(The fourth in the occasional series about some of Sedbergh's Senior Citizens who are over the age of eighty and who have led interesting and exemplary lives.)
  Approaching his house you may hear sweet melodies issuing from the garage where this month's distinguished octogenarian is playing his organ - something he can still do, with not a note of music and despite his failing eyesight. Jack Dawson is sometimes called "Mr Sedbergh" - he is so much a part of this place. He was born in 1922 (just a stone's throw away from where he now lives) at 2, Woodburn Terrace, a row of five stone-built houses to the west of the snicket leading from Bainbridge Road to the Main Street, no longer known by that name. He lived there until he was eight and then moved up the hill to 58 Bainbridge Road, a house more suitable for a couple with three growing children, only a few doors away from his grandparents, William and Elizabeth Dawson.
  A few steps took him to the British School, the non-conformist establishment set up by the free churches of Sedbergh in 1843. There were entrances both from Bainbridge Road and from Joss Lane. Jack was there till the age of 13 under headteacher, William Downhill, whom many Sedbergh people will remember. At that time, all pupils left school at 14 unless they could afford to transfer to one of the local senior schools. Jack's older brother, William, had moved to Sedbergh School, and, at the age of 11, Jack began Latin lessons with a view to following in his footsteps. For these he went to Major Wilkins, a master at the School who lived in what was known as Footer View, overlooking the Lupton field on Back Lane. Latin was an important part of the entrance exam, taken in Powell Hall by local boys, and Jack was successful in gaining a Local Exhibition to what was known as "the big school". There were around 15 day-boys at the time; Jack was in Evans House on Main Street.
  By the time he was 18, the Second World War had begun and Jack joined the RAF. This keen and capable young man was sent, under the Empire Training Scheme, to train for a year as a pilot in Canada. Leaving Britain for Canada meant a long boat trip across the Atlantic from Glasgow to Halifax, Nova Scotia - no flights in those days. Jack trained first in Alberta, then in Saskatchewan where he was awarded his "WINGS". He could fly any multi-engined aircraft and flew Lancasters, Wellingtons and others during his RAF years. The journey back to Glasgow was from New York on board the first Queen Elizabeth with no fewer than 19000 servicemen on board. Clearly this would have been a prime target for the German U-boats, at that time sinking up to sixteen ships a day. The journey, Jack says, was a scarey one, made to seem longer than its four days by the necessity for the boat to take a zig-zag course across the Atlantic to avoid being torpedoed and sunk.
  Following his return to England, Jack worked for about three years as an Instructor, training pilots and navigators in using new techniques like the Lorenz Beam for getting bomber pilots back from raids over Germany and also for getting bombs to hit their targets with greater accuracy. He moved into Transport Command. The War ended in 1945, and a year later Jack had to decide whether to take the job he was offered as a civilian pilot with the Dutch airline KLM or to return to Sedbergh to play his part in the family business, started in the station yard by his grandfather in 1895. He opted for the latter because his older brother William, a navigator on Lancasters, had been shot down in 1943 over Belgium. So he came back to his native Sedbergh to became a business man - and soon after to marry Jenny at Sedbergh Methodist Church in 1947.
  But Jack had interests outside the family business - many of them - all linked to his manual and artistic skills and to his social
concern. He loved painting in oils and, with the late Harry Bracken, was a founder member of the local Art Society. He has written quite a bit of poetry. His interest in engineering led him to become a member of the Kendal Engineering Society. He was a Justice of the Peace for 14 years. Central to his life was his Christian faith : he taught in the Methodist Sunday School for thirty years, sang in the choir and was a local preacher in this circuit for 50 years. He learned calligraphy from Dorothy Hansford at night school and was also a passionate wood-turner, making "objets d'art" from many kinds of local timber.
  He has always loved Sedbergh and served it for many years on the Rural District Council, taking over as Chairman when Arthur L Gladstone died suddenly. The RDC, which had real powers, was "closer to the people" than present-day councils can be. When Sedbergh became part of Cumbria in 1974, Jack was appointed first Chairman of South Lakeland with the cumbersome job of bringing together diverse areas such as Ulverston, Kendal and the South Lakes towns. His portrait hangs in Kendal Town Hall.
  He and Jenny celebrated their Golden Wedding the same year as The Queen and Prince Philip. Had they been able to make the trip to Buckingham Palace, it would have been their tenth visit. Jack has enjoyed each one of these Garden Parties because of "all the interesting people you meet". But then he has always enjoyed meeting interesting people - and he finds our small town full of them.

George D. Handley

  I have mentioned Qi (pronounced "chee") in the Lookaround many times and this article is an attempt to make clearer its role in good (and bad) health.
  Qi can be thought of more widely as the motivation of all movement, change and transformation in the universe. In the body, the Qi that motivates the normal processes of growth, regeneration, digestion, blood circulation, defence against disease and so forth is called upright Qi. On the other hand, pathogenic Qi is Qi which motivates disease processes. In serious illness, the prognosis is still good, even in the presence of serious pathogenic factors, if the person's upright Qi is strong. Treatment of disease often concentrates on getting rid of pathogenic material of one sort or another, often at the expense of the upright Qi. Good examples of this are radiotherapy and chemotherapy for cancer, and antibiotics. Alongside these treatments, efforts should be made to strengthen the upright Qi.
  So, for a long and healthy life, cultivate your Qi. There are various aspects to consider.

• Taking in or gathering Qi. In the body Qi comes from breathing air and consuming food and drink. Breathing properly and eating in such a way that the food is "burned cleanly" are very important. Breathe slowly and deeply. Eat in a calm environment and consume a wide variety of freshly prepared food.
  
• Resolving blockages. Sufficient exercise keeps the Qi flowing. This should include both aerobic exercise and a type which opens the joints and massages the internal organs (such as yoga or Tai Chi).
  
• Energise the body. Bring Qi to all parts of the body with good posture and intent. Good posture is quite subtle and there is no substitute for proper instruction. However as a simple example, imagine the fingers and toes are like hose pipes: the Qi flows better if there are no kinks, that is, the digits are held straight (but not rigid).
  
• Circulate the Qi with appropriate exercise. There are many such exercises in the Tai Chi system.
  
• Conserve Qi. Many everyday activities such as eating, drinking red wine, watching television, walking, running and using a computer can be beneficial in judicious doses but dissipate the Qi if overdone. Moderation is the key. It is important not to overwork. Try to work within your available reserves and learn to say, "No!" if you need to. Much energy is devoted to daily routines, so breaking routines (including emotional patterns and habits such as smoking) can conserve Qi. For women, sensitivity to the cyclical waxing and waning of energy is essential to avoid dissipating Qi.
  

June Parker