Sad news last night transformed a relaxing evening into an unexpected wake...
Mark Brummell - a rather special cyclist, died when his bike was hit by a car at Ipley Cross on the Beaulieu Road on the edge of the New Forest. Mark regularly went for afternoon bike rides in the forest, so its some consolation to think that he would have had an enjoyable afternoon outing before his untimely death.
The accident happened at about 18.15 on Monday 28th May 2012. The accident has been widely reported in the local media. The piece in the Southampton Daily Echo from May 30th includes a tribute from local cyclists. The photo above shows Mark in an uncharacteristically 'smart cyclist' mode was a rickshaw driver when he took us to our wedding in 2004.
Mark was well known and liked amongst the local cycling community, a long standing member of the Southampton Cycling Campaign. He was previously a popular, conscientious and well respected academic in the Physics Department at the University of Southampton. About 10 years ago he took early retirement from the University because of ill health.
After that time he dedicated himself to all things bikes which included maintaining, re-building and restoring old cycles working from his home in Shirley. This included some project work refurbishing bikes for people without other means of transport. If you were lucky enough to have your bike handled by Mark it meant that you had passed his (rather opaque) admission interview, and your steed(s) details would be added to his database for future reference.
His work was always meticulous, and the itemised account which you received after a detailed explanation of how and where all the parts had been sourced would inevitably be written on the back of an envelope. Mark's afternoon rides were a regular feature and essential part of his working life and would be followed by evening relaxation in the Wellington Arms, in Freemantle where he could replace some well used calories with appropriate quantities of real ale.
I knew Mark as a friend and very reliable bike mechanic/engineer who was always ready to sort out a problem, and whose rigorous physics background was just the thing when setting up a chain set or building or truing a wheel. He advised me, and cared for many of my bikes over the years, and everyone who I introduced to him agreed with me that he was a lovely and rather special person. One thing is for certain, among his many friends he will be most sorely missed.
Mark Brummell, cyclist, physicist 1959-2012. His is survived by an elderly mother and a brother,
Posts
10 comments:
Su,
Thanks for putting this up. I may need your help contacting some of Mark's friends in Southampton, if that is ok with you. I am arriving in the UK tomorrow (Wed) afternoon and should be in Southampton by the evening.
Nic (Mark's brother)
Su,
Thanks for putting this up. I may need your help contacting some of Mark's friends in Southampton, if that is ok with you. I am arriving in the UK tomorrow (Wed) afternoon and should be in Southampton by the evening.
Nic (Mark's brother)
Su,
Thanks for putting this up. I may need your help contacting some of Mark's friends in Southampton, if that is ok with you. I am arriving in the UK tomorrow (Wed) afternoon and should be in Southampton by the evening.
Nic (Mark's brother)
Su,
Thanks for putting this up. I may need your help contacting some of Mark's friends in Southampton, if that is ok with you. I am arriving in the UK tomorrow (Wed) afternoon and should be in Southampton by the evening.
Nic (Mark's brother)
Another cyclist downed by (presumed) careless driving. When is government going to step up to their responsibility to protect and to serve us cyclists as well.
My deepest sympathy to his family, friends and members of the community he was part of.
Mark has been keeping us all in bikes for years, repairing replacing, innovating, he was a real star in the Southampton Cycling community. An articulate, deeply knowledgeable and patient man with a real passion for his work. What makes this so wrong is that 6 months ago exactly the same incident happened to Jack (16) our youngest cyclist. His right of way, nothing else for miles on this open junction and some how another 60 year old driver “did not see him”, failed to stop, and smashed into Jack. He was luckier than Mark, bounced well, just a broken collarbone. Yet everyone that knows the area says that there are regular accidents here. Is it because it seems so easy, so open? What will make car drivers more aware, more careful? We should have a ride out from Mark’s house to Ipsley Cross, invite the press and see if we can make this lovely part of the New Forest just a little safer.
Mark has been keeping us all in bikes for years, repairing replacing, innovating, he was a real star in the Southampton Cycling community. An articulate, deeply knowledgeable and patient man with a real passion for his work. What makes this so wrong is that 6 months ago exactly the same incident happened to Jack (16) our youngest cyclist. His right of way, nothing else for miles on this open junction and some how another 60 year old driver “did not see him”, failed to stop, and smashed into Jack. He was luckier than Mark, bounced well, just a broken collarbone. Yet everyone that knows the area says that there are regular accidents here. Is it because it seems so easy, so open? What will make car drivers more aware, more careful? We should have a ride out from Mark’s house to Ipsley Cross, invite the press and see if we can make this lovely part of the New Forest just a little safer.
Mark has been keeping us all in bikes for years, repairing replacing, innovating, he was a real star in the Southampton Cycling community. An articulate, deeply knowledgeable and patient man with a real passion for his work. What makes this so wrong is that 6 months ago exactly the same incident happened to Jack (16) our youngest cyclist. His right of way, nothing else for miles on this open junction and some how another 60 year old driver “did not see him”, failed to stop, and smashed into Jack. He was luckier than Mark, bounced well, just a broken collarbone. Yet everyone that knows the area says that there are regular accidents here. Is it because it seems so easy, so open? What will make car drivers more aware, more careful? We should have a ride out from Mark’s house to Ipsley Cross, invite the press and see if we can make this lovely part of the New Forest just a little safer.
Mark was my Tutor during my time at University and it is fair to say that without his help and support I would not have got through my degree. He took a keen interest in his students and would often be found drinking with us in The Crown on a Friday evening, or accompanying us on other social events - on his bike of course!
It's a cruel irony that someone who campaigned so much for safer roads for cyclists should have his life tragically cut short in this way.
RIP Mark, you won't be forgotten.
Post a Comment