Tony Whatling (1939–2024)

in Ely, Cambridge, of Kennedy's disease, a rare neuromuscular disorder, has left a major void in the field of family mediation in England where he was recognized as one of the leading trainers and practitioners as well as a pioneer in this field.A protg of John Haynes, the well-known North America-based trainer and practitioner, Tony, while embracing Haynes' theories, disagreed with him on the extent to which the past in a conflict needs to be addressed in order to bring about an effective closure.Tony's varied background in social work and its associated disciplines predisposed him to play this critique not only in the United Kingdom (UK), where he practised and trained mediators for over 35 years, but also in the many countries where he trained mediators from 2000-2012.Born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1939 and brought up in Suffolk where he spent his early childhood years attending a local school, Tony, the son of a builder father and a homemaker mother, attained his first job as a printer's assistant, after which he joined the Royal Air Force as a nurse Tony Whatling in traditional dress in Salamieh, Syria, with trainee mediators.