Prominent Portsmouth man and Honorary Alderman will be remembered for living life to the full

Stuart, who passed away on January 3, will be remembered for living life to the full and for his dedication to the community he lived in and to his family.

A ‘generous, thoughtful and kind’ individual, he became a councillor for Hampshire County Council in 1974, representing Drayton and Farlington for 30 years before Portsmouth became a unitary authority.

As part of his appointment onto the education committee and schools sub-committee, he became chairman of the Portsmouth area education advisory committee and was instrumental in forming Portsmouth Sixth Form College.

After two terms as chairman, he became governor of the college. He was also chairman of the further education sub-committee, liaising closely with the principal from Portsmouth Polytechnic as it was known then.

‘He knew it was important for all children and young people to have a good education. He saw it as their right to have the best start in life,’ Stuart’s daughter Kirsten said.

It was his contribution to Portsmouth, in particular his work in education, that saw him awarded the title of Honorary Alderman by Portsmouth City Council in 1998 - with him thought to be the first county councillor to be given such a title. He also became Alderman of Hampshire in 1999.

But his wide-reaching civic duties and interests also saw him president of Portsmouth Round Table and a magistrate for Havant bench before he continued this role after the merger with Portsmouth where he helped ensure a seamless transition.

Stuart, who was in the navy during his National Service where he served in the Suez Canal, Persian Gulf and Mediterranean, had a life-long love of sailing.

His range of interests also saw him become chairman of Portsmouth Rugby Club where he played a key role in the club building a new ground and clubhouse. A keen player who played second row scrum, Stuart was also captain of the club between 1956-58 and represented Hampshire.

‘He made life-long friends at the rugby club and was heavily involved in rejuvenating the club with the new ground and clubhouse,’ Kirsten said.

Stuart, who was born in the city and lived in Copnor, Cosham, Langstone and Farlington, was also a local businessman. Firstly as co-director of the Fratton-based family hardware business Hoopers before forming his own property development business Southdown Building and Development, later known as St Helen’s Investments.

Meanwhile his passion for travel saw him voyage across the globe to countries including China, Australia, America, Egypt, Russia and Japan. He took a caravan round eastern Europe soon after the Berlin Wall fell and his trips also saw him visit the Indian Himalayas and Borneo, climbing Mount Kinabalu which is the highest peak in Borneo’s Crocker range.

He built a steel cruiser and sailed it to France and the Channel Islands with the children. He also took his boat over on the ferry to Holland and sailed it through the waterways there.

Back home he would regularly go for walks in the South Downs and every year would visit the Lake District.

‘He loved to go walking and enjoyed going to the Lake District, especially in the autumn because of the colours,’ Kirsten said. ‘He installed a love of travelling in all his children.’

It was while on his travels to China that Stuart met his second wife Judith. Previously he had been married to Niccy. After marrying in 1962 they lived in Cosham for 36 years. She passed away in 1999.

Following Stuart’s passing, Judith has been overwhelmed by the number of flowers and cards she has received from family, friends and associates throughout his life. He lived his last years near her family in Lincolnshire having lived in Donnington near Chichester before that.

Speaking of how Stuart will be remembered, Kirsten said: ‘He was a dedicated family man and public servant who was admired by many for his positive outlook on life and determination to live life to the full.

‘He was generous, thoughtful and kind. He had the courage to stand up for his convictions but also had a great sense of fun. He was very well known in Portsmouth.’

Son of Charles and Molly and sibling to Trevor and Elizabeth, he is survived by his sister Liz, his four children Bridget, Sally, Andrew and Kirsten, as well as wife Judith.

Hampshire County Council will be flying its flag at half-mast at Elizabeth II Court on the day of Stuart’s funeral, Tuesday January 26.

There will also be a minute's silence at the next full county council meeting where there will be an opportunity for those present to pay tributes.

Any donations will go to the RNLI, see justgiving.com/fundraising/Stuart-Juniper

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A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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