Mr Peter Pink.
FORMER Southern Vectis employee, Peter Pink, 61, has died at his Lake home following a heart attack.
Mr Pink was born on the IW on July 10, 1948 and was the only child of Arthur and Frieda Pink, growing up and going to school in Brading.
At the age of ten, he left the IW with his mother and spent his teenage years in the Manchester suburbs of Blackley and Harper Hey.
On leaving school, he joined the Refuge Insurance Company where he became an agent. In his early 20s, he returned to live with his father in Station Gardens, Brading, and continued in the insurance business until joining Southern Vectis as a conductor at the former Shanklin depot in March 1981.
With the introduction of one-person operation, he spent the winter months on the Ryde-Cowes route, which retained conductors for many years. When Shanklin closed in 1984, he worked permanently from Ryde or Newport but in the summer returned to Shanklin, issuing tickets and answering queries as a stand conductor.
He was popular with his colleagues and passengers and was a prominent member of the SV Sports and Social Club playing in its cricket, snooker and darts teams.
He eventually became a driver at Ryde depot and continued until 2003, when ill health forced early retirement. He moved from Brading to Lake following the death of his father some years earlier but suffered further bouts of illness over several years.
His funeral service is due to be held at the IW Crematorium next Friday, February 26, at 1.30pm.
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