It has been another tough and challenging week for many individuals and businesses in the AV community. One of the hardest things we have to do as colleagues and friends is to say goodbye to people we respect and admire, however fleeting our contact with them may have been, and the frequency with which members of the AV community have been sadly passing over the last few weeks has been alarming.
Yesterday was the funeral for our dear friend and colleague Ian McMurray, and I’m happy to say that many of the tributes offered by his industry companions were referenced in the eulogy by the celebrant. All of those touchingly personal testimonies will feature in our tribute to Ian in the coming issue of the magazine, a special version of which will be passed on to his family who were overwhelmed with the generosity of thoughts and condolence received from his professional family.
Sadly, more condolences are being shared today following the sudden passing of Shure’s Mark Brunner yesterday, which unfortunately continues a number of recent losses in the marketplace that include Lawo’s Michael Mueller; KV2 Audio’s David Croxton; and Peerless-AV’s Melinda Van Horvath, back in June. At Future this week, we learned of the tragic passing of Andy Clough, known to many as Mr What Hi-Fi having spent 25 of his 58 years on the title. All of those to whom we have been saying goodbye this year are leaving us far too young.
- Shure announces the passing of Mark Brunner
- Lawo mourns VP of sales, Michael Mueller
- AV community pays tribute to Ian McMurray
- KV2 Audio mourns passing of David Croxton
- Melinda Von Horvath 1973 – 2020
It’s at times like this, and certainly during such an extraordinary time as we are in, that we look to each other for comfort, for solace, and for the little glimmers of hope that help to keep us all going when skies are grey. That’s why it has been wonderful to see the good news stories that have been popping up across social media in the last couple of weeks, where charitable donations of AV equipment are helping to make a real difference for the people who need it.
As we go into the weekend, we wanted to end on a positive note to celebrate the little stories that may otherwise go unnoticed that will hopefully remind you why our AV community is so unique.
You will hopefully have seen that BenQ has been supporting gaming charity, TheRockinR, by donating 30 monitors for its gaming carts, which are being installed in UK hospitals to support children and young adults as they undergo treatments and procedures during lockdown.
Ten of the carts have already been installed at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool (pictured), Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Poole Hospital (Dorset) and Hereford County Hospital, with the remaining set to be installed over the coming months.
The charity was set up by Jonny and Carol Miree, who lost their 11-year old son, Reece, in March 2018. During their son’s hospital visits they identified there were many specific ways in which interactive gaming could help patients. By offering a distraction from treatments and procedures, the charity aims to promote well-being and social interaction through gaming and communication.
“We are extremely grateful to BenQ for their generous donation. With four hospitals across the UK already benefiting from their new Gaming Carts, we continue to see the positive impact that this access gives to children in hospitals,” said Jonny Miree. “Lockdown measures put huge restrictions on visiting times and access, so the carts are providing extra entertainment and comfort to those who aren’t seeing family regularly.”
Richard Mackey, marketing executive from BenQ, said, “At BenQ we have a very active role within the gaming industry, so when we heard about TheRockinR we knew we had to support this brilliant charity. The impact 30 monitors have made has been astronomical. We hear from Jonny that the carts enable multiple children or families to gather round to play, watch and interact with one another. It’s a huge honour to see the carts give so much enjoyment and normality into what many of us may never comprehend.”
Out in the Twittersphere, we’ve also seen these brilliant acts of community philanthropy from Pure AV:
Today, we donated an upcycled projector and screen to the @PrestonAirCadet‘s. The equipment will be used to provide key training and enhance the overall experience for each and every Air Cadet.#audiovisual #donations #community #airforce #raf #preston #lancashire #aircadets pic.twitter.com/9ShqG1iT8T
— Pure AV (@Pure_AV) September 29, 2020
To say thank you for all the hard work that @LancashireFRS are doing in our local area, we donated a @PhilipsDisplays large format display that will be going into the staff area at their Bamber Bridge base. Keep up the great work!#audiovisual #firestation #lancashire #preston pic.twitter.com/oFFvF6E32y
— Pure AV (@Pure_AV) September 25, 2020
Here at Installation, we’d like to turn this into a regular sign off to the week, so if you have AV in the community news you’d like to share, please get in touch with me at [email protected].
Have a lovely weekend, all.
