Report: Ingrid Donakey

Merseyside & West Cheshire Area Ramblers are making a lasting tribute to Ron Gordon, a long-standing resident of Aughton, in honour of the voluntary work he carried out locally and in the wider area for the Ramblers.

And to commemorate his dedicated work, the Ramblers have revamped the woodland path and boardwalk on Footpath 10 between Town Green fields and Church Lane; name plates have also been installed to call the connecting path “Ron Gordon Way”.

Ron joined the Merseyside & West Cheshire Area Ramblers when he was de-mobbed from the Army in 1946. His friends & family were surprised that after all the marching he did in the Army that he wanted to carry on marching as a civilian!

He joined the Ramblers’ General Committee in 1947, so he served for over 67 years right up until when he died in 2015. As a member of the Ramblers’ Footpath Committee, he actively monitored & took zealous action to eradicate footpath problems throughout West Lancashire - he struck fear in landowners and Highways Officers alike with his tenacious approach to keeping public pathways free from obstruction and crop planting.

Ron was a founder member of the Ramblers’ Transport Committee in 1949. The Committee organised trains to take city folk out walking into the countryside. There was no turning up late at the end of a ramble in those days or you’d miss the train home; nowadays these Public Rambles are still as popular as ever, with two ramblers’ coaches venturing into the countryside each month.

Besides his formal Ramblers voluntary work over 50 years, Ron always loved leading walking parties, which he still did in his 80’s & 90’s for the local U3A. Not only were his navigational skills second to none (developed from his Army days) but he also conveyed his vast knowledge about local history or geography of an area in which he was walking. Although he no longer led countryside walks after the age of 90, public ramblers still loved being in his walk party because of his amazing knowledge of the fauna, flora & environment ,which added to the richness of their walk experience. He was also a dog-walker on 'the Town Green Fields', meeting up with the dog walking community each morning.

Ron’s daughter Elizabeth Perry lives in Aughton with her husband. Ron’s son Andrew was actively involved in Christ Church but helped set up and now teaches in Cambodia’s Asian Hope School. Ron’s daughter Cathy developed her father’s love of the mountains and settled in the Lake District. Elizabeth and Cathy will join the Ramblers for a walk along Footpath 10 and opening of the Ron Gordon Way as a celebration in memory on their father on 3rd February.