The Right Reverend John Davies – Bishop of Swansea & Brecon said:
Everything that I have ever known, been told or believed about Richard Livsey has been borne out by the fine tributes which have been paid to him following his death. That being so, it might seem superfluous to add to those tributes. However, in doing so I am not adding unnecessary words, but properly emphasising his admirable qualities and record of public service.
Despite holding public positions of great importance as both an MP and member of the House of Lords, positions in which he was regarded by his colleagues as both hard-working and possessed of great humanity and integrity, Richard was always firmly rooted in the local communities of the area from which he came. As an MP, it was the well-being of his constituents which motivated him and in all else that he did, he sought to bring benefit to the lives of others. This he did without fuss or bluster, but with a quiet determination to see justice done. Justice for Rural Communities, properly understood, and justice for the life of Wales, properly devolved but properly integrated into the life of the United Kingdom were of special concern to him and reflected his own life-long interest in rurality – he was a farmer at heart – and his innate Welshness.
At a local level, Richard was always an enthusiastic supporter of any initiative that aimed to sustain or improve the life of the communities of what became the Brecon and Radnor parliamentary constituency, and he would readily lend his name to such initiatives. I was personally very grateful to him when, as Dean of Brecon, I invited him to become one of the Vice-Presidents of the Brecon Cathedral Choir Endowment Appeal which aimed not only to keep the Cathedral’s music alive but also to develop a love of music in the lives of choristers newly-recruited from schools in and around Brecon. Richard did not hesitate to accept and he periodically wrote generous letters of support for what was being achieved.
Richard’s kindly smile and warm disposition reflected the nature of the man. I do not hesitate to pay warm tribute to this kindly, hard-working servant of others. In doing so, I do not underestimate the great loss which will be felt by his family, a loss which I pray will be made the easier to bear by the assurance of the high regard in which Richard was held by those who had the privilege of knowing him.
