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Serving Dorset for over 110 years

Derek Arthur Place

A much loved dad and grandfather who will be sadly missed by all his family and friends.


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  1. Derek you were the sole reason I started to play golf after you attended a training session at Faversham Football Club 50 years
    Over the years I have always been so proud to be a friend of you and shared some special times together
    You will be sadly missed by me
    and I know a lot more people

    Bryan Claringbold
  2. Derek as the professional at Faversham golf club took on the challenge of teaching me golf having already told me that I would never be that good as I thought about it too much!

    Professionals on the tour he said did not have very much between their ears which is why they won championships! I took that as a backhanded compliment and tried to listen carefully to his teachings and prove him wrong.

    After weeks of lessons and practice rounds I thought I was doing quite well and accepted his invitation to play a round of golf with him.

    Quite daunting but a challenge. However I was not prepared for his idea of fun when he suggested he play back to front golf to show me how simple the game was.

    That meant he drove off with a putter and putted with a driver and I played with the regulation clubs.
    Can you imaging how depressed I was after he competed the first par five in regulation whilst I was on my eighth stroke and still nowhere near the cup.

    Derek had such talent that he could literally make his clubs speak. And of course his other talent was to impart his knowledge with a great sense of humour and demonstrate how the game of golf could produce great lifelong friendships even when players share such different talents and handicaps.

    I will always be indebted to Derek and grateful for a teacher who became a friend. And I treasure the memories of many glasses of wine and good food shared over lunches and dinners through the many years we spent together before his departure from Faversham to the seashore at Bournemouth

    RIP old friend.

    Brian Aris

    Brian Aris
  3. Derek was, first and foremost, a gentleman, correct in his manners, particular in his dress, and fastidious about his weight. Some would say he was vain, but his good looks were mostly internal. He had authentic charm.

    He was a man whose glass was always half full; he never complained, and always saw the bright side of things, even in his last and darkest days.

    Derek was ever-curious, and conversations were typically an enthusiastic barrage of questions about his companion. He was always keen to learn about new people, why and how they did things, and to marvel in worlds that he knew little about.

    It was in this manner that this one-eyed dyslexic man with sparing education made friends with all manner of people, high and low, was highly regarded by those who knew him, and was deeply loved by those lucky enough to come under his undeniable spell. It was thus that Derek made unlikely friends.

    We were lucky to know this unusual, sweet man. He will be missed.

    Tessa and Nigel
  4. « I wish I’d met you sooner »
    Derek told me this at our last meeting together. Something I felt too.
    Despite being cousins, our lives didn’t really cross until a few years ago…very much due to my mum, Derek’s Aunty B, who has has sought to bring her family together for a long while.

    We had some happy times…trips to the cinema in Fareham after an excellent lunch, always with champagne. Walks in beautiful countryside in Catalonia. A memorable visit to see Carmen live-streamed.
    An unforgettable day in London where we paid homage to some of Derek’s past haunts… The Round House pub in Covent Garden, where he lived for a while as a boy, Golden Square where he worked for a while, Sheekeys…another excellent lunch!

    Life was « marvelous » and « wonderful « from Derek’s point of view. Music, paintings, ladies in hats…things would always « be alright ». Even when difficulties arose he could reassure me that things would work out. Even a strawberry in his glass of champagne could be removed and regarded with an unassuming sense of humour.

    « You can’t take the Cockney out of the well- travelled golf- pro » he once replied in an email to me.
    Go well, me old China.

    Mooli
  5. Derek has always been like my younger brother. We shared so much of our lives…from watching the doodlebugs over London and surviving the Blitz , through our parallel journeys to different countries seeking new adventures and then sharing several lovely years of traveling together. Derek was such a gentleman, who paid exquisite attention to those small details that showed that he cared and that made you feel good.. Always positive, endlessly curious and really kind. I love you and already miss you

    Aunty B
  6. Derek you never failed to bring fun to any occasion. I will look back with fond memories of those golfing days we enjoyed together, the wonderful conversations deliberating over golf course design and the natural beauty that they reside in.

    You brought such joy to Jo and I and all our family. We will miss your storytelling, the laughter and the love.

    Derek you were a class act, discerning with food and life and never far from a glass of champagne. Each time I raise a glass I will forever think of you.

    You will be truly missed by all our family.

    Love
    Rod, Jo and family

    Rod, Jo & family
  7. RIP 🙏 Good to hear what a dapper gentleman you are in people’s memories and that you accomplished your craft in Cricket and left a legacy of further talent that you taught.
    Mandy Place

    Mandy Place

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