Minutes:
Tributes were paid to the late Chippy Lees
Councillor M Oates
Looking around the room I think I’ve known Chippy longer than anybody else. I first met him in 1952 when we moved to Tamworth. He lived two doors away. He was playing his drums then in the back garden on a Sunday afternoon. He was a great bloke. He had a wonderful outlook on life. He didn’t like injustice he wanted fairness. I had a younger sister at the time in the fifties and he and his wife used to very often take her to the pictures because they liked to. It was a nice thing to do. As I say he was a nice chap. He liked to defend the innocent. One story really sticks in my mind. One of his hobbies was judo. He was a judo instructor. He used to walk regularly from Fazeley where he lived into Tamworth through the Castle grounds. One summer when I think he was in his sixties he crossed the river bridge by the Jolly Sailor and there was a woman with some little children approaching us. There were some yobbos with a ghetto blaster. “I’ve asked him to turn it down” she said. Can you ask him? So Chippy went over to these four lads and asked them to turn it down. The one yob said “are you going to make me”? Chippy said “I can do it if you like”? Go on then? So Chippy picks the ghetto blaster up and threw it in the river. At this point the yob lounged at Chippy so he picked him up and threw him in the river and the other three ran off. That was Chippy he was very much like that. I loved him and I shall miss him. At least now he is no longer suffering I expect he will be in a better place. Thank you
Councillor M Gant
I would like to make a tribute to Chippy because Ken and I have known him a long, long time. Ken has known him about thirty years. So on behalf of Ken I think I should say something. I feel as though his heart and soul was in Tamworth and he was a real Tamworthian and he spoke as he saw things. He spoke his mind completely and honestly and he really did care for the people of Tamworth. So I would like to pay a real tribute to a gentleman of Tamworth and our feelings go out to his wife and hopefully we should be seeing her within the next few days anyway. Thank you.
Councillor D Cook
One piece of information Councillor Oates missed out to start with was Chippy throwing this yob in the river and he was in his seventies at the time. Nothing stops that man. Just to echo what’s been said Mr Mayor. Chippy was a true character of this town and a true gentleman. It was a mistake if you ever agreed to walk through the town centre with him because you never got more than three paces without someone stopping him to say hello. Everybody knew him, everybody spoke to him and everybody respected him. He always had a story for everybody as well. If the members would indulge me I will give you my personal favourite. As you know Chippy served in the British army in the nineteen fifties. He had the British Empire medal. After he came back to the UK years and years later he retired and decided to take a trip back to the Far East. Over there he met his current or should I say now widow. While he got to know her every morning he woke up in the Far East to the smell of breakfast cooking. No matter what time he woke up she had breakfast cooking. They got married and several months later moved back to the UK. The first morning that they woke up together there was no smell of breakfast cooking she was asleep next to him. He said “where’s breakfast”? She said “make your own”! They were happily married for many, many years and if you were to see them together they were genuinely happy. Those are the sort of stories that always bring a smile and are always a good tale.
Councillor S Claymore
I just pretty much want to repeat what has already been said. I think that anybody that got to know Chippy personally knew what a proud man he was and I think sometimes that was slightly detrimental to him I have to say. How passionately he felt for the welfare of this town and the people in it especially in Castle Ward and one thing I know Chippy would do if anyone was in need he would literally give them his last penny and I know he has done so on many, many occasions. I can’t say much more Mr Mayor we have lost a dear friend and I’ve lost a dear friend and I think this town has lost one of its great characters. He is going to be very sadly missed.