NSA remembers former president Philip Bolam

12th April 2014

It is with great sadness that NSA reports the passing of Philip Bolam, a former NSA President (1982-1994) and ardent supporter of this organisation over many years. Philip was hugely passionate about the NSA and remained in regular contact and abreast of activity right up until his death on 12th April 2014. 

John Thorley, who was NSA Chief Executive at the time of Philip’s presidency, provides these words:-

A proud North Country Man, Philip Bolam was a personal friend of over 40 years standing and a supporter of NSA long before he became its President from 1982 to1994.

Born into a fur trading family he became a graduate of Newcastle University and spent much of his formative early career as a civil servant working in the Ministry of Agriculture Advisory Service. Starting in the North of England where he also had a small hill farm and kept a few cows and sheep, he then went on to become the County Agricultural Officer in Norfolk and following that Regional Director of the Ministry Advisory Service in the South West.

The work where he made his biggest impact started when he became Head of Group Agricultural Services and Chief Agricultural Advisor at Barclays Bank, a role which took him all over the world and in particular triggered his interest in developing countries and especially communities challenged by natural difficulties.

It was a role which was to equip him for his retirement activity of becoming Honorary Press Officer to the Royal Agricultural Society of the Commonwealth , as a result of which he became a Lieutenant of the Victorian Order (LVO) an honour bestowed by Her Majesty The Queen of which he was justifiably proud.

He brought to NSA a vast breadth of knowledge and experience and, with many senior figures in the sheep world, played a key part during the time when the association was developing its commercial membership and evolving from a largely breed-orientated organisation to one which had an expanding role, with the farming unions, in putting the case for sheep farming across the board.

A tall, angular, larger-than-life figure, Philip immersed himself in his work as NSA President becoming known for his trademark shepherds’ crook which went with him all over the world. He ‘lost’ it on one occasion when a Frenchman to whom he was speaking at the Paris Show in animated fashion thought he was being presented with the crook and promptly walked off with it leaving Philip wondering how it had all happened! It was typical of him to tell the story with gales of raucous laughter whenever the opportunity arose.

Sadly Philip was bed ridden and in need of full time care for the last two years of his life as a result of a spinal operation which didn’t run to plan. Even so his mental capacity was undiminished and he kept in touch with his many friends through his telephone and laptop and, though showing signs of age, he was 91 a few weeks ago and I was lucky to have seen him in his last few days.

It goes without saying I and his many friends will miss the companionship of a rare, genuine and charismatic individual who would go out of his way to help others. He will have left a huge legacy of well-wishers and his passing will be seen as a blessed release.