ONE of Ashbourne’s best loved characters, Bob Hudson, has died in South Africa at the age of 71.
Friends, colleagues and family of Mr Hudson have paid tribute to Mr Hudson who they enthuse “always put Ashbourne first”.
Mr Hudson had been admitted to hospital with breathing problems near to his favourite holiday destination and suffered a fatal heart attack on Tuesday night.
He had left his home in Ashbourne’s Market Place and flown out to South Africa in December — due to return, as usual, just before Shrovetide.
After being born and educated in Ashbourne Mr Hudson joined the family business at the Green Man Garage and Harrison Transport Co Ltd as a coach painter and vehicle refinisher and studied art at the Derby College of Art.
He completed the four year course in the autumn of 1959 and won the W G Sutherland scholarship award for his final year’s work.
He was called up for National Service in August 1960 and selected for the RAF. He was stationed in the UK throughout his two years as a signals operator at Cardington, Bridgenorth, Calne and Henlow.
He returned to Ashbourne to work for Norman Moore Ltd, part of the Moores of Ashbourne group, and was involved in decorating and re-furbishing contracts all over the UK.
In 1968 he joined digger giant JCB, working on the plant’s assembly line but quickly moved through the ranks and became heavily involved in the firm’s legendary dancing diggers display team.
In 1996 he was appointed as a district sales manager for the Asia Pacific region, a role which saw him travelling the world and clocking up more than a million air miles right up until his early retirement in 1999.
A spokesman for Rocester-based JCB said: “Bob was a very dedicated member of the JCB team, passionate about what he did and a great ambassador for the company.
“He will be very sadly missed by his family and friends and in Ashbourne where he did so much good work for the local community.” Bob’s tireless voluntary work for the community in Ashbourne was what made him such a recogniseable character and, throughout his life he gave huge amounts of his time to helping organisations and events run smoothly.
Former Ashbourne Mayor and district councillor Tony Millward paid tribute to Mr Hudson, who has helped many of the committees and charities Mr Millward is involved with.
He said: “For all the years I’ve known him Bob has done everything he can to help improve the town. He was involved in so many things.
“But there was also a lot of things he was involved with that people simply didn’t know about. And he didn’t want people to know about them, that’s how he was — he never asked for any sort of reward.
“I’ve just come back from George Shaw’s funeral so we’ve just lost two people that were so important to the town in little more than a fortnight.
“It’s very, very sad news for Ashbourne and I shall really miss him.” Mr Hudson’s passion and devotion for the town, and the time he gave up to keep it vibrant and prosperous, earned him one of Ashbourne’s top honours and he was chosen to turn up the Ash Wednesday Shrovetide Match in 2007.
Current Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide Committee chairman and long-term friend, Brell Ewart explained Mr Hudson was a “popular choice” for the committee.
He said: “I first met Bob almost 40 years ago.
Even in those days Bob was organising fundraising dances and he regularly booked the disco Ken Torr and I ran.
“As one of the vice presidents of the Highland Gathering I saw the wide ranging voluntary work Bob did in support of that event over many many years.
“It was Bob who inspired the making and erecting of the Red White and Blue street bunting used by The Highland Gathering and in recent times Shrovetide. In fact he recently met with me to ensure this was going to be continued into the future.
“Bob was invited to Turn Up the ball at Shrovetide no doubt having been selected for his long standing support for many activities in the town.
“Some years ago the Shrovetide ball makers were finding it very difficult to get the cork shavings that are used to stuff the ball with.
“Bob found a source in Portugal and through JCB arranged for several large bags of this rare material to be collected from the supplier and brought back to Ashbourne on returning JCB transport.” “He was Mr Yes. He never said he could not help, he would do jobs himself or knew someone who could help.
“He will be sadly missed.” Shrovetide was such a big part of Mr Hudson’s life that he took it upon himself to help introduce the game to the town’s commercial radio station, Ashbourne Radio and has helped commentate on the game over the last two years — effectively becoming the game’s first on air pundit.
The station’s managing director, Steve Jenner said: “Bob was more or less the first person I had a serious conversation with when I came to Ashbourne trying to get people interested in the idea of radio.
“I was looking for premises to broadcast from and walked into the bowls club; and there he was, down on all fours with a paintbrush in his hand.
“By the time I left I’d got my beginner’s guide to Shrovetide, been offered banner space all over town, agreed to give broadcast space to the bowls club and had been invited to the Highland Gathering.
“Straight away you could see this guy was the ultimate ‘fixer’; he made things happen with his unbridled optimism and passion for making this town a great place to live in.
“Over the last two years of his life he became a regular on air for us, lending his voice talents to everything from the cinema club to the bowling results, becoming our in — studio expert commentator at Shrovetide.
“We’ll remember him as a great on-air talent and a valued colleague and friend, but more than that as a truly great man whose energy and positive influence can be seen almost everywhere you look when Ashbourne puts its best foot forward.
“We’ll miss him — as will many others.” Mr Hudson was also heavily involved with Ashbourne Bowls Club, commentated for the Dovedale Dash, was president of the Ex Servicemen’s Club and a keen Derby County supporter.
Highland Gathering chairman, David Frith, said: “It’s really difficult to sum Bob up in just a line because he was such a diverse character.
“He was on the committee for the Highland Gathering for many years, but he’s not just a committee man — he likes to take his own initiative and the time, thought and effort he put into things was worth six people.
“He had a nack that’s very rare in people these days of always seeing what jobs needed doing. And that’s what he did; he went and got them done.
“He did a lot of jobs that we never even knew needed doing until we realised they’d been done.
“Every organisation he’s touched will miss him terribly. As a friend I personally will miss him a lot but on behalf of the Highland Gathering I find it very difficult to sum up how much help he’s been to us over the years.
“The Government has been talking about the Big Society but to me that’s exactly what Bob is. He would always volunteer for anything that wanted doing.
“I just call him Mr Ashbourne. He always put Ashbourne first.” Mr Hudson’s son, Marc, is flying out to South Africa where his father is due to be cremated on Monday. Marc told the News Telegraph “he will be sadly missed by Marc, Karen, Lilith and Margaret.” His family is planning a memorial service in Ashbourne on the anniversary of his Ash Wednesday Shrovetide turn-up, February 21.
Details will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.
