My father, Derek Hardy, who has died aged 95, was an enthusiastic science teacher; he also had a second career in politics, serving as chair of education at Essex county council.
He spent his teaching career at the Royal Liberty school in Romford, Essex, where he became head of science. Always keen on new developments in technology, he was delighted when the Royal Liberty became the first British secondary school to install a computer, in 1965, and, under Bill Broderick, he was involved in early forays into computer-assisted learning.
Derek’s interest in vegetable growing led to the creation of a gardening club, centred on a large greenhouse in the grounds. Other extracurricular activities included chairing the United Nations Youth Forum for schools in Romford.
Having joined Ilford Young Liberals in 1945, Derek retained an interest in politics, and first stood for the London county council as a Liberal candidate in the early 1960s. Moving out of the capital in 1967 to Kelvedon Hatch, near Brentwood, Essex, he stood as a Liberal then a Liberal Democrat candidate in many local elections.
He was elected to Essex county council in 1985, retired from teaching and embarked on a career in politics. This included 12 years as an Essex county councillor, becoming chair of education in 1995, 25 years as a parish councillor and 17 years as a Brentwood borough councillor, becoming the mayor of Brentwood in 2002, and, finally, alderman in 2015. From 1990 to 2014, he was also board member at Outlook Care, which provides support for vulnerable people across Essex.
Born in Ilford, Essex, to Kathleen (nee McCappin) and Joseph Hardy, a draper, Derek was educated locally at Goodmayes primary school, along with his younger brother, Bryan, and gained a place at Ilford county high school for boys.
His first day at the secondary school coincided with the outbreak of the second world war and the mass evacuation of children from the London area. The entire school was evacuated by train to Ipswich, Suffolk, where Derek stayed with the owners of a local department store.
With its large docks, Ipswich became a target for German bombers. The school was hurriedly moved to Aberdare in the Welsh valleys, where Derek was welcomed into a miner’s family.
After the war, he obtained a scholarship to study botany at Queen Mary College, London (QMC, now Queen Mary, University of London). He started reading the Manchester Guardian, going to London stations in the afternoon to get his copy. He remained a Guardian reader all his life.
After graduating, he stayed on at QMC to study for a PhD in botany, but finished his studies early to do compulsory military service. In 1957 he married Marjorie Kilburn, a fellow attender at the Goodmayes congregational church, and embarked on his career in teaching. My brother, Nigel, was born in 1962 and I was born in 1964.
He is survived by Marjorie, Nigel and me, and four grandchildren, Mike, Lizzie, Gabriella and Joseph.
