Obituary for Clive Cullender, died 6th July 2001

Video Asbestos Victim Dies

Mr Clive Cullender, a victim of mesothelioma, an asbestos related cancer, who appeared in the HSE video shown at the Revitalising Health & Saftey Construction Conference held in February this year has died. Aged 57 and having worked as a Missionary world-wide after working in the construction industry as a young man, his last posting took him to Toxteth, Liverpool for the last 5 years of his life. He gave a graphic account of what life was like as a sufferer from the terminal illness. The video was a collection of personal accounts of those injured and families affected by the industry's appalling record on health and sefety and set the patttern of the conference's sombre duty to make radical changes.

I only met Clive on 4 occassions and one of those was to assist in making the video, which he was extremely keen to do in order that particularly younger workers would understand the dangers of asbestos. He was a committed and devout Christian whose faith was always an inspiration to all those who met him. His Christian values, shared by his wife Beverly, helped him to understand and accept his terminal condition with a fortitude admired by those who knew him and an inspiration to all those who watched the video.

He was an articulate advocate for all those who have contracted the deadly disease and will be sadly missed by his family and all who knew him. It is hoped his appearance in the video will be a fitting and positive tribute to a man who sacrificed his life for others and faced death with fortitude and faith.

John Flanagan
Merseyside Asbestos Victims Group

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