Alastair Sutherland

Goodbye Stairs. We hardly ever saw each other in the last few years with you building your life in Ireland, I regret that so much now. Christmas was never the same without you there, sparkling away. Now it won’t ever be. Love, Will

Dear Alastair,
Quelques jours trop courts avec toi sont devenus un souvenir inoubliable, un de ceux qui continuent a nous réchauffer le coeur encore et encore...
Tu étais un soleil, un magicien du bonheur, tu resteras pour toujours dans mon coeur

I was so greatly saddened to hear of Alastair’s death and wish to express my sincere condolences to his brother, his sister, his wider family and friends.

Alastair was an impressively erudite man who wore his erudition lightly; an educator of the first order, he knew that it was the Master’s role to serve the students, it was not the students’ role to serve the Master; he understood that, as Henry David Thoreau noted, “The question was not what are you looking at, but what can you see?”

His calm and easy-going style belied not only a deep and passionate commitment to his craft but also a delightful capacity for fun and mischief. With Alastair there was always the prospect of laughter, lots of laughter, and it is the laughter that I think I will miss most of all.

Bereft and grieving as we are, let us not fail to remind ourselves of how very fortunate we are to have had the pleasure of his inspirational company albeit for far, far too short a time.
Farewell my friend, may choirs of angels sing thee to thy rest.

Firstly, heartfelt condolences to your family.
You were such an inspiration when we first met teaching at New Forest Pony Club Camp 38 years ago and I have treasured the friendship and your amazing knowledge ever since through numerous occasions where our paths have crossed.
You will be missed by all from so many walks of life - taken far too soon - Rest in Peace

Condolences to Alastair's family & friends. Proud to say I was a student of Alastair's in UL and have many fond memories. Shocked and saddened at his untimely passing, such a great character, may he rest in peace.

My sincere sympathy to Alister s family on his passing. Always a great and helpful and kind friend.May he rest in peace.

I was so shocked to hear the very sad news of Alastair‘s untimely passing. He was a lovely guy who gave so much time and energy to the Equestrian World. A brilliant horseman with so much knowledge. He will be deeply missed. My condolences to his family and friends.

I am so sorry to hear of the passing of Alastair.
We worked together at Warwickshire Collage in the 90s. We shared the tiniest office and had such fun. He had a great sense of humor and was a great horseman. He was equally popular with staff and students and I know will be sadly missed by all who knew him.
My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Sharon

To be thoughtful, to have wide interests, to be generous, to have principles and standards, to understand that joy resides in small actions and small creative responses...all this was Alistair. It was Ireland’s gain when he arrived and now it is Ireland’s loss.

I was very sad to hear of the passing of Alastair. A very nice man who showed remarkable patience with me, teaching me how to ride a horse when I hadn't a clue what to do. My condolences to his family.

Sincere sympathy to Alastair’s family . May he rest in peace.

My sincere condolences to Alastair's family and friends. I had the pleasure of being a student of his at UL where he taught me so much and hugely inspired my career as he did so many during his time in UL. I am forever grateful for his knowledge and inspiration. RIP Alastair

Sincere condolences to Alastairs family and friends. May he rest in peace.

Totally shocked to hear of your untimely passing Alastair. Had no idea your were ill. It was always great fun working with you on coaching days Your horse knowledge and sense of fun made those days very special. Thank you.
Deepest sympathy and sincerest condolences for all your family and friends who are in my prayers. May you gallop the fields of heaven .
RIP

There are some who bring a light so great to the world that even after they have gone the light remains... I will never forget the connection we had when we were teammates in 2018. In tears I say my goodbyes to you, Alastair, or 'see you again one day'?

Always a gentleman and an amazing horseman
Many words of wisdom you taught us all in Warwickshire Agricultural College as a gifted tutor and trainer, all of which we have used daily with our equines subconsciously. Thank you and may you rest in peace

Dearest Alastair,

We have just heard the heart breaking news that you have left us to travel to a better place. The void you leave behind can never be replaced. Our hearts ache and we are filled with pain today, but we truly believe we shall meet again.

Thanks for all the Salsa moves, you were beautiful to dance with, gracious and kind always. I think of Leonard Cohen ‘Dance me to the end of Love’, Reiner and myself send all our love to you on your journey. Save a space on the dance floor for us.

Love always,

Barbara & Reiner Dojen x

So shocked and saddened to hear of Alastairs passing, he was a great lecturer during my UL days. Some great memories. Sincere condolences to his family and friends. Rest in Peace Alastair.

Sincere condolences to Alastairs family & friends. I have fond memories of him from our time in UL. May he rest in peace

I am so sorry to hear of Alastair’s passing. I had the pleasure of being with Alastair tutoring and facilitating and benefitted enormously from him. Not just in sport facilitation but personally and philosophically. Generous and good-humoured and kind. His wit, knowledge, generosity and humanity added to any setting. God bless.

Yesterday I heard the news about the passing of our friend Alastair. It came as a real shock, and at present I'm wondering how this could ever happen. I feel so sorry for all those who knew, appreciated and loved him, but at the same time I try to consider that we have been so lucky to have met him and heard his jokes!
I'd like to express my most sincere condolences to his family, and of course to all of his friends and colleagues in Schull.

Deepest condolences, he will be remembered fondly. A tragic loss of a true visionary and an inspiring teacher.

Sincere condolences to all Alastair's family and friends. I had the pleasure of working with Alastair as a tutor. He was a gifted educator and a wonderful person. So sorry to hear of his untimely passing.

Sincere sympathies to all grieving Alastair’s death. Such a memorable man, who had huge impact on so many people during his time in UL. May he now rest in peace.

My sincere condolences to Alistair’s family.
Such a shock
We have fond memories of Alistair in UL
Kindest regards
Tom

So dreadfully sad... always so full of charm and energy.... Deepest sympathies to his family and friends

So sad to learn the news, learnt so much in UL with Alastair, rest in peace.

Very saddened to hear of this awful news. Sincere condolences to Alastairs family at this difficult time. RIP.

This is terrible news, my thoughts with all of Alastair’s family and friends. I was a student of Alastair’s in UL from 2004-2009/10. He taught me so much and was always so understanding and helpful when it came to any personal or mental issues. Truly a brilliant teacher and I’m proud to have learned so much from him. He always gave me such sound advice. My sincere condolences.

Sincere sympathies to Alastair's family. So sad

I knew Alastair from the Irish salsa scene where I always looked out for him to dance with. He was such a gentle and respectful lead and danced with a twinkle in his eye. May you rest in peace Alastair. My condolences to all who mourn his passing. S.

Very sad news, Remembering all the happy times we had in Warwickshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire and my many visits to Ireland. You will always have a special place in my heart.

I only heard of Alastair's passing today, he was a lecturer of mine in Equine Science in UL many years ago. We had a similar sense of humour and he always invested in giving his best to his students, both on and off campus. His honesty was always appreciated. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.

Can't believe such sad news. All our students from Gran Canaria will always remember how nice, friendly and encouraging Alastair was to us!!! We all send him our love. He must surely be looking for new adventures in heaven!!

I was so sorry to hear the sad news. I only met Alastair once, on a Ski Club holiday in Austria in 2018. He was one of three looking after the group, and since I was by some way the weakest skier that meant on a couple of days he had sole charge of me. I'm not sure how much fun that was for him! - but he was relaxed and patient; I enjoyed his company thoroughly and I learned a lot from him - my skiing improved no end! I was hoping to see him again on a future skiing holiday - so sorry that won’t now happen.

I was shocked to hear the tragic news of Alastair's passing. He was a wonderful gentleman that I had the honour to meet in the Limerick salsa family. Dear Alastair, you are in my thoughts and in my prayers. My sympathies to his family and all the people who love him.

So sorry to hear this sad news. Alastair was a true gentleman and I have many happy memories from working alongside him at various Pony Club camps as well as visiting him in Ireland. RIP.

Can’t believe that Alastair has passed, he was far too young. Even though we did not meet for a few years, I often thought of him. He was a fantastic horseman and had a great personality. I miss the chats we used to have outside the Schrodinger building. May he rest in peace

Here at Atlantic School of English & Active Leisure, Schull, Co Cork, we are so sad to hear of Alastair's passing- we are all still in shock. Right up to the end he was in touch to say he was so looking forward to being part of the team again for 2021 and had some special leisure programme plans and wanted to meet for 'tea and cake'. Classic Alastair. We shall certainly still do these and toast him on Main Street Schull, at the end of the evening, as was his usual tradition. He became a dear friend of staff and students alike and his support of Atlantic SEAL and our students on their learning journey here will never be forgotten. We are grateful that we have so many photos, videos and vivid memories to share and for us all to remember him the way he truly loved to be - supporting all and being silly too, as he knew that the best learning and enjoyment comes when at one's ease. We hope that you are now at YOUR ease and resting in peace, dear Alastair. Our thoughts are with his family and all those who like us, had the honour to call him our friend and colleague - Barbara, Pete and all the team and the entire Atlantic SEAL family of students will never forget you.

Very sad to hear of Alastairs passing. He was a great horseman, I learned so much from him as did alot of people. Rest in peace.

Alastair, you will never be forgotten for the way you encouraged and had fun with the students at Atlantic School Of English and the wonderful stories & jokes you would often tell us over a pint. May you rest easy Alastair! Xx

Please accept my deepest sympathy. I met Alistair several times during my training with the society of master saddlers. As an educator, he was honest straight to the point. A great mentor who could identify a lack of confidence in his delegates and give them a boost. Socially he was full of fun and a great laugh to be with. Rest in peace Alastair. Condolences to his family and friends.

Dear Alastair
We never met but our conversations were enriching, informative and now cherished – thank you. Though saddened to hear of your untimely passing, knowing that you have been granted the peace you so richly deserved is comforting. R.I.P. dear friend. Thoughts are with your family at this difficult time.

I’m so so sad to hear this. Many lovely memories of Blackburn, catherson, David and Nan, Jo—Jo and Christian love to you all from everyone in jersey

Alastair you were a lovely person, always had a friendly smile and were a pleasure to dance and chat with. A true gentleman with a gentle soul to match. Rest in peace Alastair, and my sincere condolences to your family.

Alastair was a brilliant educator. He saw the good in everyone and facilitated their improvement with kindness, creativity and wisdom. He was kind. Alastair was loyal. He valued loyalty. I treasure times with him and the many imaginative thoughts he triggered. My sympathy to his friends and family.

I am so sorry to hear that Alastair has passed to the next world, my wishes and thoughts are with the Sutherland family at this time. We may not be able to reach out physically but we can with our spirits. Alastair was my teacher at Limerick University, a great horse man and gentleman. May you rest in peace .

So sorry to hear of Alistair's passing. We would meet him in Ballydehob from time to time - we always had wonderful chats. He will be missed. Rest in peace.

You dont loose a soul mate, you just meet him in a different time and space. We will meet again. Forever in my heart.

Very sorry to hear the news today. Alastair was a gentleman. My sincere condolences to Alastair’s family and friends. Rest In Peace.

so sorry to hear of his passing , Alastair was always helpful and kind ,a true gentleman

I am saddened to hear of Alastair's passing - too soon. We enjoyed a lovely friendship which I will dearly miss. May his gentle soul rest in peace. We will never forget you, Joan, Gillian & Ross

I was saddened to hear of Alastair's untimely passing , he was such a gentle soul. I will miss your daily trips to the shop & our little chats. Rest in peace Alastair & condolences to your family

My sincerest condolences to the Sutherland family. Alastair will be sorely missed. A true gentleman and a fantastic dancer. Never a better man to grace us with his presence. May He rest in Peace to the salsa beat. :)

Rest in peace Alastair. My heartfelt condolences to your family.

RIP Alastair, you were a true friend
And you will be very sadly missed. My deepest condolences to your family and friends

RIP Alastair
You will be sadly missed. You were inspiring as a lecturer and gave us great direction during our studies & fun times salsa dancing.

It is with great sadness that I hear of your passing. You were, without question, a true gentleman with a big heart. We had many, many discussions over the years at the Irish Salsa Congress and your views and feedback were always held in the highest regard. You contributed in no small part to making it a congress for the whole salsa community. Rest in peace Alastair.

So sorry to hear this news today, my sincere condolences to Alastair’s family and friends. He was such a nice person, interesting and funny. We always spent way more time chatting than dancing. He will be missed x

I am sad to hear of Alastairs untimely passing, my heartfelt condolences to his family. He was an ispiration to me as a student and colleague, he me a better horse person and coach. I will be forever grateful for the impact he had on my life. Rest in peace, I hope they have some powder slopes up there for you xx