Plaque unveiled in memory of Chickerell stalwart

Dudley Paine, who worked to help restore the Charlestown Victory Hall in Chickerell, passed away earlier this year.

He spent much of his retirement working as the handyman for the hall and was the vice-chairman of the committee that looked after it.

The former driving instructor and chef dedicated hours to helping restore the hall and friends said that he is very much missed.

They said he had a wonderful sense of humour and when working as a bus conductor would dress up as characters from On the Buses.

A plaque to honour the work he did was unveiled in a special coffee morning earlier this month.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Chickerell Mike Joliffe and Lin Wise unveiled the plaque with the help of Dudley’s widow Betty Paine.

Friend Marion Hardcastle said that it had been a lovely occasion.

She said: “We held the unveiling at our coffee morning as Dudley was always so involved with that and about thirty people attended.

“He was a lovely chap and is sorely missed.”

She added: “He worked hard to get the hall refurbished and back for the community to use. Dudley was just so wonderful.”

Mr Paine was born in London and spent the Second World War partly in London but mostly in Weymouth. He was an able seaman in the Royal Navy.

He had a varied life and at one point he went to Australia for several months to try prospecting for gold.

He enjoyed metal detecting for pleasure and sea fishing.

Friends and family said they would remember him as a really good person who would do anything for anybody.

Charlestown Victory Hall which meant so much to Mr Paine has just been granted some money from West Dorset District Council to help renovation works.

The money has been used to install a disabled toilet and two new ladies toilets.

The tea bar in the hall has also been refurbished so that visitors don’t have to go up and down stairs to the kitchen if they don’t want to.

Mrs Hardcastle said that with the new improvements the hall was going from strength to strength.