Obituaries

Obituaries

We have received the very sad news that Tom Richards has died peacefully in his sleep. He was 85 years old.
He was a member of SCVAC and a long serving member of the committee as vice-chairman and treasurer. He was a qualified official and was a regular, working at many track and field meetings, sometimes as field referee.
He will be missed by many athletes and friends. 31-07-24

Gary Negus 1942-2020

It is with much sadness to report that Gary Negus died on Monday 22nd June this year having suffered from the effects of Asbestosis for some time.

Born in Yorkshire in 1942 he served proudly with the Royal Marine Commandos in the 1960s in Borneo.

He was a longstanding member of both SCVAC and Portsmouth Athletic Club for whom he competed in the Vets League for many years.

He excelled in the throwing events and in 2016 he won gold in the shot-put, gold in the weight throw and gold in the hammer at the BMAF Championships in Birmingham.

Then, in 2017 he won a bronze award in the Winter Throws Championships in Lee Valley. In the all-time rankings for V70 he was 5th in the shot-put, 8th in the weight throw and 15th in the hammer. He took part in numerous competitions all over the country and won medals galore.

More than that Gary was a supportive team member, a gentle giant and a true gentleman with a great sense of humour.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Our thoughts go out to his wife Chris and their family. 2-07-20

I regret to inform you that Jaroslav Hanus, multiple British masters record holder in the throws, passed away on March 8th 2014, following a stroke. The funeral will be at Breakspear crematorium, Ruislip, on Thursday 20th March at 1pm.

Jaroslav was born in Czechoslovakia in 1930, After the war he participated in many sports - athletics, including throws and decathlon, basketball, ice hockey, and volleyball. He eventually concentrated on the throws, becoming Czech hammer champion in 1950 or 1951. During his national service he made the elite army team, and among his team mates was one Emil Zatopek. He gave up his athletics when he qualified as an architect, and emigrated to Britain in 1968 to continue his work as an architect. When he retired in 1995 he took up athletics again, and set 33 British Masters records in the throws. He competed all over the world in masters athletics, winning many medals in the process. He was a character, and will be sadly missed. 17-03-14

Peter Field died on Sunday 13 June 2010 at the age of 79, after a long battle with prostrate cancer. Peter was a long standing member of SCVAC and Dartford Harriers and held many records. He was also an International Athlete and a really nice man.

The funeral was on Thursday 15 July at Eltham crematorium 15-07-10