A passion for peace
12:24pm Friday 26th October 2007
TERRY Waite is a prominent figure in the diplomatic community who has received international acclaim for his work as a humanitarian and peace campaigner.
And at the age of 68, the former Lymm resident has never showed any signs of slowing down in his quest to promote reconciliation throughout the world.
Limited Edition caught up with Terry prior to his talk at Warrington Parr Hall as part of Warrington Male Voice Choir's Peace One Day performance on the UN International Day of Peace.
"The UN International Day of Peace is an important day right around the world," he said.
"We live in a divided world and it is up to all of us to use the gifts and abilities we have to work for peace.
"Warrington Male Voice Choir has drawn people together from all different professions across Warrington and beyond through the language of music. Long may they continue."
Terry's relationship with the choir dates back more than 14 years during the Northern Ireland troubles when two bombs were detonated in the busy shopping area of Bridge Street in Warrington, injuring 56 people and killing three-year-old Johnathan Ball and 12-year-old Tim Parry.
Within days the choir assisted the victims of the tragedy financially by organising a benefit concert in Warrington which raised more than £11,000 and sought to create links with groups in Ireland working for peace. Terry was impressed with their altruistic attitude to the crisis.
He said: "My association with the choir goes back a long time, particularly following the Warrington bombing and the senseless killing of those two young boys.
"The choir was very active in working for a better understanding through the medium of music and I paid several visits with them to Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland on both sides of the divide.
"In those days, the barriers to peace were fundamentally strong. I'm not saying the choir made peace happen but they made their contribution.
"People were very impressed and moved by what they did and they have continued in their work for peace in their concerts in a number of places throughout the country."
Terry was also keen to send out a message to the Warrington community about the IRA attack.
He said: "The people of Warrington really need to be congratulated for the way they responded positively to the tragedy and the spirit they demonstrated in subsequently refusing to be intimidated and endorsing the values of reconciliation."
By 1996, Terry accepted an invitation to join Warrington Male Voice Choir as patron in tribute to the humanitarian role the group had adopted and also because of his love of music and association with the town.
This partnership proved to be a great platform for both forces and in 1999 the choir, accompanied by Terry, performed a historic concert at Dublin's Mountjoy Prison.
Warrington Male Voice Choir became the first British choir to perform in an Irish jail - a gesture that was supported at the highest level of government.
"I'll always remember the response they got in Mountjoy," said Terry.
"It was absolutely crowded with prisoners and the governor was there and gave a warm welcome.
"It was a magnificent performance and one of the most memorable concerts I've ever been to. It was an old Victorian prison and the spirit there was tremendous."
For Terry, returning to the district is quite poignant because the area is dotted with childhood memories.
He was educated at Stockton Heath Secondary Modern School, his father was a Lymm policeman and his sister, who attended the Peace One Day concert, still lives in the village.
Terry found it difficult to pinpoint the moment he wanted to become a humanitarian but recalled his first main job in 1969 as a provincial training adviser to the first African Anglican Archbishop of Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
Together with his wife Frances and their four children, he witnessed the Amin coup in Uganda and both he and his wife narrowly escaped death on several occasions.
He recently returned to Uganda - the place where his international career began - to develop a programme for people mentally and physically disabled by war.
But perhaps Terry is best known for his work in the early 1980s as a hostage negotiator.
In 1980 he successfully negotiated the release of hostages in Iran and in 1984 he successfully negotiated with Colonel Gaddafi for the release of British hostages held in Libya.
But in 1987, while negotiating for the release of western hostages in Lebanon, he was taken hostage himself and endured 1,763 days in captivity in Beirut.
These were arguably Terry's defining moments but the peace campaigner said he prefers to keep looking forward rather than linger in the past.
"I do not look back for the high points or low points of my career. I take each day as it comes and make the most of the moment.
"They were interesting days but there are still challenges ahead. Today is just as engaging as yesterday was," he added.
A more recent conception you might have of Terry is as a lecturer, writer and broadcaster and since his release his experiences as a negotiator and hostage have been in constant demand worldwide.
He can talk succinctly about stress, loneliness and negotiating under acute pressure - things we certainly face ourselves from time to time.
"It means I keep working all the time," said Terry.
"Later today I will be in London, then I will be going to Leeds Town Hall, then I come to Warrington. It means I keep going and continue to use the gifts that I have."
Terry's ability to communicate clearly with good humour has led him to work with groups from all walks of life, from schools and hospitals to businesses and prisons.
This recently included a visit to Cheshire police headquarters in Winsford when he talked about the benefits of a new scheme called restorative justice.
Terry added: "My background is international - I've lived and worked in many different cultures and I know how different people think and different people behave."