The death has been announced of Ray Davey, who founded the Corrymeela community in 1965. Tributes by Alf McCreary and David Ford; Ray’s recollections on the 40th anniversary of the founding of Corrymeela and his memoires of being a POW.
BBC – Mr Davey set up the organisation in 1965 to promote Christian reconciliation and peace-building, and led the community until his retirement in 1980.
Born in Dunmurry in 1915, he played for the Ulster rugby team before the outbreak of World War Two.
He served as a prisoner-of-war in Italy and Germany after he was captured in Tobruk, North Africa.
After the war ended, he served as a Presbyterian chaplain at Queen’s University from 1946 to 1970.
Belfast Telegraph religious correspondent Alf McCreary said Mr Davey had left a lasting legacy.
“Corrymeela showed that you could build bridges across the community in a practical way,” he said.
“They didn’t preach Christianity, they lived it, and Ray showed that reconciliation would be the only way forward.”
Alliance Party leader David Ford said Mr Davey was a “huge inspiration”.
“Ray was a man with a vision for a transformed and reconciled Northern Ireland, but he was not just a visionary as he put that vision into practice in his work as chaplain at Queen’s University and as founder leader of Corrymeela,” he said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17734717
Beginnings of Corrymeela
Corrymeela – In Corrymeela’s 40th Anniversary year, Ray Davey, the founder of the Community, recalls the beginnings of the Corrymeela journey.
In the summer of 1964I met with John Morrow and Alex Watson, who had both been members of the Iona Community. We decided to call together those we believed would be keen to launch a Christian Community. Some 50 turned up, Christians from all backgrounds; housewives, trades and professional people, students. They were most enthusiastic about the idea of a new community which could counter apathy and complacency and open up new possibilities. We continued to meet and pray together, that we should be shown the way.
http://www.corrymeela.org/sitepage/Beginnings%20.aspx
Ray recalls life as POW through his war diaries
Lisburn.com – Dunmurry man, Ray Davey has many life experiences to recall, but most vivid are certainly his memories as prisoner of war during the Second World War, as are recounted in his new book `The War Diaries’.
Ray, 90, has spent his life making peace in a turbulent and divided world having formed the Corrymeela Community thirty years ago this week on October 30 1965.
To coincide with the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Ray has released his war diaries, his account of events during the war, written as they happened, to give a unique view of life during the war and in particular, life as a prisoner of war in a German camp.
http://www.lisburn.com/history/memories/memories-2005/ray-davey.html