Her Worship the Mayor Councillor Sara Hackman JP presided over a ceremony on Friday October 2 when the Noble's Park Centenary Bandstand was re-named The Ian Clague MBE Centenary Bandstand.
Her Worship and Ian Clague reveal the bandstand's new name
The renaming was, said Her Worship, a tribute 'to a long-serving and highly valued officer of the Council who has recently retired after 37 years' sterling service'.
The Mayor and Mayoress, Councillor Sara Hackman and Councillor Carol Malarkey with Ian Clague
Ian Clague joined the Council in 1978, with the then Douglas Corporation Electricity Department. In 1984, when that department was subsumed by the government into the Manx Electricity Authority, Ian opted to remain with the Council and became senior electrical assistant. He progressed through a number of senior management posts to the post of borough services officer to which he was appointed in 1996. The title later reverted to that of the historic Borough Engineer and Surveyor.
Her Worship went on to say: 'Ian has served the Council diligently throughout his career, and particularly so during his spell in that highest technical role. He has been in that post longer than I and most of my colleagues have been Members of the Council, and it is with sadness that we saw him go, because we have lost a reliable point of reference. His advice has always been readily given, and based on the sound precept that whatever the Council does should be for the benefit of the people of Douglas and the Isle of Man.
The Mayor and Mayoress and Ian Clague with Sue Clague and Sammy Clague and, seated, Mrs Clague's father Francis Tooms
'Aside from his huge contribution to the Council, Ian has always made time for his interest in the promotion of music for young people, particularly in the sphere of brass bands. His enthusiastic pursuit of excellence in this field, as a very early member of the Manx Youth Band and Manx Concert Brass, later as musical director, led to him being appointed MBE in the 2000.
'And now that his time with Douglas Borough Council is over, we thought it appropriate to mark his contribution to the Council, to music, and to young people. Ian was instrumental in having this bandstand placed in the
