Auctioneer 'humbled' to become captain of Malew

Peter Quayle (second from right) is principle auctioneer at a Manx livestock mart

A farmer and livestock auctioneer has said he was "humbled" to become captain of a parish in the south of the Isle of Man.

Peter Quayle has taken on the role in Malew following the death of Roy Gelling, who had held the post since 1996.

He said it was a "privilege" to follow in Mr Gelling's footsteps, and those of his father and grandfather, who also previously held the position in the parish of Marown.

Mr Quayle was sworn in by the lieutenant governor at a Government House ceremony in early February.

The role of captain of the parish, which is held in each of the island's 17 parishes, has become largely ceremonial and involves attending the Tynwald Hill proceedings on the island's national day each year.

However the duty of being obliged to call a public meeting if an issue of public concern arises within the area remains.

And as the airport falls with the region, the captain of the parish of Malew has the specific responsibility of greeting any royal visitors to the island arriving by air, and aspect of the position Mr Quayle said would be a "privilege".

'Honoured'

Well-known as the principal auctioneer at Central Marts, which is the island's main outlet for selling sheep and cattle, Mr Quayle also runs Ballagraingey Farm in St Mark’s with his wife Sheila.

He said the past few weeks had been a "strange" period for him, as he had been asked to take on the role while recovering from a heart attack.

"I received get well cards, Christmas cards, birthday cards and congratulations cards across five weeks," he said.

But he said he was "honoured" to be appointed to the role and was "looking forward to getting to more parish events".

Speaking about his predecessor, he said there had been many similarities in their lives, such as both men had four daughters and were dairy and "spud" farmers.

He said: "It's a privilege to take over from Roy, as he's always been someone I looked up to."