Dickie Doves Celebration Day 14th September

By Judith Green, Bracknell News

 

 

THE family of a leading councillor paid an emotional tribute to him at a celebration day named in his honour.

 

Members of Wokingham Without Parish Council attended the event to commemorate the life of Dickie Dove, before his death, aged 82 in 2004,  Mr Dove was a key player in developing the Pinewood site in Old Wokingham Road, including the Community Association Building which was used as an American Air Force hospital during the Second World War.

 

Son Peter Dove, 55, and his sister Barbara Treagus, 60, spoke fondly of their father and remembered his devotion to the site. Speaking at the event, Peter Dove said: “After he retired in 1975 dad devoted a lot of his spare time to Pinewood and was always thinking of ways to make more money for the council and the site.

“When the hospital was being demolished my dad tried to get copper pipes and brass knobs off the building, anything he could sell on which would make money for the site and the council.”

 

When the lease for Pinewood was granted to Wokingham Without Parish Council in the 1970s, Dickie Dove headed a committee and together with a team of volunteers worked tirelessly to clear the site and make it the centre of the local community.

After the speeches, guests gathered around the site of a pond named after the councillor to plant 500 of his favourite flowers, yellow daffodils. Wokingham Without Parish Council chairman Cllr Peter Sturgess said: “Everyone always said that Dickie brought the sunshine with him to Pinewood, so it is fitting that we have such a lovely day for the planting here. Dickie meant so much to so many people and there are a lot of people here today who I would like to thank for their help in organising this event.”

 

Hand carved wooden finger pointing signs have been put up around the site to direct visitors to Dickie’s pond and there are also plans to build a bench in his honour in the glen later this year.

 

Visitors were also treated to refreshments in the Community Association Building and had trips around the site on a miniature steam train courtesy of Pinewood Miniature Railway Society, a group very close to Dickie’s heart.

 

Mrs Treagus said: “I don’t know whether many people know but both the ashes of my dad and his beloved dog are scattered here in the glen, so he is here with us and I’m sure he will be watching us with great pride.”