It was with great sadness that I learned to-day of the passing of John Paddon who died recently
after a short stay in the Pilgrim Hospital. John was not a member of the LBC but he was certainly
known to many members who will also be saddened to hear of his passing, and so I think it appropriate to mention him here.
I had known John for about seven years since moving to Lincolnshire and have spent many pleasant hours with him bird watching
mostly at Hagnaby and Kirkby. He was only a few weeks away from his 90th birthday and I believe
he had been a keen birder since his teens so he had a wealth of knowledge not only about birds but life in general
and also had a seemingly endless store of pretty corny jokes - he was always good company. I spent a couple of hours
alone in the hide at Kirkby this afternoon going through memories of the many hours we shared there. He had only a few moths ago
had to stop his birding because his age and health had forced him to give up driving and I had promised that when the
weather got better I would take him on the odd trip to Freiston and Frampton - sadly we will no longer have that pleasure to look
forward to.
RIP John our lives will be the poorer for the passing of another gentleman birder.
