Obituary - John Partridge .........................................................John Grant

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John Grant

John Partridge 1943 - 2013

Many SOG members will be saddened to learn of the death of John Partridge, the RSPB stalwart who ferried them safely – and with his usual good grace and kindness – to and from his beloved Havergate Island on so many enjoyable field trips over very many years. John was a great friend of SOG – and he was a great friend too to Suffolk’s birdlife. The measure of the high esteem in which John was held, and a sign of how popular his warmth, humour and humanity was, could be seen in the wonderful turn-out for his memorial service at St Bartholomew’s Church, a few hours after his funeral service was held at Seven Hills Crematorium, Nacton. About 200 people said a fond farewell to him at the service that celebrated his loving family life, his considerable contribution to Orford village life and, of course, his outstanding service to the RSPB. He cared for the society’s famed Havergate Island nature reserve in the River Ore for 30 years. Orford born and bred, John lost his long battle against prostate cancer in February. He was 70.

Reg Partridge also served at Havergate - together father and son amassed an amazing sixty years of service on the island! John Partridge at Havergate He became the RSPB’s warden for Havergate Island in 1974 following the death of his father Reg, who had held the post for about 30 years. The work carried out by father and son on the island – creating and managing its shallow saline lagoons – was a vital factor in the return to Britain as a breeding species of the society’s logo bird, the Avocet, and its continued successful recolonisation.

A talented artist and woodworker John served in the Merchant Navy and travelled the world from the age of sixteen, but a more local career as a ferryman with the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment on Orford Ness followed, before he began his now highly-acclaimed tenure on Havergate. Tributes to his work on the island have been paid by leading East Anglian conservationists: Jon Haw, reserves manager for the RSPB in the eastern region, described John as “a great ambassador for the RSPB and for nature conservation on the Suffolk coast”. Mr Haw added: “Havergate is an iconic nature reserve for the RSPB and, along with Minsmere, was one of the places where Avocets returned to breed in Britain in the 1940s. “Without a doubt, John’s work in creating and managing the lagoons and protecting the breeding Avocets on Havergate Island has