Osney Island

Very sadly Roy Hoare died just a month after his wife Eve.

Roy’s daughter Julie writes: My lovely dad Roy Hoare died at home, as he so dearly wished, on 25 March. Roy had lived on Osney Island for 20 years with his beloved wife Eve.  He  loved the area very much and he was often seen out and about chatting to everyone. Thank you very much to the many neighbours who helped and supported him and my mum over the years.

Roy’s funeral will take place on Friday 28 April, 1.30 p.m., at The Oxford Crematorium, Bayswater Road, Oxford OX3 9RZ.  It will be followed by a reception at The Abingdon Arms, Beckley, Oxford OX3 9UU. Everyone is welcome at both the crematorium and the reception afterwards. We would like this to be a celebration of his long and happy life rather than a sombre affair and would like people to wear colourful clothes.

Eve Hoare of West Street died in Didcot Community Hospital on 21 February aged 93. She had been ill during the last year and had suffered a fall.

Eve’s daughter Julie St Clair Hoare writes: My lovely mum Eve had lived on Osney Island for 20 years with her beloved husband Roy. She loved the area very much. Many people will have seen her out walking her dogs Pippa and Georgie. Thank you very much to the many people who helped and supported her over the years.

Eve’s funeral will take place on Friday 10 March, 1.30 p.m. at The Oxford Crematorium, Bayswater Road, Oxford OX3 9RZ.  It will be followed by a reception at High St, Beckley, Oxford OX3 9UU. Everyone is welcome at both the crematorium and the reception afterwards. 

We would like this to be a celebration of her life rather than a sombre affair and would like people to wear colourful clothes.

Tributes

Matt Dyson writes: Eve and Roy were my ‘back fence neighbours’ from Bridge St to East Street, and have been the most considerate, kind, and friendly people since I got here six and a half years ago. I first met them when we tried to tackle some ivy coming up underneath our shared fence, and Eve was such a wealth of information, care and inspiration for a rich full life. I saw her a little during the pandemic, dropping round a baked good was the last time I think, and I regret not having made time to see her more recently. She’s a reminder of the wonderful people worth making the time for.

Ben Thomas writes: We remember Eve in recent months walking the dogs around the playing field in the early morning, passing treats to us for our children, chatting about the state of world politics, and discussing philosophy on the phone with her grandson as he worked on his undergraduate degree nearby in Oxford… firing off emails, scanning pictures of her war-time years to send to the writer of a magazine article… sharing news of her remarkable family… cooking, gardening, and of course being there for her wonderful husband Roy, who must be missing her more than we can imagine.

Eve was living at 100% in her 90s. Perhaps it shouldn’t feel surprising when someone of that age is suddenly no longer part of neighbourhood life, but Eve burned so bright to the end that it really does.

David Walker died on 11 February 2023, aged 96. He had lived on Osney Island for over 80 years.

The funeral will take place on Monday 6 March, 2.00 p.m., at South Oxfordshire Crematorium, Garfield, Abingdon, OX13 5PA. It will be followed by a reception at Milletts Farm Centre, Frilford, Nr Abingdon, OX13 5HB.

David moved to Osney with his parents when he was 12 years old. His family owned a garage and four-bedroomed house at 41 West Street — the site of what is now West Court. Here David grew up and married Mary, who lived with her parents at 55 West Street. The couple spent their whole married life living in their South Street home. Mary sadly died in 2018, aged 91. David’s daughter Marilyn and son-in-law Phil were a great support to both David and Mary.

Osney will miss David’s cheerful presence on the island. He was a real gentleman, a good neighbour and always a pleasure to talk to.

Tributes

Robert Lawrence writes: Susan and I became islanders, (almost) oblivious to its delights on arrival in January 1991 and David was one of the first residents we met. Then, as always, David was welcoming, genial, funny and deeply well informed about all aspects of Osney life. If was David who related to us the mystery of the ‘missing’ 41 West Street abode, the house formerly adjacent to ours and the site of what is now the main approach to the West Court flats. I’m pretty certain that he even managed to dig out and give us some notes he had kept on number 41 and the large house that used to be situated where the flats now are. David had a long life well lived for which we as fellow residents can all be grateful.

Brian and Fiona write: He was a great neighbour during our time in Osney Island and was always a great source of knowledge and information.

Richard writes: It’s a real loss to our community. He was such a gent and it’s so sad that he’s no longer around.

Thanks to generous donations by islanders, OIRA has been able to buy a kayak in memory of Simon Stubbings, who died in March this year. The craft is suitable for a child or small person, and is for use by members of the Osney Island Boat Club. Simon, a long-term resident of Osney, was the founder of the Boat Club and a keen oarsman. In 2021 he rowed to London from Oxford in the ‘Osney Odyssey’ which he and Jude Carroll organised.

The kayak, named Harambe (Swahili for ‘All pull together’), in honour of Simon’s connections with Kenya, was launched on Friday 16 September. There was a good turnout of islanders beside the Thames in East Street, including Simon’s daughter Jen and grandson Isaac. Cllr Susanna Pressel waved a ceremonial bottle of prosecco at the kayak’s bow and Alan Goodwin raised a toast in honour of Simon. Isaac took the kayak on its maiden voyage, with safety supervision by Fiona Ravenscroft from the Boat Club.

Thanks to Rob (East Street) and Nigel (South Street) for applying the transfers, and to Carbon Colour (Milton Park) for printing the transfers free of charge.

Photos courtesy Jocelyn Wogan-Browne and Alan Goodwin.

On Bank Holiday Monday Portia Roelofs of Bridge Street organised a community tree-drawing event. Portia said: ‘With re-development projects in all directions planned for the coming months and years, this session will be a time to quietly bear witness to the beauty and value of trees to our lives.’

The resulting drawings were displayed on the railings at the south end of West Street.

In a major step towards serious flood protection for Oxford, the Environment Agency has submitted the plans for the flood alleviation scheme for approval. See the press release.

Carols were once again heard on Osney last Saturday evening. A group of islanders, skilfully organised by Matt Dyson (in disguise as a Christmas tree) sang on request outside a number of houses, finishing up in the bar at The Holly Bush. The smaller singers enjoyed knocking on doors and being offered sweets and drinks, while the adults were particularly grateful for Uttara’s hot samosas and Ravi’s tots of whisky at the end of the route.

This December, Osney will again host its own live Advent calendar, with a window ’opening’ somewhere on the island for each day of Advent. On 1 and 24 December, and at weekends, there will be two windows. For more information see the Advent calendar page.

We will meet outside The Punter at 5 p.m. on Saturday 4 December for this year’s carol singing. If you are planning to join in, or would like a carol sung outside your door, please contact Matt Dyson (matthewdyson@yahoo.com).

Singing sheets will be provided. Children welcome but must be accompanied by an adult.