John Rees Albert Knight, a well-liked and respected trading standards colleague, sadly passed away on July 27, 2020 at his family home in Caerleon, Gwent. John was 86 and was born in 1934 in Abercarn, a small town and community traditionally associated with the coal mining, iron works and tinplate works of the Valleys.
He was well qualified for a Weights and Measures career, being brought up above his father’s grocery shop and not far from the family bakery.
The chapel was very much part of John’s early life and family folklore has it that as he was born, the local choir were rehearsing next door and were actually singing ‘The Messiah’.
John qualified as a Weights and Measures Inspector whilst working for Monmouthshire County Council and during his career worked across South Wales for Rhondda Borough Council, Newport CBC, and for many years for Gwent County Council.
John was a man of principle, and his beliefs in honesty, fairness and justice were passed on to many of the young men and women whom he taught and nurtured, including Steve Delahaye, John Hillier and Tim Keohane, all of whom later became Fellows of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. Many colleagues have spoken highly of John.
John represented the South Wales Branch on the Council of our Institute and the Quality Standards Committee for many years, and was awarded a Fellowship in 1984 in Blackpool for his services to the profession. He was also elected as Vice Chairman of the Management Committee. He served the Institute very well and he was always a supporter of the South Wales Branch.
He loved rugby (he was Welsh after all), fishing, woodworking and refurbishing furniture. One of his loves and specialities in trading standards was the law, precedents and interpretation of statutes. I am sure in another life he would have loved to have been a Lawyer.
John leaves behind Avril, his devoted wife of over 60 years, their three children, Catherine, Philippa and Richard, and four grandchildren, Sophie, Sam, Daniel and Laura, to whom we send our sincere condolences.
CTSI were represented at his funeral at Langstone Crematorium by Steve Delahaye and Tim Keohane.
