OBITUARIES GORDON ALBERT MILLS
1956 ‐ 2024 by Ken Knock
Gordon and Helen Mills from Weston both died in a car accident on 16 September while travelling through the Loire Valley in France on their way to St Gervais NR Chamonix from Angouleme for the Circuit des Ramparts. Born in 1956 to Jack & Mieke Mills, Gordon grew up in Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, with his late sister, Alison. He went on to study Rural Land Management at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester and later qualified as a Chartered Surveyor. Eventually following his father to become a partner in Hix and Son, Land Agents at Holbeach. In 2005 Gordon left Hix and Son to start Lincs Home Condition Reports focusing on Energy Performance Certification before finally retiring at the end of 2023. Gordon was an enthusiastic croquet player and active club member taking part in most of the Pinchbeck club events and at Great Dunham where he was also a member, relishing in the weekly competition with other members from Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. He started playing Association Croquet six years ago and, encouraged by club members, rapidly improved to take part in many tournaments around the county with notable success in the past two years in B level tournaments. In 2023 he won two tournaments at the London Hurlingham Club. This year Gordon took part in many events including the Longman Trophy, Mary Rose Trophy, Winter indoor trophies at Soham and the EACF league as well as tournaments at Colchester, Hurlingham, Nottingham, Peterborough, Edgbaston and Hunstanton. Partnered by myself, also from The Pinchbeck Croquet Club, Gordon was the two times doubles Greek Open Association Croquet Champion in 2021 and 2023, that takes place each year in Corfu. Gordon loved meeting people and the friendly spirit of croquet competition. He encouraged new players to improve their skills and tactics and introduced several friends including myself to croquet. Last autumn he qualified as club coach aiming to develop club members and encourage AC. At Pinchbeck, Gordon helped with the club
heats of the National Charity one‐ball competition, and was the inspiration behind this year’s crazy croquet day and barbecue held to celebrate the clubs tenth anniversary. Before taking up croquet Gordon was an enthusiastic sailor, squash and table tennis player. He and Helen loved to travel and spent many weeks each year away recently visiting France, Spain, Holland, North Africa, Vietnam and Thailand. As a yachtsman he enjoyed sailing holidays chartering yachts with friends which he sailed as a qualified day skipper. Frequent trips to St Gervais gave both Helen and Gordon many weeks of skiing and alpine walks. When not traveling Gordon had a wide range of interests that included his classic cars. He and Helen had a large garden that included space for their small herd of red deer and outdoor pizza oven used to entertain their many friends and family. It was also home to his much‐loved Siamese cat Monty and a few chickens. In the quieter moments Gordon enjoyed reading, painting and drawing and always looked forward to the daily Wordle puzzle. Gordon leaves a son and daughter, Sophia and Patrick and was a proud Opa of his granddaughter Lyra, also step son Patrick and daughter Charlotte and step grandchildren Nelly and Lennox. Gordon and Helen were close friends that I had known for many years.
JOHN PRESCOTT MP 1938 – 2024 THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS BAD PUBLICITY. When Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was photographed playing croquet in 2006, all the stereotypical comments about croquet being for toffs were headline news. What could have been a PR disaster for croquet turned out to be a sensation. Tony Blair said “he could smell out condescension, a slight, an air of superiority or a snub at a thousand paces” and he wasn’t cowed by the media over a game of croquet. May he enjoy his croquet in peace now. Photo from Southport Croquet Flickr, Prescott trying out his new Pidock mallet
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