RONNIE BOND.
“We’ve lost Ronnie and it hardly seems possible. Of course people leave us, but surely not Ronnie! It doesn’t seem right.
What’s there to say about Mr. Bond? Well, plenty, really. Ronnie was unfailingly kind, friendly, generous, funny, talented, helpful, sometime wearer of a pink tutu (I’ll leave that there), appreciative and loved by everyone who worked with and for him. He was the ultimate ‘jingle writer’, leaving us the classics we still remember: Cadbury’s Flake, CoCo Pops and Kwikfit amongst many.
When Ronnie and some other reprobates formed SPAM (the pre-cursor to PCAM — you can tell how serious we were from the name) the business was unrecognisable from now: the amount of jobs, the size of the budgets, a small group of people doing nearly everything and no free demos … and such FUN! Along with David Dundas, Mike Connaris, Jonathon Hodge and Alison Wallace we’d meet up in the Alibi Wine Bar under Sidney Smith in the Kings Road for some hilarious and very liquid ‘SPAM Meetings’, only kept in check, thank heavens, by our headmistress, Maggie Rodford, but somehow … somehow the organisation got started.
On Wednesday, Dundas and I met up to raise a glass to dear Ronnie and Hodge, whose birthday it would have been: you don’t get bigger characters than those two. I can’t ever remember seeing Ronnie not smiling and laughing; that’s how he was. I last saw them both at our ‘Jingle Ball’ reunion and, before he left, Ronnie put his arm round me and said, “Dave, I’ve never, EVER seen so much talent in one room!”
Well, a lot less without you there, Ronnie.
“You can’t get better than a Ronnie Bond jingle!”
FUNERAL
The details for the celebration of the life of Ronnie are below – Family and friends are welcome.
Saturday 19th February 2022. 11am at the Golder’s Green Crematorium.
10am – Procession. We will be driving from Ronnie’s house with the hearse. If you would like to join the procession please be at 1 Kendalmere Close, London N10 2DF by 10am.
11am – Funeral Service. Golder’s Green Crematorium, West Chapel, 62 Hoop Lane, London NW11 7NL.
12pm – Celebration. (Until late) at the Boston Music Room, Boston Arms, 178 Junction Road, London N19 5QQ (next to Tufnell Park tube station and there is free parking nearby on Saturdays)
Donations (if you wish) – www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/donate. The NHS provided amazing care for Ronnie over the years.
[ Obituary: David Mindel. ]
[ Artwork: Richard James North.]