Ian Craighead

Affectionately known as “Crackers” -RIP April 2021

From Tee to Green and beyond

Member since 1990
EL PRES 1992
Klogger of the Year 1994, 1995 & 2003 Honorary Member since 2007

Sadly – Ian passed away last week following a fall at his home. He was still playing regularly with his RSGC groups. His outings to KLOGS in recent times had been restricted to attendance at the groups AGMs where he always played. This was an outstanding achievement considering this game was held on the formidable Rahman Putra Lakes Course. Afterwards he was often seen quaffing his favoured Guinness or stout, not one for the local lager, before entertaining us with his tales from the past and then moving onto a dram or two.

Ian was one of the very early members of the society and instrumental in getting the group off the ground, he served as the third EL Pres in 1992 and was Klogger of the Year on three occasions 1994, 95 and 2003. He no doubt won the “other” monthly award numerous times.

As recounted by an ex-scribe “Two things about Crackers come to my mind. His dry sense of humour laced with a bit of grumpy impatience and how could we forget that putter he used. Looked like a sawn-off 1-iron. He would line it up with 90-degree precision to great effect.”

And from another EL PRES “Ian was a strong supporter of the KLOGS Aways and always produced the bottle on the left immediately upon alighting the bus at the Away venue airport (along with the compulsory Baileys bottle on the right). (Also known to mix the two) In recent years, he made and played the AGM game as a Klogs honorary member bringing his unique putting technique and hickory putter shaft to full effect. We say farewell and RIP to a true Klogs institution now ‘Crackers’ has departed.”

And from another EL PRES “I first met Ian when I joined KLOGS in 1993. It had been running, as I recall from around 1989 formed by Mike Binns and a few other businessmen. In those days it comprised senior executives, diplomats et-al. Very informal and just an excuse to get away from the more formal corporate golf and have a few beers and a laugh. Golf was entirely incidental. There was no Constitution, this was only ratified around 2007 because we were under the impression it was required under the Societies Act.

The format in those early days was to meet up at lunchtime, play the game and have a few beers, with finger food and depart early for evening functions.

Ian was a man of great character, infinite wit and a pleasure to play with He was actually a very good golfer. He would hit his drive, then casually ask “where did that go young Rick?! Claiming his poor eyesight… it was invariably straight as an arrow! On the green he used an ancient cut down 2 iron to putt with…deadly!

KLOGS changed a lot during the Asian recession in the late 90’s and numbers dwindled, we were lucky to field 2 or 3 flights because many major companies pulled out their staff.

Ian supported throughout I never once saw him down, always a fund of stories and dangerous on a run ashore on Away Tours. One of his Forte’s was always as Fines Master where he excelled and we spent like sailors on shore leave. It was my pleasure during my tenure as EL PRES in 2007 to make him an Honorary Member”

And lastly another EL PRES “I first knew Ian from the Mid to late 90’s, as I played occasionally on my business trips from UK and then when I was living in Singapore. Later when I started living in KL from 2001, I got to know him much better as with All of the then KLOGS fraternity.

Ian for sure was regarded as a senior KLOGS member you could always find helpful advice from. Great sense of humour too. One of the best at Putting I have ever played with and not too bad on consuming copious amounts of whisky in his day! Loads of fun on several KLOGS Away trips, indeed probably one of the founding actors to get the two trips each year away from Malaysia.”

An early fighter for the environment he was known for keeping a tree well-watered on the 9th hole of RSGC old course and for taking a bag on every round to collect rubbish, long before this was deemed to be fashionable.

Ian also played occasionally with the Loose Cannons group and was a victorious member of the St Andrews team in the annual Inter Society Golf Match.

Away from the course Ian was an international businessman specialising in advertising, he set up the Malaysian arm of Grey’s Advertising in 1986 and later Select Team in 1995 having previously worked in Europe and Africa.

We extend our condolences to Pat, and Ian’s family and friends.

Stout on the terrace at Rahman Putra Ian with Kloggers AGM 2014 KGSAAS

Magnificent 7 Ian with 6 other EL Pres’ Ian Ulla Bernie Hans & Arend at RSGC

Ian handing EL Pres his tankard Close up of the famous putter Hans Pauline Bernie and Ian

Ian Celebrating with the victorious St Andrew’s team Pat and Ian

LINK to THE above see below.

The following are a couple of personal tributes contributed by his mates.

Ian ‘Crackers’ Craighead   RIP

• Ian must have been one of the Kongsi founding members with Brian Columbus, and probably the only one who cherished the same putter which I always suspected, he nicked from some municipal putting green. He was especially good at bringing in new members and a great raconteur at post game get-togethers in the RSGC members’ bar. I’m sure that all of us who met, and played alongside him will regard his passing with great sadness and regret that he leaves a gap in our 2022 Kongsi meet.
• A great guy, full of friendship, fun and stories, some of which were even funny!   I last saw him at the New Forest Kongsi and he was in his usual great form.
• Very, very sad news. Ian invited me to join the Kongsi in 1993 and those 8 o’clock starts were the highlight of my week along with the Malacca weekends.   A uniquely amusing individual who had an uncanny knack of making one feel at ease but was as competitive as hell!
• We can all remember those wonderful Saturday Kongsi mornings at RSGC; after many of us having so much agony on those 18 holes, we could drift into the Men’s Bar for our 19th hole session and listen to Ian’s many wonderful jokes and ordering countless jugs of Guinness draft and Anchors from Raj; I think we consumed a few chicken wings also.  Ian was a wonderful friend and will be sorely missed by us all. Those Kongsi Reunions which he organised in Malaysia were very special occasions and so very enjoyable.   RSGC will be a sadder place without Ian, and we shall all miss him greatly.
•  Ian was a great friend and character who lit up the room with his effervescent good humour. What an awful shame that he will not be with us for our final delayed Kongsi gathering. We will surely raise a glass to him whenever this does take place.   He will be sorely missed but never forgotten.
• What very sad news to hear that the immortal Craighead is with us no more. We had many fun times back in KL and though I have never managed to make it to any of the Kongsi reunions, Jan and I remember with great fondness the good times we had and the great company we enjoyed with the Kongsi members who were there at the same time as us, with Ian at the forefront.
• A light in life has gone out: Ian was always such fun to be with. So many happy memories.
• I am so sorry to have learnt about the very sad news about Ian. Yes, he was a character and a very good friend and as someone of the Kongsi wrote thinking about him brings a smile on our face despite the sorrow. 
• I was really saddened to read of Ian’s passing away. I had just returned from an Anzac Day memorial service (not the Dawn one) and it felt like a double whammy.  I have lots of fond memories of Ian- well before the R.S.G.C. Era. We probably met at church, that little white one just down from the Weld which I presume is no more.
• A very good man gone, but never forgotten.    Thinking of him now, brings a smile to my face.
• I saw Ian about two months ago at RSGC and had a brief chat with him. He was looking forward to the Kongsi meet in U.K. when it is safe for everyone to travel.  All of us are going to miss him especially his jokes and the joy of drowning a Guinness draft with him.
• So sorry to hear this news. We all have wonderful memories of Ian. He made me feel at home as soon as I got to KL in the early nineties and we had some wonderful times together. 
• Ian was a real character and will be much missed.   We have very fond memories of his wit and camaraderie during our days in KL in the Eighties, including many enjoyable ‘Malacca weekends’. 
• Ian was a real one off, involved with so many people and things, and a friend to us all. There will be a very large empty chair when we next meet, we will all miss him.
• Devastating news  …………  what a character  …………………  what a pal!!
• Such sad news, as we all have so many happy memories of Ian both off, and on the golf course.

Maybe when we can next meet up we shall raise a glass of Guinness or Whiskey in his memory.

• Very sad news. Ian was an integral part of the Kongsi and one of the first people we met in K.L. His personality and sense of humour will be sorely missed.  He was for us a huge link to K.L.
• This is very sad news indeed. Ian was a great friend to all of us. He will be very much missed and long remembered. We will remember Ian always. Let’s hope we can all get together to remember his contribution to all our lives. Ian was a true friend and a true gentleman.

Jay Schooley

I wanted to share a note about the passing of Crackers, whom I knew quite well from the RSGC. 

I met Ian on the 6^th tee of the first new at RSGC in March 2018.  The funny part, is that I was playing the 5^th hole, and my very first round at RSGC.  My fairway bunker shot flew over the green and landed on the tee box where he was standing.  I had no idea where my ball was, as the bunker was pretty deep, and the 5^th green was quite elevated.  As I walked up on the green (always hopeful) Ian shouted to me that my ball was on the tee box next to his group.  As a brand new member, I apologized profusely like a good Canadian, explaining I just wasn’t that good of a golfer, despite 30 years of playing.  I followed his group the remaining way and then apologized again when I saw them sitting on the patio.  Ian invited me to sit with them for a beer, and the conversation, and quite a few Tigers began to flow.  Because of my lack of fucking talent (LOFT) with golf, his group invited me to join their Sunday game in a group called the “LOFTies”.  For the next two years and a bit, I spent every Sunday I was in town at RSGC playing golf with Ian.  At every game, he had a hard-boiled egg and a 100 Plus at our first rest stop, a coconut at the turn, and then an old beat up pewter KLOGs mug with a Guinness waiting after 18.  I learned so many interesting things from Ian, from his travels, his over 50 years in Malaysia, to how much he cared about the appearance of the club (he was always picking up garbage along the way as he walked, pushing his trolley).  Every game, Ian used to pull empty plastic bottles out of a hole in a beautiful tree on the second new #8.  We called it Ian’s tree.  Ian will be missed by everyone who knew him.  He was a true gentleman and I will never forget him.

Jay