Members of Conwy Camera Club were saddened to learn of the death of Dennis Oliver this month. He was an enthusiastic participant in club activities for a decade.
Dennis spent most of his career as a Ships Agent and maritime Chartering Manager in Newcastle, Liverpool, Runcorn and Aberdeen. In 2001 he and his partner Janet moved to Llandudno to run a guest house.
Dennis joined Conwy Camera Club after retiring in 2015 and soon became known for his photos of ships and boats, including record shots of the Llandudno lifeboat before the new station was opened. In 2017-18 he took part in the club’s first ‘Then and Now’ archive photo project, including travelling to Holyhead to get the modern version of a 1959 ferry photo.
In January 2022 he embarked on a photographic a record of the conversion at Conwy Quay of a former Royal Maritime Auxiliary Services vessel into a hospital ship, named ‘Island Reach’, for use in Madagascar providing medical care and disaster relief in hard-to-reach communities. Dennis got to know the people involved and gained access to the ship’s interior. When he presented the results of his project to the club in 2024, the captain of the ‘Island Reach’ also attended and gave a short talk.
Also in 2024 Dennis took part in the club’s ‘Summer Along the Coast’ project, which revisited places shown in Conwy Archive Services images.
Conwy Camera Club chair Bob Gresty said: “Dennis made many friends at the club with his genial personality. He consistently took part in club competitions and projects, and contributed important documentary images to the club’s archive. He will be greatly missed by the club.”
Images from Dennis’s ‘Island Reach’ project are shown in the Members’ Projects section of this website.