THE TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has paid tribute to his father, who died yesterday while on holiday in France, calling him “an amazing man.”
The Prime Minister said that while his father's death was “unexpected and sudden” it happened while Ian, 77, was enjoying a “wonderful holiday” with family and friends.
Mr Cameron also thanked Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, for helping him get to the hospital in time to see his father before he died.
Downing Street released a statement from Mr Cameron and his family this morning.
It said: “Our dad was an amazing man - a real life-enhancer. He never let the disability he was born with or the complications in later life get in the way of his incredible sense of fun and enjoyment.
“He touched a lot of lives in lots of different ways and was a brilliant husband and father. You could never be down for long when he was around. >>> | Thursday, September 09, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Ian Cameron, who died on September 8 aged 77, was a successful stockbroker in the City of London and the father of the Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Ian Donald Cameron was born in London on October 12 1932, the son of Donald Ewen Cameron and his wife Enid (née Levita), who came from a distinguished Polish banking family. The Camerons had worked in the City for several generations.
His great-grandfather, Sir Ewen Cameron, came south from Invernesshire in the 1860s to work for the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, and helped the Rothschilds to sell war bonds during the Russo-Japanese war. Ian Cameron’s grandfather, Ewen Ivan, became senior partner of the stockbroking firm, Panmure Gordon, as did Ian’s father, Donald.
From birth Ian's legs were severely deformed, requiring him to undergo several operations and to wear special raised boots. He was sent to board at Betteshanger prep school in Kent, where, because of his disability, he was made to have an extra hour’s rest every day. At home, his mother treated him with much affection, but also believed that the effect of his disability had to be minimised, that he had to develop a sense of independence.
Shortly before he went to Eton, Ian’s father left his mother and married an Austrian, Marielen von Meiss-Teuffen. It was a difficult period for the boy, and he did not shine academically at school. He did, however, show the determination that was to be a hallmark of his character, and was not shy. One of his school friends recalled playing a game of indoor football with him: “I had the ball at my feet, and I said 'Oh yes, this is Ian, I can get past him’. Suddenly my wrists were seized in an iron grip, because all the strength of his legs had gone into his arms and wrists. I virtually needed a course of physiotherapy after that. He had this amazing strength, and he was always incredibly resilient, courageous and outgoing.” When it came to the Field Game, the school’s home-grown hybrid of football and rugby, Ian played in a position comparable to scrum-half, where he found that his low centre of gravity sometimes proved an advantage.
After school, Ian decided against going to university; neither did he do National Service, on account of his disability. Instead he trained as an accountant, a profession he disliked so much that he later banned his children from pursuing it. He then spent two years as a banker at Robert Fleming before following the family tradition by entering Panmure Gordon; he became a partner before the age of 30. Moving into a flat in Basil Street, Knightsbridge, he threw what a friend described as “endless parties with the most beautiful girls”. >>> | Thursday, September 09, 2010
