Luke Hasson left a legacy few can match

Like many others I used lockdown to finally clear a space to properly work from home. Mountains of paper of things which seemed important at the time, old reports, battered expired driving licences and bank statements, mostly showing too many negative balances, all made it through the shredder and into my blue bin.

Wading through boxes I came across an old lever arch file containing a Junior Chamber national award entry from 1974. It was full of (much younger then) familiar faces including a permanently smiling Luke Hasson.

The award entry was for a Jobs Fair. Nothing out of the ordinary these days, but in 1974, in Derry with generational chronic unemployment and with the Troubles raging at their peak, this was far from an ordinary environment.

The event and its inevitable success say much about the commitment to their community, determination to do something positive and an appreciation for the dignity of work held by Luke and colleagues.

Luke made an enormous contribute to economic and civic life of the city and region. It’s well known about his business life as Managing Director to the iconic Austins store and there’s his involvement in Boards such as NI Railways, the NI Fire Authority and more.

There was also the contribution to providing leadership through the Chamber of Commerce who awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, and, through developing young leaders through the Junior Chamber movement who made him one of the local Chamber’s very first Senators - an international award shared with others such as Kofi Annan, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Charles Lindburgh which is appropriate given Luke’s fascination with aerospace.

My own experience of Luke was of a man of great integrity, pride and craic.

He was hugely supportive of me and many others who shared his love for our city and its people.

He never passed anyone without saying hello, was generous with his wisdom and enjoyed the deepest respect from customers and those who worked for and alongside him.

A mark of the man for me was the morning after Austins sadly had to close in 2016.

Through by then retired as its MD, I bumped into Luke and his brother Declan in the lobby of a local hotel where they’d taken some space to bring all their former colleagues together to support them and each other in what was obviously a very emotional day for everyone and unsettling for those who were sadly about to lose their job.

Luke, and Declan, spent all morning with former colleagues reassuring, reminiscing and probably shedding a few tears. It was clear that this was more than losing a business and a bit of history.

Being in business in Derry always was tough but Luke (and others like him) recognised that their contribution was more than turning over a few quid.

It is also about making this place and our people the best we can be despite adversity.

If leadership is about the legacy you leave, then there are few who can have left a bigger mark than Luke.

Deepest condolences to his wife Mar, his children and their families and to his brothers Paul, John, Declan and sister Ann.

Stephen Kelly is CEO of Manufacturing NI.