Saturday 2 April saw one of the ICA’s former Presidents reach a milestone birthday, when Patrick O’Connell, or ‘Paddy’ to his friends and colleagues, turned 100 years of age.

Born in Heswall, Wirral in 1911, Paddy began his cotton career in 1930 with William Tanner Boxwell. He later took a break from cotton when he joined the forces, being stationed in Inverness and Fort William, Scotland. In 1948 Paddy returned to the industry when he joined Bunge & Born in Peru, remaining there until 1964. He then returned to the UK to head Bunge’s Liverpool office, where he was elected to President of the then Liverpool Cotton Association in 1971. We want to pass on our congratulations to Paddy on this remarkable achievement and, as one of the trade’s most respected and popular characters, we wish him all the best for many more years to come.