Herald - Issue 409

15th July 2021 • The HERALD • Page 31 v F @ heraldpublishing v New Forest Scaffolding All aspects of scaffolding undertaken • Extensions • Chimneys • Re-Roofing • New Builds etc For a friendly, local, reliable service and a free quotation Telephone: 07734 476855 www.newforestscaffolding.co.uk Full Liability Insurance Lychette Cottage, Roughdown, Blackfield SO45 1XG All aspects of Plastering & General Decorating Covered Free Quotations Fully Insured Mobile 07941 255335 Phone: 023 8089 8324 parkesij@yahoo.co.uk www.ijs4plastering.co.uk WILLIS DECORATING & JOINERY SERVICES Est Since 1986 Interior & Exterior Painting & Decorating Wallpaper Hanging Hand-painted Kitchens & Spray Finishes Wardrobes, Bookcases, Radiator Covers Call David on 023 8084 9800 or 07946 048261 E: david.willis24@btinternet.com Murphy - 25th April 1940 -17th June 2021 began to develop. He would whisper things in my ear that Iwould have di culty saying except through my doodles”. ese whisperings were the beginning of his cartoons, which he continued to get great pleasure drawing throughout his life, and which appeared in numerous publications. In August last year Peter collected some of his favourites, together with explanations into a compilation called ‘ Himself and Me. The Story of two Egos’ . Another of Peter’s loves was real ale. In theological college he was told if one felt like a beer, one should never wear a dog collar and always choose a pub outside the parish boundary. Not only was this advice studiously ignored to every last detail, but he would o en serve behind the bar at e Bounty, the pub closest to the Church. Here he was affectionately designated pub chaplain and was o en to be seen wearing a sweatshirt claiming the honour. “The other pub I have served in regularly has been The Royal Oak at Fritham” Peter wrote. “It is the most genuine old pub in the Forest… it has had a consistent of quality beer, food and above all welcome. That welcome has extended to me”. On the Sunday closest to St John Baptist’s day, Peter would shut the church and take the whole congregation to a nearby stretch of water for service. is developed into outdoor Baptisms in avariety of unexpected locations, including on a boat with the child’s head dunked in a bucket of water drawn from the Solent. Colourful and imaginative ceremonies didn’t stop at Baptisms. Known as a sailor, Peter was once called on to perform a Burial at Sea. A er the formal service, family, friends, vicar, undertakers and coffin headed out on a small shing boat to waters at Gosport, but a er being slid from the boat the coffin refused to sink. Eventually the brother of the deceased chained his 50lb. anchor to the coffin and threw it overboard. e boat was pushed out for many wedding ceremonies too, including one in the 1980’s which was held online uniting a US bride with a British groom - and was probably the rst of its kind. A er weeks of preparations and trial runs, everything went to plan until the groom was asked to con rm his vows. Several minutes of silence followed as a BT engineer working outside had severed the line. Luckily, they were able to get back online, and the service was completed. A erthe ceremony chat lines opened and congratulations ooded in from around the globe. “It had been an incredible experience” Peter wrote “And as far as I know the first wedding on the internet. I heard later that the legality of the marriage had been recognised by the authorities in the United States but predictably not in Britain”. In his autobiography, one section is called Visual Aids and Visual Hinderances in Sermons. Amongst the collection of weird and wonderful pulpit moments he describes eating a daffodil and frying an egg on Easter Day, suspending a choir boy from a church ra er on Ascension Day, pouring a bucket of water over a boy in a tin bath holding a ten foot bunch of paper owers one Mothering Sunday, drawing a live pet rat from his pocket at a Eucharist, throwing his notes into the air, collecting them in bunches and delivering them in a random order, transforming the pulpit into a boat and giving out kaleidoscopes to keep choir boys amused. On most occasions his efforts were designed to keep his congregation connected and interested, but he also admits to dropping-off himself on one occasion. Peter’s love of the sea drew him to the parish of Hythe in 1982. He was out sailing as much as he could, but also started skippering for the Ocean Youth Club, an organisation which takes young boys and girls sailing in a eet of 75 yachts. During 13 years service with the Ocean Youth Trust (OYT) Peter sailed all around the British Isles “We even made St Kilda on two consecutive sailings. We ate mussels on the pier at Mallaig, Lobster on Jura and drank Talisker on Skye. I used to take o three or four weeks every year to sail with OYT, mostly on the Scottish boat and during that time visited most of the Inner and Outer Hebrides.” Another strong connection with the sea developed at this time as he became Chaplain of the Calshot to arrange an exchange trip so experience could be shared. Calshot RNLI, who have been ying their ag at half- mast since his death posted the following on their Facebook page: “Calshot Crew and the local community have been struggling to come to terms with the loss of our recently retired station Chaplain, Peter Murphy, who passed away late last week. ‘Murph’ was an incredibly special person who made it his business to welcome everyone. No matter how long you’d been around, 30 years or 2 minutes, he knew your name and put you completely at ease. Abeautifully grounded man. We’re all going to miss him so much”. Hythe also lit the res of Peter’s love for all things New Forest and a er 10 eventful years in the parish, he moved on to become vicar of Lyndhurst. Taking his daughter’s pony Chester with him, Peter started taking part in the annual ‘Dri s’ (round ups of free-roaming ponies and donkeys) andPoint-to-Point races. Chester was later retired and replaced by Bakeburn Echo, bought from the Beaulieu Road sales. Peter officially retired as vicar of Lyndhurst on the 25th April 2005 - the day of his 65th birthday. However, he continued to take services and look a er other responsibilities on a part-time basis for Breamore and Fordingbridge. He never completely le behind church duties and took his last service for St John’s in Hythe at Christmas last year. One of the last things Peter wrote in his autobiography was “From start to finish I kept the Church door always open” and it is probably for this attitude he will be best remembered. He never turned away anyone in need and this insistence o en landed him trouble for one reason or another, but he was never a man to let go of his very unique moral framework. Peter died in Southampton General Hospital around midnight on the 16th/17th June. He is survived by wife Trish, sons Benjamin, Jonathan, Daniel, daughter Saskia, ve grandchildren and previous wife Valerie. His family requested no owers at his funeral, asking instead for donations to the RNLI at Calshot. Lifeboat. He took his post seriously and stayed connected with the crews and families for the rest of his life. ey were never far from his mind. On a recent visit to his son in South Africa, rather than sight-seeing or relaxing, Peter spent his spare-time with the Plettenberg Bay lifeboat crew. He even gave a talk on the differences in approaches between the crews and went on Continued from page 30 At home on the waves - Peter spent 13 happy years working with the Ocean Youth Trust