Council leader pays tribute to ‘iconic figure’ Alec Bovill
THE leader of North East Lincolnshire Council has paid tribute to predecessor Alec Bovill, who he described as "iconic" and "always good-humoured".
Councillor Chris Shaw (Lab, Sidney Sussex), paid tribute to former Labour leader Alec Bovill, who led the party for 16 years between 1979 and 1994.
-
'Huge promoter of the town' Alec Bovill with his wife Francis Bovill.
-
Paying their respects: Hundreds of mourners attend the funeral of Alec Bovill, including, From left, Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell, councillor Andrew De Freitas, Cleethorpes MP Shona McIsaac and Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers.
He passed away on June 4, aged 79, and his funeral was held on Thursday at Grimsby Minster.
As reported, hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of Mr Bovill, who was described as "Mr Grimsby" because of his passion for the town, including MPs Austin Mitchell and Martin Vickers, as well as a host of local politicians.
2 4 1 on all items on the steak and grill menu served monday to saturday
Terms:
Monday - Saturday 12noon - 8pm
cheapest item credited for free
Management reserve the right to withdraw the offer at anytime.
not to be used in conjunction with anyother offer.
Contact: 01472 808799
Valid until: Saturday, June 15 2013
Current leader Mr Shaw said that his death is "a sad loss to Grimsby".
Mr Shaw had known Mr Bovill for nearly ten years, and said that he often discussed things with his predecessor and admired his approach.
"Whether he agreed with you or not, he would always let his opinion be known but he always did it in such a good-humoured way.
"He made my laugh the very first time I met him.
"I had appeared in the Grimsby Telegraph quite frequently at the time, with stories relating to the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway.
"Mr Bovill said to me 'young man, you need to realise that the Telegraph is not there for your convenience'.
"Then he said 'it is there for mine'.
"That was a great example of how he always put people at ease with jokes.
"He was also a huge promoter of the town and would shout from the rooftops about it at any chance he got – and all credit to him for it.
"Mr Bovill was a great councillor and an iconic figure for Grimsby who will be sorely missed by the town."
Comments
by JJ1967
Saturday, June 16 2012, 10:54AM
“I think you may have hit the nail on the head there, gwenny222, you are not qualified to pass judgement. Thanks to Mr Bovill MBE, we got the Auditorium and Fishing Heritage Centre, which, at the time, were tremendous additions to our town. Perhaps a little more respect at this time.”
by gwenny222
Saturday, June 16 2012, 10:21AM
“I didn't know Mr Bovill, so I'm not qualified to pass judgement on his character .. but 'Iconic' ??
Oh do come off it!”