BRIAN Orange lived in Hampshire for most of his life. He died peacefully in Winchester last week surrounded by his family.

Brian attended The Pilgrims School, along with his three brothers and in 1958, as Captain of his house, he planted a tree to commemorate a visit by the Queen, which still grows to this day. Then they all went on to Winchester College, where he was Captain of Shooting.

Brian went on to Birmingham University to read Chemical Engineering, soon discovering that he did not enjoy the engineering side, but chemicals then dominated his life.

For a short time he commuted to London, but in 1976 Brian set up Orange Chemicals in Winchester, firstly in Jewry Street, then St Thomas Street, and then Staple Gardens, distributing industrial chemicals, specialising in paints and plastics all over Europe until his retirement in 2011.

Brian married Denise (D) in 1970, moving to King's Somborne in 1972, having three sons who all live in Hampshire with their families.

His father in law, The Hon Denis Berry from Brockenhurst, encouraged Brian to get involved with St John, Hampshire and in 1987-98, he was appointed Commander of St John Ambulance, based in Worthy Lane, a voluntary job he did for 11 years, also becoming the Wessex Area Commander. When he started the role he was the youngest Commander in the country and when he finished he was still the youngest! At that stage he was running two offices in Winchester, looking after 27 headquarters around the county, regularly attending meetings, investitures, carol services etc. working late into the evenings and at weekends (mostly in uniform), culminating in being awarded Knight of St John at St James’s Palace in 1994.

In Winchester, Brian enjoyed membership of the WREX Club and helped to run and keep going the Hampshire Luncheon Club, a throwback from the long-running Winchester Club.

In Kings Somborne, he set up Neighbourhood Watch, was involved with the scouts and cubs and the village horticultural society was an important part of his life - firstly as chairman and latterly president.

In the 1990s he with others, started up a new bell ringing tower group in the village to ring in the Millennium. He organised an appeal to raise enough money to have the bells transported to the Whitechapel Foundry, where they were cleaned and tuned, before being rehung. And until recently, he has enthusiastically rung the bells, visiting other churches, the cathedral and Romsey Abbey. He was an active member of St Peter and St Paul, recently chairing the Friends.

Brian was chairman of KS Conservatives for some years, organising many events and accompanying the local MPs around the constituency. KS Drama Group benefited from him playing the ‘baddie’ in the pantomimes, as well as other parts in various plays, and in more recent years attending the performances to boo and cheer loudly bringing friends and family to attend. At the time the present KS Village Hall was built, Brian was treasurer.

Brian’s other interests were sailing from the Isle of Wight, regularly racing at Cowes, Lymington, Itchenor and Portsmouth, along with race officering at Bembridge. He loved skiing, golf with his three sons and organising family get-togethers and parties.

In the winter he enjoyed game shooting, and clay pigeon shooting, particularly on the local Compton Estate. Horse racing was also much enjoyed, particularly with any ‘orange’ named horses! He attended matches at the Dell and then St Mary’s.

Brian and D enjoyed European holidays abroad, but his main hobby was bookmatches! He had an enormous collection of over 50,000, mostly British, all precisely organised into albums, which he was still doing a few days before he died.

Brian was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma Cancer in 2008. He was a frequent patient in the Nick Jonas Ward at the RHCH, enthusing about their nursing and support. In 2013, he set up a MM Support Group, meeting three times a year, running a tea party in the hospital for fellow sufferers and their families to meet and chat over a cup of tea and cake, organising speakers on the relevant subjects. He also organised three Crown Inn pub quizzes in King's Somborne and a village tea party to raise money for MM.

So all in all Brian was a busy, conquering, determined, enthusiastic, generous, kind, loving, optimist and thoughtful sort of person and will be greatly missed by many. He is survived by his wife, three sons and their wives, and the much-loved seven grandchildren.

Brian Peter Harvey Orange March 4 1946 – February 23 2017