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Dawn Binmore
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Socialist’s jazzy farewell
DAWN Binmore, who has died aged 59, was a well known and much-loved figure in Dartmouth Park.
Her tireless work for a number of local causes and committees made her many friends, and her commitment to social justice and socialism was an inspiration for the many fortunate to know her.
Born in Harlesden, she left school at 15 to work for the BBC as a registry clerk. By the age of 17 she was working as an inquiry assistant – a form of researcher – and was to rise through the ranks.
At the 1970 election, her work in providing background to the main issues was used as the basis of a BBC book, and her diligent research would also see her credited with helping with many other titles throughout her 32-year BBC career. Her ability to absorb information led her to play a major role in transferring BBC archive material to microfiche, which made it much easier for BBC news teams to access information.
Dawn grew up in a politicised atmosphere. Her father Albert, a train driver, was a shop steward with rail workers union Aslef. Her mother, Dorothy, was a “nippy” – a waitress – at a Lyons corner house in Marble Arch.
She met her husband Graham, who also worked for the BBC, in 1963, and they were married in 1968. The couple then moved into his parents’ home at Haddo House in Highgate Road.
A jazz fan, she was a regular at pubs with trad jazz sessions, particularly Wally Fawkes’ gigs at the Dartmouth Arms, in York Rise, and the Red Lion and Sun in Highgate. She played the piano but would deny it – she liked to play for herself and not an audience. In her spare time she worked for the Unity Theatre as its stage manager and in the costumes department.
A staunch member of the Labour Party, she believed Old Labour supporters should fight to reclaim the party. She was branch secretary of Highgate ward Labour Party for many years, a member of the local Labour Party’s general management and local government committees and the scrutineers panel for selecting candidates. She was on Camden Council’s walking and cycling committee, and was secretary for Haddo House leaseholders and a governor at Brookfield School.
At her funeral, the Codgers Jazz Band helped friends and relatives celebrate her life, before heading to the Red Lion and Sun for an afternoon of reminiscing.
Dawn is survived by her husband Graham, daughters Angela and Wendy and grandchildren Jamie, Georgia and Scott.
DAN CARRIER
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