Ray Ranson was a senior environmental health officer who had friends and colleagues from many diverse fields including child accident prevention, counselling, housing, health promotion, lead and asbestos pollution, video production, education, training, and the media. He had an international reputation and published widely in health and housing and was a specialist consultant to the World Health Organisation (WHO), involved in fieldwork in shanty towns, developing guidelines for safety and health in housing, lecturing and presenting at international conferences and symposia. What linked these fields was Ray's passion for public health and public service and what can only be described as a desire to find innovative yet practical …