It is with regret that I have to report the death of one of the Society's long standing members, Robert Stout. Robert, who was 91, died in mid October 2008 and his funeral took place on Monday 3rd November 2008. Robert, who was born in 1917, studied at what is now the Royal London Hospital and qualified as an anaesthetist. After qualifying he spent his early years working in various hospitals in Essex and Europe and during the war ended up in India and Burma . After the war he worked in Iraq , Nigeria and Lagos . He then went back to work in Iraq , where he met his present wife. He then returned to this country and worked in Norfolk for a few months before taking up a post in Jamaica . After getting married, he and his wife spent a number of years in Jamaica before returning to this country and settling down in Kent . From the early sixties until his retirement he was the consultant anaesthetist for the Medway District and Gravesend .

Robert loved classical music and attended concerts whenever possible. Also, in all this time, Robert had had a passion for rocks, fossils and geology in general and in the pursuit of this he spent time on field trips at home and abroad.

Another passion of his was the cutting and preparation of rock and mineral thin sections. Robert joined the Medway Mineral and Lapidary Society (as it as then called) about 20 years or so ago. He attended the evening meetings and field trips on a regular basis up until his 90th birthday in 2007. Unfortunately, shortly after this he was involved in a car accident and gave up driving. He participated with Harry Day and Dave Talbot in the preparation of the prize winning project, The Rock Types and Geology of the Lower Cretaceous Wealden District.

Although Robert appeared to be a quiet, unassuming type of person he willingly participated in the Society's activities and was very knowledgeable on the pursuits of the Society. He was a very nice person to talk to and associate with, and will be sorely missed by his family and by all the members of the Society who knew him.