Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Skip Navigation LinksHome

Isle of Wight: Tributes to Harry Christopher

Tributes to `wise and happy` Harry

By Richard Wright - Friday, October 3, 2008
A MEMORIAL service is being planned for 29-year-old adventurer Harry Christopher, who was gunned down in Argentina.
The ashes of the son of Sandown CE Primary School headteacher Di Christopher were being flown back to this country separately from his family who travelled back this week.
The service being arranged will be for family and close friends and an event to celebrate his life is to be organised later.
Harry’s younger sister, Bethan Stritton, 27, yesterday (Thursday) paid tribute to her brother, who fell victim to motorcycle robbers in a suburb of Buenos Aires.
She said: “As a young person Harry excelled in martial arts. He loved to spend time in nature, building fires and was an incredibly talented archer. During his late teens he began to travel the world. He packed parachutes in Israel, then became a proficient diver in Thailand.
“Generous of heart and non-judgmental, Harry embraced the local people in every country in which he lived. During December, 2004, he lived in South India and following the tsunami’s destruction, travelled to Tamil Nadu, where alongside the local people, he helped clear the bodies of the dead, trying to find missing relatives of the Kerelan friends he had made.
“In January this year, Harry left the Island for Buenos Aires where, once again, he found kinship with local people.
“Our trip there last week was cushioned by the huge amount of warmth and love that his Argentinian friends felt for him.
"Before his death, Harry was living with his girlfriend, Vanessa, and her family. They loved him dearly and would fondly call him ‘happy Harry, wise Harry’.”

Reporter: richardw@iwcpmail.co.uk