New Milton Advertiser 9th Oct 2020

Friday 9th October 2020 · 19 Obituaries

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Mary Falk Record-breaking sailor took part in three transatlantic races single-handedly

David Bursey Well-known postman delivered to Beaulieu for 12 years

POPULAR Beaulieu postman David Bursey has died at the age of 62. A familiar face on his round for more than 12 years, David never felt his job was just deliv- ering the post and would also check in on his friends each day. His partner Clare Wood re- called that despite starting work at 5am, David would often be out on his round until the late afternoon after stopping to chat to so many people. She said: “He always had a box of dog biscuits in his van, so he was very popular with all the dogs of village as well.” Born in Pennington in 1957, David attended the local pri- mary school before going on to study at Priestlands. His moth- er died when he was 11 and his father had remarried and moved away, so he was raised by his grandparents, growing up in Bays Road. He joined the Post Office at Lymington as a telegram boy in 1974 and soon became a post- man undertaking rounds in Lymington, Pennington, East End, Sway and Hordle. David was able to take his driving licence and motorcycle licence through the Post Office – leading to his longstanding passion for motorbikes and mo- tor sports. David worked night shifts in the Lymington sorting office for many years but when this was outsourced around 12 years ago he began his round at Beaulieu. Clare said: “He absolutely loved doing his Beaulieu round – he loved all the people he saw every day and they clearly loved David. “We have had so many mes- sages to say how kind he was and how much he will be missed.” David’s round included the Beaulieu Estate and its houses. Beaulieu Estate agent Rachel Pearson said: “David was a very important part of life around the museum and was known by everyone. “He had an absolute heart of gold and when lockdown be- gan and he had to shield, we all missed him dreadfully as he used to stop to chat to every- one. “Our dog Rosie always let us know he was arriving because she would get up from wherever she was and go to greet him. “Because David knew every- one so well he was absolutely

AFTER taking up sailing in her 20s Mary Falk went on to achieve the fastest Atlan- tic crossing in a 35-foot boat – a record she still held when she died recently at the age of 74. The feat was in 1996 when Mary, from Lymington, made the sailing in 19 days, 22 hours and 57 minutes. The Royal Cruising Club awarded her their coveted Seamanship award for achieving the record. Mary took part in her last competitive race at the age of 64. She died in Oakhaven Hos- pice from cancer of the oesoph- agus on 19th September. Brother Andrew told how Mary enjoyed a happy child- hood in Rugby where her father taught at Rugby School. At 13 she went to St Mary’s Calne, a girls’ boarding school, where she did well and became head girl, returning many years later to serve as a governor. After leaving school, and be- fore going to Newnham College, Cambridge, to read classics, she spent six months in Italy learn- ing Italian. At Cambridge she enjoyed both swimming and A TRAILBLAZING woman who was the first female to be appointed to the board of Thompson Newspapers in Fleet Street has died at the age of 83. Ross Hall retired to the New Forest after spending years travelling the world in her role as a consultant specialising in change management. She began her career at Thompson where she quickly rose to be in charge of training for its sales and media teams. Her dedication and talent were rewarded with a seat on the board. After she left Thompson, Ross set up her own company, Ross Tew Train- ing Services. It proved to be hugely suc- cessful with her travelling inter- nationally to work, including in California and Canada. She also worked during her career at the Canberra Times in Australia, and publications in Edinburgh and Newcastle in the UK. Her niece Louise Marsh said: “She was incredibly respect- ed in her field. She worked for many years all over the world

lacrosse, winning half-blues at both. After graduating, Mary em- barked on a career in the law. She became a trainee with Farrer & Co, in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London, where she later became an assistant solicitor and then a partner. Farrer’s was well known for its work for the Royal Family and other distinguished clients. A very traditional firm, it was in those days very male-domi- nated and Mary was one of the first women to be a made a partner. It was at Farrer’s she was first introduced to sailing, a signif- icant event in her life, and the firm was supportive of Mary’s ventures on the water. To cel- ebrate passing her law exams she booked an extended holi- day in the Alps to learn to ski. Sadly, she broke her leg and was told she would never be able to take part in the sport again. But she went on to prove the doctors wrong, taking up skiing again as soon as she was able and going on to be award- ed a Purple Plus grading by the Ski Club of Great Britain.

Round Britain and Ireland was in 1982 and her first Azores and Back (AZAB) in 1983. In 1986 she did her first transatlantic race with Kitty Van Hagen. Mary later had her own pur- pose-built boat, Q11, designed for her by Mike Pocock. It was built by Steve Etheridge at Sway. She completed three fur- ther transatlantic races, all sin- gle-handed. Mary went on to compete in every major short-handed, long-distance race in the UK in- cluding three AZABs, one Fast- net, six Round Britain and Ire- land races, and numerous Petit Bateau events. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 Mary set off to raise money for the Insti- tute of Cancer Research, taking part in a race just months after completing chemotherapy. She went onto raise over £100,000 for the charity. Mary had retired to Lyming- ton in 2003 where she became actively involved in charity work. She became founder trus- tee of the Pioneer Sailing Trust and co-chair of Community First in the New Forest. wasn’t just a gardener, she re- ally cared for her. Ross’s neigh- bours were also very good to her.” Earlier this year, just as the pandemic started to take hold, Ross went into Court Lodge Nursing Home, Lymington. Louise said: “She was a very powerful personality and she soon let them know if she thought something wasn’t right. “She liked to keep them all in line.” Ross passed away peacefully in her sleep on 27th September. She is survived by sister Made- leine Marsh and beloved nieces Louise and Sarah. She was also loved by her late brother Chris’s family, wife Sue, niece Nikki and nephew Richard. She also had three great-nieces and a great-neph- ew. Louise said: “In the words of Frank Sinatra she most cer- tainly did it her way, and we will miss her greatly.” A celebration of Ross’s life will be held at a later date.

That determination showed through in her sailing which she started with a dinghy in 1977. By 1981 she was crewing in the Fastnet race. Her first

Ross Hall Media trailblazer and management training guru threw ‘raucous’ dinner parties

coming part of Southampton General Hospital’s governing committee. She also helped run a variety of local organisations, and was a regular user of Hordle’s com- munity centre. Gregarious and outgoing, Ross was famous for her “rau- cous” dinner parties where guests loved to hear tales of her travels as well as a selection of her risqué jokes. Her passions were fine wine, cordon bleu cooking, films, books, cats and homeopathy. But one of her biggest loves was her garden which Louise said “was her absolute pride and joy”. She was helped with the gar- den in recent years by garden- er Jen Swannie who became a close friend. Louise said: “She was abso- lutely lovely to Ross especially when she became ill. She has been an absolute star. “When she thought Ross wasn’t eating enough, she would go round and make sure she was having dinner. She

brilliant at his job. The post never went missing and even with very limited information he would make sure that the letters always got to their in- tended destination.” In his spare time David was well known for his work as a roadie for the discos at Pen- nington Club, the Sportsman’s Arms and Wellworthy Club, and this was the way that he met his partner Clare Woods around 21 years ago. Soon after becoming a cou- ple David became dad to her two children Tom (24) and Alix (28), and later became a doting grandfather to Poppy (3). When the children were younger the family spent many

happy camping holidays in Cornwall. David continued working as a postman until the lockdown in March when he was advised to shield because he suffered with COPD. After a fall at home in June, he was admitted to hospi- tal and subsequently diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Clare said the family received “incredible” support from visit- ing carers and Oakhaven Hos- pice, which enabled David to remain at home until he passed away on 29th September. His funeral will take place next week and many of his friends and colleagues have do- nated to Oakhaven Hospice in his memory.

for lots of top companies in- cluding BT. “Her talent was in teaching modern management tech- niques and she really knew her stuff. She was sharp, resilient and fiercely independent.” After deciding to retire to the New Forest, setting up home in Hordle, Ross became an active member of the community, be-

Hawthorn’s Gin raises a glass to Hampshire war hero Three chances to win Hawthorn’s Gin & Tonic

H awthorn’s London Dry Gin, created from a Hampshire naval war hero’s recipe, is raising a glass In Lymington. We’re giving three lucky winners a chance to each win a 70cl bottle of this multi- award-winning gin plus some delicious Lixir mixers, giving you the perfect combination for some great cocktails to make at home.

own gin, smuggled it on board ship and shared it with his crew to boost morale. Now Hawthorn’s Gin is sold online through the brand’s own shop at www.hawthornsgin.com and through local outlets including Solent Cellar and Priory Wines in Lymington, and Setley Ridge Vineyard & Shop in Brockenhurst. Will Turnage says: “My grandfather was a war hero. He was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French for his role in the D-Day landings in June 1944. Like many of his generation, Skip didn’t talk about the war, so, his old war diary was a revelation. He wrote about air raids and torpedoes; of being sunk 3 times without getting his feet wet; the time the Royals inspected the docks; …and he wrote about gin”. Skip distilled the gin himself – collecting botanicals wherever they laid anchor and combined these with English wheat from which he distilled his now legendary gin. “Recreating his recipe seemed like the perfect tribute to Skip,” says Will. “Our mantra is ‘All Craft. No nonsense’ – just as Skip would have wanted it”.

Hawthorn’s Gin was founded by Will Turnage, who has roots in Lymington, and Nick Masters, who lives in East Meon. Will Turnage’s late grandfather, Lieutenant Commander Skip, inspired this gin after Will discovered Skip’s war diaries. LC Skip was a WW2 Royal Navy Com- mander who became a war hero and who, in between battles, distilled his

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Hawthorn's London Dry Gin and the A&T are delighted to offer a chance for 3 lucky readers to win a bottle of Hawthorn's Gin and Lixir mixers. To win this fantastic prize, simply ll out the form below or email us with your name, address and telephone number. Entries should be sent to Hawthorn's Gin Competition, Advertiser & Times, 31-33 Compton Road, New Milton BH25 6EQ or email your details to competition@adt.press (put "Hawthorn's Gin" in subject line). One entry per person by post or email (not both). All entries must be received by Friday 16th October 2020.

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 Tick box to receive news and offers from Hawthorn's Gin. Terms and Conditions: Entrants must live in the UK and be over 18. One entry per person by either post OR email. The rst 3 entries picked at random will be deemed the winner. The Editor’s decision is nal and no correspondence will be entered into. Photocopies of the entry form will not be accepted. Employees of the Advertiser & Times Ltd or their immediate family members may not enter the competition. The prize will be delivered to your home. Proof of posting is not regarded as proof of entry or receipt. The winners will be announced in the A&T on Friday 23rd October 2020. Promoter: Advertiser & Times Ltd, 31-33 Compton Road, New Milton BH25 6EQ.