downsmail.co.uk Basil Bishop


BASIL Bishop (84), of St Faith’s Lane, Bearsted,was an auctioneer who rose to become a senior partner at estate agent Page andWells. The businesswas celebrating 20 years of operations when Basil joined in 1949. His ability to manage the demands of an operation, which at the time also dealt with local produce, soon made him a familiar face at local markets. With a break for national service, Basil served Page andWells


and contributed to its rise to become one of the largest independent estate agent in the area. Hewas married for 45 years to Patricia,


and they had a daughter Belinda. Tributes included praise from his former colleagues who highlighted his decency and diligence.Amessage from Belinda described her father’s loyalty to local businesses including Rossco’s hairdressers in Snodland, where he got his hair cut for many years after helping the business find its shop. Widower Basil leaves his daughter and granddaughters Eleanor and Sophie.


Harry Bragg


HARRY Bragg (92) lived a remarkable life. Asuccessful teacher who spent 17 years


from 1962 serving as the first headmaster of Bower Grove School, Harrywent on to become a school inspector before emigrating to Sydney,Australia, where he turned his passion for acting into a second career. His acting appearances included work on the television soap Neighbours. Manchester-born


Harry had survived the bombing of a cinema and joined up,


serving in the D-Day landings, with the 5th Royal Tank Regiment. Harry became a teacher after thewar having first tried a career in accountancy. He and wife Dorothy lived at various addresses in Kent before seling in Egerton, where Harry’s teaching careerwent alongside his presidency of Egerton Players amateur dramatic group. Prior to his death Harry gave a lengthy interview which appeared online. It included the observations: “As I sit here at the age of 90 I can look back on a lifewell lived…I can honestly say there are only a few regrets to cloud my reminiscences about the past. “Mine has been a life enriched by two satisfying careers – one planned, the other almost accidental – and by the sort of travel and adventure that I feel privileged to have been able to experience.” The travel and adventure included running his first marathon at the age of 57 and climbing the highest mountain in every country he visited. He had climbed – among others – Mount Kilimanjaro and Mont Blanc and at one time had Mick Jagger as a climbing companion.


38 Maidstone East May 2016 Harry leaves his wife, daughters Bebe and


Beverley and grandchildren Alexia, Lucienne and Jamison.


Norman Steel


NORMANPeter Steel (84) lived in the Downswood area for many years andwas a well-known character. Norman grew up in Mangravet and during the laer part of thewarwas evacuated toWales. He joined the Royal Navy as a 15-year-old boy and, in 1952, he was aboard theHMS Campania to witness the first atomic bomb being set off by Britain. He travelled on


many vessels


includingHMSBelfast, Plymouth and Teignmouth before leaving the navy in 1952. Norman married Alma, his brother’s widow, in 1953. The couple raised their daughter, Jane.


Norman worked for Rootes for a short


while until 1956 and thenwent to the GPO where he worked until hewas medically retired in 1983. Hewas widowed in 1984 but remarried in 1986 to Annie, becoming step- father to her four children. Normanwas widowed again in 2011. Daughter Jane said: “My fatherwas a keen


bowls player andwas a founder member of the Mote Park Bowls Club in Mote Park. “Hewas often seen catching his bus into


town, something he did right up to theweek before he died. He suffered from deafness and his sightwas going but hewas still very active and joined in numerous family activities. “Normanwas a loving dad, granddad and great-granddad and will be greatly missed by all his family and friends.”


Paddy McAlarey


CHARLES “Paddy” McAlarey (86) spent 35 years in Upper Fant Road, Fant, and the final six years of his life in Hengist Court, Marsham Street, Maidstone. Born in Glasgow, hewas adopted and moved to Ireland, eventually coming to Maidstone when he joined the Royal Engineers and found himself stationed in the town. He travelled with the army, including time spent in Egypt, but met and married his wife of 60


years, Elizabeth “Bey.” Paddy decided to leave the army and raise


his family with Bey. Hewas father to Liz, Sean and Kellie. Daughter Kellie said: “My father worked


in London for a while, at the Savoy Hotel but spent a lot of his working life locally including time with Bradford’s fishmongers on Earl Street, Marley at Lenham, Tilling Stevens and the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food when theywere on the Siingbourne Road. “Hewas a sociable man who liked a drink


and a chat with his friends. For a while he was particularly fond of the Admiral Gordon and the Fant Arms pubs. He


enjoyed travelling andwent to beer festivals inAustria aswell as enjoying coach trips to go on holiday to Spain. Hewas also a keen follower of snooker tournaments on television.” Paddy leaves his wife, children, grandchildren Lee, Jason, Michael, Sadie, Casey, Charlie and Lucie and six great- grandchildren.


Keith Ferrin


THE funeral has been held of Keith Ferrin MBE (71), a Conservative member of Kent County Council for 36 years. Mr Ferrin was deputy leader from 1997 to 2001. Hewas also cab- inet member for envi- ronment, highways and waste and sup- porting independence, policy, performance and best value. Paying tribute to Mr


Ferrin, leader of Kent County Council Paul Carter said: “Keith


made a massive contribution to the running of KCC over many years, being the architect and instigator of many significant beneficial changes, particularly after the 1997 election when the Conservatives regained control of the authority, being the deputy leader under Lord Sandy Bruce-Lockhart’s leadership. “Keith held many key cabinet posts and


will be particularly remembered for his work in adult social care and the introduction of di- rect payments for clients.” Keith was born and bred in Leicestershire


before attending Leeds University where he met his wife Lynn. He moved to Kent almost 40 years ago when the company he was working for transferred him to the county just a week before his wedding. They have two sons and a granddaughter. Lynn is a localGP whose surgery is based in Rainham. Keith’s interest in politics began at univer-


sity where he first became a member of the Conservative Party. Over the years he held many offices in the party, spending eight years as a constituency association chairman. Hewas the Kent andMedway area chairman from 2007 until October 2010. In September 2010 he became a member of the Conserva- tive Party’s South East Region Committee. He became a member of Gillingham Bor-


ough Council in 1975.Hewas elected to Kent County Council in 1977 and he was to be- come one of the longest serving members of the council. Over the years he held positions of respon-


sibility in every area of KCC’s activity except planning. He was a member of the gover- nance and audit committee, health overview and scrutiny committee and served as chair- man of the Fire Authority’s policy and per- formance committee. He was also a member of the Community


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Obituaries


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