Richard Poole du Parcq (L, 1961)

Richard du Parcq passed away on 25 August 2025, aged 82. The following is an abridged version of the eulogy read at Richard’s funeral, provided by his family.

Richard was born in 1943 in Surrey. The eldest child of John and Anne du Parcq, Richard then became an older brother to his sister Liz in 1947. The family moved house a fair amount, which resulted in him attending several different schools as a child.

The family moved to Gloucestershire in 1954 and in 1956 Richard was awarded a scholarship to Cheltenham College. With him at Cheltenham was his friend Tim Stannard (L, 1959), who would go on to be Richard’s best man, and a new friend for life, Tony Sollars (L, 1961), who became Godfather to Richard’s second daughter, Chloe.

In 1961 Richard started his chemistry degree at Exeter College, Oxford, followed immediately by his PhD. It was at Exeter College that Richard started rowing, developing a passion for the sport that would remain with him for the rest of his life. While at Exeter, Richard was part of the pilot series for a new television quiz show, University Challenge. In 1963, the programme followed a slightly different format to that of today: the team could make a maximum of three appearances in the series; even if they won all three, they would be replaced. In the end, Richard’s team won two and lost the third, due to their ignorance of popular music.

Richard joined the Civil Service after leaving university, working as civil staff for the Metropolitan Police until retirement aged 60. In 1969 he joined Cygnet Rowing Club, and went on to be club captain in 1977, 1989 and 1990. Despite both working at Scotland Yard at the same time, Richard and Diane met through rowing, by Barnes Bridge (Diane was a member of the Civil Service Ladies’ Club next door). They married in 1973 and had 52 years – to the day – of wedded bliss. Mostly.

The rowing club featured heavily in their children’s formative years. It encapsulated so much of what was important to Richard – a community that welcomed everyone and was built on a shared set of values. Richard went on to be Secretary, Treasurer and Vice-President of the club that he loved, taking his responsibilities seriously whilst making certain that everyone else also took their responsibilities seriously.

Richard made many contributions to the sport throughout his life. After hanging up the oars Richard became an umpire, and in 2022 British Rowing recognised him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Driving holidays and camping were a mainstay of du Parcq summers, yet Richard’s pathological fear of motorways – driven mainly by his refusal to stump up for tolls on the continent – meant that the scenic route was always preferred. Whether being washed down a hillside in flash floods on an Italian camp site, being yelled at by a German farmer for being in the wrong orchard when stuffing their faces with cherries in the Black Forest, using a torch to light the broken dashboard of the Volvo on the autobahn, or hiking up a mountain in Provence with kids in tow, with no water, food or sunscreen, Richard’s love of European travel has rubbed off on all of his family. In his diary entry in early September 1973, Richard writes about their camping adventures whilst on honeymoon in Italy, making passing reference to the cholera outbreak in Italy at the time. Nothing, it seems, could get in the way of a good European camping experience.

Richard and Diane never strayed far from Barnes Bridge, moving downriver to Hammersmith Bridge for 23 years, before returning to village life. St Mary’s Church in Barnes played a significant part in Richard’s life; being treasurer of the Parochial Church Council and participating in church life was important to him.

Since retirement Richard has been an active member of the local community. Being the volunteer gardener at Barnes Primary School gave him a sense of immense pride, seeing the things that he loved being enjoyed by younger generations. He joined the Good Companions social group and found ways to maintain his strong relationships with others throughout his illness.

People, community and the world around him were important to Richard. He didn’t shout this from the rooftops, rather he showed us all through his interest in all our lives and in his actions. Whether supporting at his daughter’s allotment, teaching us all about crop rotation and the absolute need to plant out broad beans no later than October, travelling into town for a choral performance, or making sure he kept a separate shopping list for the foodbank, Richard cared deeply for others but did not seek out – or need – any glory. A bit like his early days at Cygnet Rowing Club – he wasn’t really interested in winning or medals, he just wanted to bring people together and to enjoy their company.