Alf Perry obituary

My father, Alf Perry, who has died aged 64, following a cardiac arrest, was a respected structural engineer. His career encompassed the growth of Hong Kong's skyline, the preservation of the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the revitalisation of Bristol Harbourside.

The son of Douglas Perry, a railwayman, and his wife, Joan (nee Marwood), Alf was raised in Totnes, Devon. An aptitude for maths, along with a British Rail scholarship, took him to Imperial College London, where he studied civil engineering for four years. He subsequently took a position at British Rail, reconstructing bridges. After two years he left to join Ove Arup, the eminent firm of civil engineers, where he remained until his retirement in 2009.