Passing Comment – Barry mourns a man who truly contributed to his community
By Sue Vincent Jones - regular columnist
WELL, what a heart-breaking end to the Bank Holiday as Barry mourns the loss of scooter scene man Richie Tutton.
The much-loved local passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, 28th May, just a day after one of Barry’s biggest and brightest collectives took to the town for the ‘Scooters in the Vale’ day.
What a shock for his heartbroken loved ones, the whole of our town – and one of our town’s tightest and trouble-free crews who have built a big following over the last few years
Truth be told, I may not own my racy, red Vespa ‘hairdryer’ anymore, and I haven’t taken to the roads for many a year, but I am big time impressed by this group’s close-knit cohesion.
Who doesn’t love seeing them all buzzing away all over Barry on a bright day?
It’s deeper than that though. This community will, as our town does time and time again, pull together to support Richie’s devastated family.
Who doesn’t remember how they looked out for our late, great Mike Whyman with so much strength and support?
Then, as now, my sincere condolences and love go to Richie’s family and friends during these very dark days.
Richie, who could ‘fix any scooter’, also played a big part in another of our well-respected communities – Barry Dock Lifeboat Station. They paid tribute to the man who started as a volunteer in 1999 before becoming full time in March 2002, with ‘deepest sorrow.’
Praising Richie’s professionalism as their mechanic, they stressed how his sound knowledge of the all-weather lifeboat – inside and out – kept it maintained to an extremely high standard and, together with his exemplary seamanship, saved many lives at sea.
They added that his kindness, fairness and humour meant new and experienced crew members looked to him as a guide and mentor, both at sea and ashore, sharing his talents, profound knowledge and humour as an engineer and seaman.
What a wonderful tribute – and comfort to the family.
Now, I don’t pretend to know Richie well, and I certainly can’t comprehend the rollercoaster of emotions that his family and close friends must be going through. I just know that we have a tough town with such strong sense of community, full of resilient residents who will hopefully help to ease some of the pain as Barry mourns.
And in these dark days, community counts – it always has in Barry, and always will. Rest in Peace Richard Tutton.
By Sue Vincent Jones
- The views expressed by columnists of this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Glamorgan Star, its employees or its proprietors
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