Page 4 - Quaker News & Views Nov 25 - Jan 26

Book Review ‘A Knock At The Door’

For Rob Parsons and his young wife Dianna, who were
preparing for Christmas in 1970s Cardiff, a knock at the door
did not herald the arrival of a smiling Postcode Lottery

operative bearing news of a large cheque. Rather it
announced the presence of an unkempt, homeless man
clutching his few belongings in one hand and a frozen chicken
in the other.

Rob’s book ‘A Knock At The Door’ tells the inspirational and moving story
of how that man, Ronnie Lockwood,, became a much-loved member of
their family for the next forty-five years.

Rob’s own childhood in the 1950s was spent in a terraced house with an
outside toilet. His ‘success’ in passing for Grammar School was marred
by feelings of inferiority, and his teachers’ reports that ’his best was not
good enough’. Despite all this, Rob rose to be a Senior Partner in a Law
Firm and was much in demand as a Consultant and Public Speaker
internationally. Publ. William Collins 2024

Far worse were the childhood experiences of Ronnie Lockwood. Taken away form a dysfunctional
family at the age of eight on the pretext of ‘going on a long holiday’, he suffered abuse from both staff
and boys alike and was then ejected from the Care system into a dilapidated bedsit at the age of sixteen.
Even after decades of loving care within the Parsons household the psychological damage was never
fully repaired. Difficult situations inevitably arose, and Ronnie’s institutionalised response was usually
‘Have I done a bad thing?’

Despite his learning difficulties and emotional outbursts, Ronnie proudly held down a job with the
Cardiff Refuse Disposal Department for many years – with the patient support of his new-found family.
The local church also provided a caring community where Ronnie faithfully fulfilled the role of
‘Chairman’ – setting out and stacking away the chairs before and after every service or meeting. Ronnie
also volunteered at the homeless centre and eventually had a one and a half million pound Wellness
Centre named after him.

Meanwhile Rob Parsons had felt led to abandon his highly successful legal career and to found ‘Care
for the Family’ a Christian-based charity (website: careforthefamily.org.uk) which seeks to support
people in all manner of family difficulties.

As I listened to Rob Parsons reading the audio version of his book I was reminded of the words of Jesus
from the Gospel of Matthew (25:34-40) where we read that the King will reply ‘Truly I tell you that
whatever you did for the least of my brother and sisters, you did it for me’.

I wonder who has been knocking at your door – and at mine!

Courtesy of Malcolm Swan, New Milton

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