The Lord Colwyn
President of SAAD 1993 – 1998

Lord Tony Colwyn was born Ian Anthony Hamilton-Smith on New Year’s Day 1942, the elder son of the second Baron Colwyn of Colwyn Bay. He went to school at Cheltenham College where he excelled at swimming and rugby. He did his dental training at Barts and the old Royal Dental Hospital. On graduation in 1966 he returned to Cheltenham and worked firstly as an associate and then in a successful partnership with Goeff Hind. However, he wished to return to London and for some years worked as an associate for Stanley Drummond-Jackson, the founding father of SAAD, in his Wimpole Street practice. While he was taught anaesthesia for dentistry at the Royal it was his time with ‘DJ’ that gave him both the enthusiasm and practical skills that would shape his future career. While with DJ he became involved with SAAD, as a tutor at the ‘big’ courses at Gower Street and with the administration of the Society. He was president of SAAD from 1993 to 1998. In 1983 Tony and I formed a partnership at 53 Wimpole Street. We had been friends for many years and on occasions worked together but the abolition of the operator / anaesthetist suggested an amalgamation of our two practices (I had taken on No 53 on the death of DJ in 1978). We enjoyed 20 years of a wonderful partnership and remained close friends in our retirement. Tony gave a great deal back to dentistry. He advised the GDC and the BDA when they sought advice on parliamentary matters. He was a non-executive director of the Medical Protection Society and later Chairman of Dental Protection from 1995 to 2001.

Tony inherited the title on his father’s death in 1966. From the first he was a conscientious and regular attender at the House of Lords.

He survived the Blair reforms of the upper house of 1999 and was one of 92 hereditary peers to retain their seats. He sat as a Conservative, served on numerous Lords’ committees and was elected Deputy Speaker in 2011. In 1989 he was appointed CBE for his services to Parliament. He continued to cycle to the House, after surgery in Wimpole Street and then from his home in Chelsea, until ill health forced his retirement in 2022.

From his youth he was an enthusiastic and talented jazz musician. At college he teamed up with Jim Beach to play and while Jim went on to manage Queen, Tony formed the 3B Band. It was hugely successful. They played society gigs, fancy weddings, hunt balls, the Albert Hall and the late Queen’s ruby anniversary party. And my 60th. He was a founder of Jazz FM radio with Johny Dankworth. He was a member of the Parliamentary jazz group with Ken Clarke and others. He always maintained the 3B Band made very little but they certainly had a whale of a time.

Sadly, Tony contracted Lewy body dementia some four years ago and died of complications on 4 August 2024. He is survived by his wonderful wife, Nicky, who cared for and nursed him at home; by his son, Craig, who inherits the title and by his beautiful daughters Jackie, Kirstie and Tanya. 

What a wonderful life. I will miss him. 

Ian Brett

Meg Skelly (1947 – 2025)

BDS (Hons), FDS RCPS (Glasgow), MDS, FDS RCS (England)

Ann Maureen (Meg) Skelly was born on 18 February 1947. Meg had considered becoming a dentist but instead began her career as a student nurse at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in 1965. On qualifying, she undertook further training at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford in anaesthetic nursing. Following a period in Canada and Norway, she returned to the UK and became an anaesthetic sister at Dulwich Hospital, London. This experience would later lead to her interest in dental sedation. In 1973 she became a dental student at Guy’s Hospital Dental School, eventually fulfilling her earlier interest in dentistry.

Following her graduation Meg held house officer, demonstrator and lecturer posts at Guy’s before being appointed as Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Dental Sedation. This was a groundbreaking appointment, supported by the Department of Anaesthetics, which led to the establishment of the UK's first Department of Sedation and Special Care Dentistry at United Medical and Dental Schools (UMDS) / Guy's Hospital in 1996.

Meg led the teaching of sedation techniques for dentistry in the UK. She was responsible for training thousands of dentists who went on to provide safe and effective care for large numbers of anxious patients. Many of Meg’s colleagues and trainees went on to establish novel training programmes in procedural sedation for dentists, doctors and nurses. Meg also made a significant contribution to sedation-related research and training published in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters and textbooks.

In addition to her clinical and teaching roles, Meg was Student Admissions Director at UMDS (later Guy’s King’s and St Thomas’ Dental Institute [GKT]) for ten years from 1996 and in 1992 she was elected President of Guy’s Hospital Dental Society. In 2007 GKT recognised Meg’s outstanding achievements by conferring upon her the Distinguished Service Award.

Meg was a conscientious, effective and popular head of department. She led her team by personal example and established excellent working relationships with colleagues in the hospital and school. Meg’s vision and high standards ensured that the department would continue to develop long after her retirement in 2007. Meg will also be remembered for her kindness, patience and mischievous sense of humour.

Meg died on 31 January 2025 at the age of 77, following a long illness. She will be greatly missed by her family and all those whose life she enriched.

David Craig
2 February 2025