At my age it's a regular occurrence, the passing of friends and associates. The most recent loss was particularly poignant with the loss of someone who was not only a colleague and friend, but who gave me an opportunity to change the course of my life!
This week family and friends paid our respects at the 'Service of Thanksgiving' for Hugh Curtis at Barham Crematorium
Sadly - Hugh Curtis passed away very recently at the age of 94. Hugh was for many years Head of Quality Assurance at Home Grown Fruit, before retiring in 1996.
Back in 1994 Hugh gave me an opportunity to join Home Grown Fruit (HGF) as a Quality Insurance Inspector changing my life from a retired fruit grower into a world of QA and leading to a 'corporate world'
On Wednesday fellow colleagues and their wives joined Hugh's son Paul and members of Hugh's family and friends as we showed our respects and bade farewell to this remarkable old friend.
Hugh Richard Curtis was born on the 26th October 1930 and passed away on 8th June 2025.
He had two sons, Paul and Christopher. Paul resides in Canterbury with his family and Christopher lives in USA with his family.
The Funeral Service was conducted by Eric Harmer who read the Eulogy to Hugh on behalf of the family.
Hugh was a very capable man, brilliant at woodworking and a master of do it yourself tasks. In retirement he was a prolific painter of water colours.
At the Wake where we all gathered to reminisce, Paul brought in Hugh's paintings and offered us all an opportunity to choose one each to keep as a memory of Hugh.
Memories
Below: Hugh in his younger days, as depicted on the Thanksgiving Service Programme.
When one lives for nearly 95 years, memories must be prolific, but my memories go back just 30 years to the time when I joined Hugh and my new colleagues at HGF.
My memories of Hugh are of a distinguished gentleman, his dark hair silvering. his demeanour inviting respect. Hugh was 'old school; and ran his department accordingly. He was responsible for introducing high standards in Quality Assurance, adopting BS 5750 formal procedures formalising the already well structured working practices of HGF Quality Assurance.
BS5750, also known as British Standard 5750, is a set of guidelines and requirements for quality management systems (QMS). It was the first specific quality management system standard applicable to industry as a whole, published in 1979, and was developed from earlier guidelines to meet the needs of international trade.
BS5750 laid the foundation for the internationally recognized ISO 9000 series, which has become a standard for quality assurance globally. The standard emphasizes the importance of quality as "fitness for purpose and safe in use" and outlines the necessary procedures for quality accreditation and registration.
We as QA Inspectors were charged with maintaining alliance with the standard across all HGF packhouses and observance by grower members.
I always remember our departmental monthly meetings, when an hour or more in; Hugh would say "gentlemen, time for a 'comfort break' - I was unfamiliar with the term back then, but now use it frequently!
In April 1994 when I joined HGF to replace Dennis Newing who was about to retire, the QA team consisted of Hugh, Departmental PA Janette Raley ( none of us would have functioned efficiently without her) Senior QA Gordon Bourn and QA Richard Barber. A small but very capable QA team.
We, the Inspectors rotated in three week cycles; one in the local area where most of the growers and packhouses were located, a second in East Anglia where (back then) a number of growers were spread across Suffolk & Norfolk and our third location down to West Midlands and two growers in the Taunton Dene area.
I say three week cycles, but occasionally this varied. I remember I was due to 'go West' one week and Hugh said would I change with Gordon? You see it's The Cheltenham Festival next week and Gordon likes to attend it!
In those far off halcyon days, you could just turn up and attend!!!
What was so apparent and lovely about HGF was it was like a family, people joined and stayed, there was a genuine care for each other and some joined soon after their school days and stayed until retirement.
Back then, Hugh was nearing retirement (March 1996) and the company attended shows like; The National Fruit Show, Hugh would be in charge of setting up the stand. Meticulous as he was, the components were constructed in a very organised way. AND critically when broken down, packed away in an equally meticulous manner!
Hugh was an example of duty and I remember The National Fruit Show of 1995 on 26th October. It was Hugh's 65th birthday and there he stood dutifully carrying out his 'corporate role' on a day which, by retirement rights should have been his first day of retirement!!
Everyone else attending oblivious to the fact it was Hugh's Landmark Birthday"
In 1994 HGF changed to The English Fruit Company (ENFRU) with EKP the other local Apple & Pear Cooperative re-joining
the fold. This triggered more changes over the next few years, from ENFRU to Fruition and in the millennium eventually into Worldwide Fruit Ltd. All driven by an ever competitive market place. Inevitable in an ever increasingly commercial world and Worldwide Fruit is now a leading supplier to the major UK Supermarkets.
For those of us caught up in the 'ever changing' process it was stressful, and I remember Hugh saying to me: "I think I got out just in time" - quite right I don't think the operational changes would have suited his organised nature.
In retirement we; under the leadership of Gordon Bourn have met regularly under the collective name OLD CODGERS for lunch and prior to the closure of Folkstone Races we would congregate at one evening meeting each summer.
Attending Hugh's Service of Thanksgiving my close colleagues and good friends Gordon Bourn and his wife Christine, Martin Simmons and his wife Jackie, Geoff Briggs Operations Manager now retired, Howard Miller ex HGF inspector , Janette Raley (PA to Hugh) Judy Thorpe (PA to HGF MD's) Richard Barber QA and Meredith Johnson a long time HGF employee who joined from college and acted as Secretary to the Sales Team. Meredith and Howard left before I joined HGF.
Chatting with Martin & Jackie Simmons remembering the 'family feel' of HGF and how the friendships made in work continued in retirement. Martin spent 45 years at the company, Jackie joined as a teenager and only retired last year,
Those were the days!
As we reminisced, Jackie said "do you remember we used to refer to Hugh as 'Uncle Hugh' - so many memories ...
Below: 2007 Retirement Party for Gordon Bourn and The EAM. Left to right: Bunny (my wife) Gordon, Janette Raley, The EAM, Christine Bourn, Hugh Curtis & Dennis Newing
Below: HGF Reunion at Highland Court Cricket Ground - the 47 present, (Hugh is there) the epitome of the HGF Family
Finally: My memory of Hugh was of a very kind man, who taught me how to manage in a world where we as QA Inspectors had to ensure company procedures were observed (sometimes firmly) and how to administer those standards while dealing with the growers and packhouses who were essentially our owners, and the Supermarkets who were so demanding.
I remember saying: "I am in training for my next career" as a DIPLOMAT!
Rest in peace old friend you are remembered fondly by us all
That is all for this week
Take care
The English Apple Man