James Kearney: James (Jimmy) Kearney, who died in Belfast following a long, painful and debilitating illness, spent his life championing the causes of the voluntary and community sectors as a route to enabling every individual to achieve their full potential. Nicknamed Jimmy as a child to avoid confusion with other family members, it was typical of his modesty and dislike of fuss that few knew that he strongly preferred his real full name.
Born into a loving and close family and community in east Belfast, he attended Belfast Royal Academy where he excelled at fencing and music. He took his A levels a year early and spent a year studying languages in Germany and at the Sorbonne in France. In the cafés of Paris he picked up his lifelong love of double expressos.
After graduating from Queen's University Belfast, he joined the Northern Ireland Civil Service from which he took early retirement in 1999 after 36 years' service, 15 of them in the senior civil service. He regarded it as a privilege and honour to serve the public and regretted the demise of this ethos and the transition to one which gave too much credence to promoting a personal career path.
His first post was dealing with national insurance cases, which meant going on foot in west Belfast just at the period when the Troubles were first breaking out. He moved posts and obtained promotion quickly as his ability was recognised. A Churchill fellowship left lifelong links with the US and he was a visiting professor in Virginia. In the 1980s he was invited to attend the Federal Executive Institute's programme for Leadership for Democratic Society.
Some key achievements include securing the requirement that residential care staff be professionally qualified, following the Kincora inquiry into the abuse of children in public care; co-ordinating and co-authoring the Children Order for Northern Ireland, implemented in 1995, and the development of guidelines for community development in Northern Ireland, published in 1998.
His last civil service post was as head of the Voluntary Activity Unit and he worked closely with his colleagues in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In that role he pioneered the Government's Strategy for the Support of Voluntary Activity and Community Development in Northern Ireland, published in 1993, a path-breaking document that influenced the development of New Labour's compacts between the voluntary sector and government. The compact idea has been widely copied by overseas governments. Kearney was a pioneer of policy development who believed passionately in voluntary action and in volunteering and sought to promote it personally and through policy.
Retirement afforded the opportunity for additional commitment to his interests in voluntary sector policy and practice. Despite the failing health which would have prompted most people to give up, in 2000 he was appointed visiting professor to the Centre for Voluntary Action Studies at the University of Ulster where his work and guidance was greatly valued. He was chair of the Northern Ireland Committee for the International Year of Volunteers 2001.
He was a board member of the Community Fund and the joint committee of its board and the New Opportunities Fund which steered the merger of both to create the new Lottery distributor, the Big Lottery Fund.
He chaired the board of the High/Scope Ireland Institute and the Volunteer Development Agency's volunteer bureaux grants panel and board. He also found time to be a member of the editorial board of the journal Voluntary Action. He was appointed by the Home Office to the Queen's Golden Jubilee Award Committee.
Kearney worked tirelessly for many years to strengthen the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland, developing policy, providing leadership and advice, using his expertise in programme design and grant-making as well as his knowledge of government. He was widely respected internationally.
His latest academic endeavour, a jointly written book, Two Paths, One Purpose, a comparison of voluntary action in the North and South of Ireland, was launched on December 7th at the Royal Irish Academy. He had planned to be present but was forced to withdraw for hospital treatment.
He was awarded the OBE in 2003 for his services to the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland, a long overdue recognition which he himself felt he did not deserve.
Kearney's views and strategic thinking about the sector were held in high regard across the voluntary and community sectors in Northern Ireland, where he was valued for his enormous intellect coupled with warmth, integrity and capacity to meet every commitment and promise in full.
In 1970 he married Maureen, a childhood and family friend, and they were together until Maureen's death in 1996. He leaves three daughters, Claire, Kirsten and Bronwen and a granddaughter Erin Lucia, eight months, who were all adored by him.
He had a diverse range of interests and skills. In the 60s, while still living at home, he bred and showed corgis, winning the first prize at Crufts. Highly musical, he was a member of a folk group that had many gigs and appeared on TV in this period. As well as singing he played the piano, guitar, banjo and mandolin, recently having his banjo restrung to resume this activity.
Jimmy, as he was known to friends far and wide, was a practical man who loved good food served well, and was an accomplished cook. He also loved gardening (but only knew the Latin names of plants), and liked beautiful clothes and Tuscany. He disliked praise or fuss, bigotry and mice! He believed strongly in people and wanted every individual to have a fair chance, devoting his life to promoting this ideal.
James (Jimmy) Roy Kearney: born August 28th, 1943; died December 3rd, 2004