Reg Hansell.
I am very sorry to hear that Reg has passed away - cant believe it. He was a total gentleman and a very nice guy indeed. I first met him at the hospital rally numerous years ago in slightly bizarre circumstances. I was there taking pictures for Doverforum as per usual in those days... I was snapping away when the guys from BBC TV, the Newsroom SouthEast programme, came up to me with microphone in hand and asked me to interview Reg for the programme going out that night. The regular reporter hadn't made it to the event and yours truly got stuck in the role of roving reporter. I asked Reg the scripted questions and the program went out that night, probably wisely not showing me onscreen.
We had a laugh about that one....and that was how I met Reg.
After that he joined in making an occasional post on the then frontpage and i convinced him at the time to join the Forum. He didnt want to, but after a while decided he would give it a go and he turned out in due course to be one of our best members...batting and battling for the left side of the political divide.
He truly liked political cartoons and he sent me dozens and dozens asking me to post them up on the forum...he couldnt get the hang of uploading pictures. I wasnt sure if posting the cartoons from Fleet St would get us into trouble, due to copyright issues, but we went for it anyway, always quoting the source and the newspaper...and it amused Reg greatly.
Good days.
Some pictures below of activist Reg..
On the march up Biggin Street at the famed Hospital Rally..with Reg at the front .
A crop of the picture above with Reg, wife Wendy, and familiar faces to the left Charlie Elphicke MP and Peter Garstin.
If memory serves me well this was another rally re the Hospital and that's Reg above there giving it some welly through a megaphone...megaphone diplomacy at its best...with Charlie Elphicke once more.
RIP Reg...condolences to the family.
