BRLSI House Manager Bob Draper (left) and Exhibitions Convenor Dr Rex Valentine with Rex’s portrait of Bob in the setting of the Lonsdale Room, complete with wall-mounted Plesiosaur. At its meeting on May 13th BRLSI’s Management Committee voted unanimously to purchase the painting for the Institution in recognition of Bob’s outstanding service to the BRLSI, helped by a generous discount from the artist. The painting is on display in the Murch Room on the first floor.
• ‘House Manager’ barely scratches the surface of Bob’s voluntary work at BRLSI, which ranges from supervising the building late into most evenings to wiring up ad hoc computer networks (via the office window) in the days before WiFi. This isn’t the first time that Bob has been recognised for his contribution, either – in the 2005 New Year’s Honours LIst he was awarded the MBE for services to the Instiitution.