Ronnie Flinn (1963-2012)

Ronnie Flinn, 29th July 1963 - 28th February 2012
Ronnie died suddenly at the age of 48 after collapsing while gardening
He had 3 daughters, Danielle, Jess and Abbie, and two 2 grand kids Logan with his first partner.
He had a son, Connor 8 years old, and a stepdaughter, Zoë, aged 13 with his fiancé, Allison
He grew up in Gateshead moving from Lobley Hill to Barley Mow and then to Birtley.
He had 4 brothers Errol, the eldest, then me (Andy), Thomas and Paul.
Paul, another good fishkeeper & exhibitor died in 1994.
Vera & I named our son after Paul, and he turned out very much like his namesake.
Ronnie was keen on all types of sport especially Formula 1 & Football. He was a lifelong Newcastle supporter, and had a good-humoured feud with any Maccum, Sunderland supporter, that crossed his path.
He was a good pool player, enjoying a drink at the same time, usually in his favourite haunt of the Birtley Legion.
His favourite colour was yellow, the number of yellow shirts, ties & buttonholes at his funeral must have seemed strange to them not in the know.
His interest in fish started at the age of 15, spending most of the following years exhibiting them.
He held many important positions in fishkeeping, being the secretary of the old Birtley Club, which incidentally met in the Birtley Legion.
He also took over the same role as well as show manager when Birtley re-formed in 2010.
He spent the last few years as a TTAA Council Members, taking on the role of Vice Chairman when the association reformed in 2010.
Ronnie was one of those people who got on with everyone, his sense of humour was legendary, using one-liners to break the ice or sometime to diffuse situation at meetings.
He could never take anything seriously and was at his best when he was winding up someone (usually his nephew, Paul), Their friendly rivalry spurred on both to do better at shows. His favourite was telling Paul if his Best in Show died he would pack up and start collecting Eddie Stobbart names.
Ronnie wasn't just Paul's uncle, Vera's brother-in-law and my brother; he was our best mate also.
Andy Flinn