compassion, collaboration & cooperation iN transistion
the publication of a piece on the Technology Page of the Financial Times,
following the launch of the BBC Microcomputer based Interactive
Videodisc Authoring System, that the office of the Aga Khan contacted me
to arrange a meeting to discuss their potential educational use of same.
A visit to Acorn Computer in Cambridge was organised and I arranged to
meet the Aga Khan's envoy at his hotel in London for breakfast, prior to
driving him to a meeting with Acorn Directors, on the morning of the 9th
February 1983. Upon arrival, I was shown to his table, to be greeted most
respectfully, by a gentleman who was clearly disturbed. Tears ran down his
face as he then related to me that it was his responsibility to attend to the
well being of the Aga Khan's stable in Eire and that last evening, the now
famous Shergar had been kidnapped.
It was, however, "still important" for him to continue with the arrangement
to travel to Cambridge and be in a position to report back some more
positive news to the Aga Khan. Following a successful tour of Acorn
Computer and a demonstration of the Videodisc Authoring System, I
returned him to his hotel and wished him well for his dealings with
everything. As has often been my experience, in respect to the unforeseen
circumstances of events such as this, they do not always conclude with the
most appropriate result, for a diverse combination of reasons; and perhaps
it was the lack lustre reception of the two founding directors, in the final
meeting, which was at the heart of the reason why we heard nothing
further from the Aga Khan Foundation.
This was further compounded, subsequently, during an IDA tour of Eire,
viewing potential sites for the building of an Interactive CD/DVD/BLU-RAY
manufacturing facility. It was as we had just completed the viewing of one
site and were leaving for a return trip to Dublin for the night, when, to the
sound of a workmen's radio playing U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm
Looking For", we were told that one of the IDA cars had broken down and
arrangements had been made for our party to be shuttled to a nearby
railway station, to catch the train to Dublin. During a discussion with the
IDA representatives on the way to our destination, one of them out of the
blue said in conversation: "that over there is the Aga Khan's stud where
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Record win: Shergar wins the Derby by 10 lengths in 1981
two years before his kidnapping. Shergar's 10-length victory under
teenage jockey Walter Swinburn is a record that few Derby winners
have come close to threatening.
The Aga Khan has admitted the sadness he feels that his brilliant
colt Shergar never had a chance to prove himself as a stallion. But the
man whose silks were carried by the iconic Derby winner 30 years
ago claims he never considered withdrawing his racing and breeding
operation from Ireland after Shergar was kidnapped by the IRA and
subsequently died. Shergar, who had been syndicated for £10million,
covered 35 mares in his first year at stud but was abducted shortly
before his second season. His remains have never been found.
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