Emeritus Professor Sir Geoff Palmer was an “intellectual giant” and a patron of Reach Society.

He supported and inspired the Society with his many pearls of wisdom and agency for roughly 10 years.

He was also a patron of several other groups such as the Association of Jamaican Nationals (Birmingham) UK and WomanzVue Publishing.

Sir Geoff’s invention of the Barley Abrasion Process, BAP, in 1969 (some 56 years ago) was a process patented and used by the British brewing industry.

Sir Geoff was also the first person to use the Scanning Electron Microscope to study malt production in detail.

Sir Geoff’s invention of the BAP revolutionised the brewing industry in the UK and overseas in places such as the USA, Nigeria and the Far East.

Sir Geoff’s academic work in Heriot-Watt University attracted substantial funding from the private sector, which resourced a new department that specialised in the science of brewing.

A great many of Sir Geoff’s students after graduation are now gainfully employed in the brewing industry in firms such as the Edinburgh Beer Factory and Brewdog.

Sir Geoff was a son of the Windrush pioneers. He was honoured in 2023 when a 20 year single malt whisky was given his name, Sir Geoff Palmer, and his image.

This accolade also coincided with the 75th anniversary of the Windrush Nation (aka the Black community) in the UK.

Sir Geoff was a champion of social justice and a passionate believer in the existence of just one humanity, and denounced the racial social construct as a decisive move by the academics who were pushing a “divide and rule agenda.”

He was also passionate about education and the development of the potential of all young people. And it was for this reason he gladly accepted the Society’s invitation in 2015 to become one of our patrons.

He very quickly made the role of host of the annual Recognition Awards evening his own. On every occasion he was present at these events guests (young and old) queued to be photographed with him. He never declined any such request which delighted everyone.

Sir Geoff received numerous accolades in his lifetime all of which were richly deserved. In 2024 King Charles 111 made him a Knight of the Thistle, Scotland’s highest civilian honour. He was also the first Black British person to be so honoured.

However Sir Geoff was in his natural element when he was engaging groups of people of all ages responding to their questions, and signing copies of his book, “The Enlightenment Abolished: Citizens of Britishness.”

In it he explored the legacy of the Enlightenment in the context of New World slavery and its impact on British society.

He argued that while the Enlightenment championed ideas of rights and reason, it was largely indifferent to the pervasive practice of slavery and its dehumanising consequences.

His book examines how the consequences of slavery, particularly its negative perceptions of Black people, have been passed down through generations, shaping British identity and culture.

Sir Geoff sadly passed away, after a protracted battle with prostate cancer, on the 12 June 2025 aged 85.

I believe that Sir Geoff was the best of us, and he will always matter to Reach Society and the UK’s Black community.

Dr Dwain Neil OBE
Reach Society, Chairman (June 2025)