Alistair (Al) Luckham

[jifflemon]

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Alistair (Al) Luckham, beloved partner of Sylvia.

Many will fondly remember Al from his cars —most notably his Green GT (Sven), his Paris Blue Turbo (Eva), and occasionally his Saab Estate (KimoSabbie).

Sylvia and Al were true ambassadors of the 480 community. Whether organising events or attending them, they were always present—each in their own car, even at European gatherings. Their dedication and enthusiasm left a lasting impression on all who knew them.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Sylvia during this difficult time.

[Martin63]

That's really very sad news - my deepest condolences to Sylvia x

[MisterH]

I have already responded to the Facebook post but I feel it is fitting to do so here as well, as so much of my early years as a 480 scion was spent literally trawling this site that Sylvia and Al dedicated so much time to nurturing.

I only had the pleasure of meeting Al in person a couple of times, but it was obvious he was always one of the greats. He and Sylvia accompanied me and my father down to the Haynes museum a few years back in what would have been my first proper longish distance drive since passing my test in the 480. It was so nice to hear his stories from both automotive and aviation backgrounds, I seem to remember he was a senior technician for RAF Tornados and as an aviation enthusiast I loved hearing the inside line on all that. He was tremendously knowledgeable, but he was respectful and encouraging of those who didn't have the same level of expertise, and that was something I appreciated above all, being the unconfident mechanic I am. All this from one day spent with him.

I will miss him, and regret that I didn't spend more time with him, but I know he will leave a remarkable legacy and feel so lucky to have spent what time I did with him.

As someone who has also lost close family this year, I can only offer my deepest condolences and empathy to Sylvia and their family, I do hope you are doing ok and I have no doubt we can support you if need be.

RIP Al, all the best

[jamescarruthers]

He was such a big character. I did love with Al that he would be such a strong presence in every situation, even to the point of clearly (trying to?) getting himself in trouble for a laugh, saying exactly what was on his mind in front of everyone, without any sort of filter. But then, minutes later, he'd be quietly saying something pleasant and kind to you, like 'thanks for coming out' to meet him and Sylvia. The big character bit was great fun but the part to love was that he could also be so kind and caring and it was clearly always from the heart.

Wonderfully excitable about subjects he loves (like 480s and shooting), I pray I will be as much fun, full of curiosity and smiling so much when I get to his age.

He was an armourer in the airforce, dealing with all sorts of explosives and munitions, arming the aircraft up. Lots of travel too, ending up in Saudi Arabia. I did 5 years out there not too long after him and his advice on what to expect, and how to behave, out there was invaluable to me, as it is just so different to home.

A great guy and I will miss him dearly. With much love to Sylvia and her family at this awful time.

[WillC9303]

Al was a great guy and a real character. My thoughts with Sylvia at this time.

[Jay-Kay-Em]

Condolences at this sad news. Thoughts with you at this time.

[davekit]

Sincere condolences to Sylvia, it must be a big shock. Al and Sylvia are actually the only club members we had met face-to-face, and we had hoped to see them again at the Derby meet last Sunday. Alas it was not to be. We hope she can still be active in the club.
Dave & Caroline Kitson

[WRDendy]

Those of you who attended the GT anniversary meet last year may remember that on account of the fair October weather we were plagued by horses and cyclists on the roads. Towards the end of the day we came upon a picturesque (and mercifully clear) stretch of road between Merton and Weston On The Green - leading the convoy from the front in my own green GT, I decided that it was now or never, and put my right foot very firmly down to make the most of it. Proceeding at a spirited (but nonetheless safe and legal) speed down the straights and around the bends, the excitement of the whole thing was heightened by the ever-present sight of Al and Sven in my rear view mirror, completely unshakable no matter how hard I threw my car around the corners. Make no mistake, no-one knew how to handle a 480GT like Al did.

When we arrived at the next stop (comfortably ahead of the next car behind us), he clambered out with that rather infectious (not to mention mischievous) grin that we all know so well, and announced "now that was a drive!". He then held forth at length, as only he could, about the merits of the GT vs all other 480s, and how it was only to be expected that we'd left the rest of the convoy in the dust. Having organised the route, I had until that point been a little bit concerned that the driving element of the day had left something to be desired (only so much you can do in the flat wastelands of rural Oxfordshire), but Al's genuine enthusiasm in that moment made it all worth it and then some.

I'm confident that I speak for everyone here when I say that Al's passing leaves a big hole in our community. When I think back to club meetings over the years, I think it's fair to say that many of us enjoyed listening to Al hold court in the various pubs and hotels that we stopped in as much as the driving itself. James has already mentioned his globetrotting RAF career, about which a great many stories were forthcoming, and as a fellow enjoyer of both 480s and shooting his enthusiasm was infectious and inspirational.

Thoughts are with Sylvia and the family at this time. In nearly sixteen years of 480 ownership (and sporadic forum postings) I've come to realise that this community is really about the people as much as it is the cars. I look forward to the next time we all get together, when no doubt we will all raise a glass to Al.

[Alan 480]

Such sad news, I only met them a few times but such enthusiasts are rare.
My sympathies to Sylvia
can't say more............

[dragonflyjewels]

The Bumble Bee and the Bat

a tale of the wonderful experiences Alastair had just before disaster struck.

Al loved driving and shooting but also was fascinated by wildlife.

After collecting Paris from store to go to the detailers we both pulled into our local petrol station so I could fuel up. Al parked the Saab round the back whilst I pulled up on the pump next to a classic Lotus I wanted to look at. I needed the loo first so as Al walked back I gave him my keys to fuel up and nipped inside. When I came back out my car sat neglected at the pump and Al plus said Lotus had disappeared. It transpired that the Lotus wouldn’t start due to a flat battery so Al had helped the owner push it round the back and was just getting jump leads out of Kimo’s boot. Needless to say the chap in the Lotus was very grateful for Al’s help but it was just typical of him to want to do it. They had a nice long chat before the Lotus left to get his alternator checked out. It escapes me now which model it was, but similar era to the 480s.

Next day I spotted a bumble bee in the grass in our garden. An hour or so later we saw it was still there so we guessed it was in trouble. I said I’d get a spot of water on a saucer for it thinking it was dehydrated as we’d had no rain for months. Al said no, it needed honey and water so he mixed up a dab and gently persuaded the bee to step onto the saucer. We watched in fascination and were delighted to see the bee put its proboscis into the mix. The little body even pulsed in and out as it drank. We were both quite thrilled at Al’s success and when we returned a bit later the bee had gone.

Thursday was always shopping day in Norwich for us but that week we had very little to do and even the dreaded supermarket shop was done in no time at all. We were due to take Paris and Eva to the 40th Anniversary meet in Derby so we’d had them both detailed, valeted and ceramic coated on consecutive days. The detailer is up in north Norfolk but very good so well worth the journey. Eva was done Wednesday then swapped for Paris ready to be done Thursday. After shopping we drove straight up to Reepham to collect Paris but were a couple of hours early. It’s a pretty village so we wanted to have a look round. Our first stop was an old building on the village square that houses a coffee shop. A local lady was at the table opposite ours and of course Al soon got chatting to her. She told us about some other interesting old buildings and where they were, but also told us something neither of us knew. Apparently there are quite a few barns in the area with curved rooves which are actually the upturned hulls of ships wrecked off the coast and washed up on the nearby beach. Al has always loved maritime history and when we walked around the village to look for the indicated buildings I spotted a barn tucked away behind some houses that had a curved roof. We ended up in the churchyard but were very surprised to find that it’s one churchyard with 3 churches. Apparently there are three local parishes but we weren’t aware churches ever shared churchyards.

We had a meal in the pub and Al was delighted to find that their home made meat pies were even better than the ones he used to hanker after at a pub we visited on the Derbyshire meets. Back at the detailers Paris was ready and looked just as gorgeous as Eva had the night before so we were both really pleased and of course Al had the obligatory chat with the chap who’d done all the hard work.

He came home really happy, did a few odd jobs round the house then the icing on the cake was a tiny bat flying around our kitchen. He’d never seen one so close up before and always thought they were a lot bigger. My first reaction was to turn the outside light on and all the house lights off, as I do with butterflies and moths to encourage them to fly towards the light. Then Al said, hang on, bats live in caves so they probably like the dark so I was quickly reversing all the lights. Thankfully it had vanished and hasn’t been seen since. I wouldn’t have liked to think it was trapped indoors with no food. Al then settled down to watch videos and war films. He always stayed up later than me. When he was ready to come to bed he shut the laptop down and started to undress then collapsed on the floor. I found him next morning and the doctors assured me he knew nothing about it. He didn’t regain consciousness and left me a few days later. It’s a great comfort to know that he died happy, with no pain or fear or horrible treatments. I’m grateful he went out on a high in a way that was very kind for him even though it was such a terrible shock for me and everyone else.

The bleed on his brain was huge so he had no chance of surviving but as my son pointed out, that was typical of Al. He never did things by halves.

All the lovely tributes that have arrived by various means have helped me enormously. I've had plenty of support from both of my sons and my daughter so I'm doing OK most of the time. I decided I couldn't face the French 480 club's annual meet next weekend - it's too soon but they will raise a toast to Al at the main meal. I'm still going to meet up with Janny de Vries at the DAF museum in Eindhoven. She is bringing along a friend of John's who worked with him at DAF after he left Volvo. He will be able to point out John's designs and give me some insight into John's thought processes. Having lost John so recently, Janny knows eactly how I feel. Al was so looking forward to the guided tour.

[brinkie]

Thanks for sharing these wonderful stories Sylvia. It's sadly only been on two occasions that I've met Al in real life, but Al's kindness will always stay with me. I hope the meet up with Janny will work out, I think there's not a single soul in the world who knows better how you feel right now.

[edie_fox]

Sylvia, thank you for sharing Al’s last few days of contentment with us.

As you say, what a terrible shock for you all but such a positive that he had those days, those chats with others he’d enjoy, those journeys and small but impactful experiences. Again, all with you by his side.

I’m sure we all look forward to seeing you in the future if and when you’re ready and able.
Take care.

[dcwalker]

There is little I can add - everyone (especially James and Will) has said what I would have said...

I feel I got to know Al quite well over many meets around the country with him and Sylvia. They broke the mould when they made Al, and we will never see quite the likes of him again.

He could be so outspoken one minute, but with a twinkle in his eye, so kind and caring the next. Sylvia's stories so show the complex character that Al was. Thinking kindness and nature, I'll always remember him at Falkirk a few years back, trying to move his GT to park next to mine without disturbing Willow the cat from her favourite resting spot in the driver's footwell! Although, like Will, I too have memories of Al sticking to me like glue - and vice versa in Derbyshire- and loving it, I'd still maintain those 20 yards were his best bit of driving...

Al was the last person I expected, on one of his and Sylvia's visits to ours, to hush us all just to listen to the sound of our little waterfall; he was clearly enchanted with it.

I always enjoyed talking military with him as well as cars - with his RAF past and me being ex-RNR, it was a treasured bit of common ground away from the 480s.

Although a shock for everyone, obviously, I am glad Al's passing was so sudden, painless and in the middle of him following his favoured routine. I think he'd have wanted it that way.

We (Lee and I) send all love to Sylvia- she is very much in our thoughts.

As for Al, well, our community has a big hole in it. Fly high, Al, and rest in peace my friend.

David