving them.

Quentin’s well developed social skills were exercised regularly at Billy Bell’s South Melbourne tavern, (when we were located at Sturt St) after work, with many of his work colleagues. This was a great time to relax together and discuss their crazy customers!!

QB started his long IBM career fixing IBM golf-ball typewriters. His mechanical mastery and suave personality was perfectly matched to his assigned patch of sophisticated ‘marketing’ and ‘advertising agencies’ clients in Albert Park and South Melbourne…. he loved those dimly lit and smokey offices. IBM Management then leveraged his ‘Are You Being Served’ skills when they got QB to introduce Point of Sale terminals into Fletcher Jones men’s stores in the city and some large regional Victoria centres. He also led the IBM support for the POS revolution in retail at Coles Doncaster and Melbourne City stores. They were challenging and successful times for IBM,. Quentin’s cool professional nature, coupled with his technical skills, made him a standout performer of that era.

QB enjoyed flying model airplanes, and he did this with IBM colleagues Will Davis and Trevor Pugh. 
Quentin joined the GMAC (Greensborough Model Aircraft Club) in 2006 (approx) and remained a member for many years, actively supporting the club at working bee’s and annual show days. After learning to fly, he built and flew several types of remote control model planes at the GMAC flying field located at Yarrambat Park. His favourite model was a Great Plane’s ‘Spacewalker’ an advanced sports model which he built and expertly flew at the clubs field on his regular Sunday morning visits. Quentin was a highly valued member of the GMAC and will be sadly missed by his many friends at the club.

Amidst his busy working career, fatherly responsibilities and hobbies, QB managed to renovate and extend his home in leafy Glen Iris. Not surprisingly he was hands-on with all aspects of the project such as roof tiling, plumbing and painting those lovely weatherboards. All challenges of the projects were met with his typical good nature and can do attitude.

QB loved an adventure. He particularly enjoyed retelling stories of two big family trips, to central Australia and a safari holiday in his homeland of South Africa.

In recent years, QB joined with various IBM groups for occasional lunches, his presence always welcome. He loved his mid-morning coffee chats at his local cafe, Bella Sistas. Was it the lovely waitress or the eccentric ‘Basil Faulty’ like boss (Pino) that kept him entertained??

QB will not be forgotten, he will always be remembered as a good friend, a gentleman with a pleasant smile and engaging accent.