A hero for our times, and one whose like will not be seen again was how former Lloyd's List editor and Spinnaker chairman Michael Grey described Professor David Moreby in his tribute in Lloyd's List and, as a former student, our current chairman was proud to deliver a tribute at his funeral on Friday.
"Everyone panics in his own language" was one of David's catchphrases as Michael remembered in his Lloyd's List Quarterpoints column. This is, of course, no less true today than when he first coined it. Those reading Michael's moving tribute and the feature by Phil Parry which appeared in Lloyd's List in 1997, who did not know David, will certainly wish they had done so.
David, we read, was impatient with the "establishment" way of doing things, and made people in the industry think, which is perhaps the greatest tribute one can pay.
As Phil put it, David did not just teach shipping, but taught life. He was also able to appreciate both the shore and shipboard sides of the industry and forge links between the two. The driving force behind the Galbraith's shipping course, David was an inspiration to his students and, Phil maintains, if he had been in charge initiatives like STCW and ISM might not have been necessary.
Those who knew David can remember him by making a donation to the Marine Society
