THE FINAL chapter in the life of a former Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot from Steep who turned from flying to fiction is coming to an end.
Ron Jameson was living proof that you’re never too old to write a book as the evergreen adventurer published his first in his 90s.
A sprightly, likeable and engaging man, Ron was determined to keep active in his later years and set himself a challenge to keep writing until his 100th birthday.
He sadly fell short of reaching that achievement, passing away last Wednesday, aged 95, after getting pneumonia.
“It’s about trying to stay above ground,” said Mr Jameson to the Post during a September interview about his third and final book, Hammer and Thorn.
“I find that keeping my brain active keeps my body active, and I would certainly advise people to do that rather than sit in a chair with a newspaper over their head.” While writing was a late passion, his wife and Kenya were his biggest loves with the pilot discovering them both during a peaceful Aerial Survey of Africa after the war.
Inspired by his wife, herself a broadcaster and writer, he wrote daily serials for the South African Broadcasting Association and even acted professionally for a time, before moving back to the UK and getting a job in theatre senior management.
Their travels in Africa inspired Ron’s first two books, The Whistling Thorn and Leopard’s Lair, with the books being published in 2013 and 2015, with them and Hammer and Thorn all being launched at One Tree Books.
His final offering was a step into fantasy and was meant to be the first in a series according to store owner, Tim O’Kelly. He said: “He was full of life and I think he was an inspiration for people getting old.
“He was remarkable in his writing, was very sociable and would often come in here with and have coffee with a few friends.
“He was just a lovely, charming old man.”