A computer specialist, life-long ice hockey fan and tropical fish breeder has joined his father in the ranks of a city’s freemen.
John Paul Proud has been admitted to the Butchers’ Company of Durham Freemen, almost two years after his dad, Bryan, was sworn in as a member of the city’s ancient trade guilds, in which he now holds the post of Warden of the Barbers’ Company.
Mr Proud, junior, a former pupil of what is now Framwellgate School, Durham, went on to be awarded a Higher National Diploma in IT.
He has since worked in technical support, both in computers and accounts programmes, for Apple and Sage, and is now an administrator in north-west Durham, where he lives.
The 45-year-old father-of-three was brought up a fan of the famous former Durham Wasps ice hockey team and went on to play the game, first at the city’s old Riverside Rink and then while studying at Teesside University.
Following the demise of the Wasps he is now content to watch matches with his dad at the Whitley Bay rink.
His other interests include breeding tropical fish, in which he has earned a place in the hobby’s world rankings, having won national and international acclaim when he crossbred guppies.
The result was a strikingly colourful fan tail achieved by pairing a delta tail strain with a double sword tail.
It won him first place in the UK’s European competition for guppy enthusiasts, in 2010.
“At one time I had a dozen tanks but now content myself with one tropical aquarium downstairs and some goldfish upstairs,” he said.
His father, Bryan, started his working life as a draughtsman and went on to be awarded an honours degree in civil engineering.
He rose through the ranks to lead a 500-strong workforce responsible for re-building, re-shaping and repairing the city fabric of Durham.
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Mr Proud snr was appointed the city’s chief engineer in 1980 and operations director eight years later, a post he held until his retirement in 2000.
The Weardale-born father-of-two, now in his mid-70s, lives on the outskirts of the city.
His daughter Kay is an NHS administrator.
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