Tribute paid to Dave Rowland, founder of The Gosport Area Memories and Photos Past and Present group

VERY SAD to announce that Dave Rowland, founder of The Gosport Area Memories and Photos Past and Present group and good friend to many on Facebook, died at home yesterday. He started the group over 5 years ago with a couple of his photos and the idea to invite a few friends to come and share their own photos and memories of Gosport past and present. In just a couple of weeks 500 people had joined…. Dave was amazed! This Group grew quickly and early members will recall times when tension and arguments were rife. Various break-away groups formed to focus purely on history, what’s on, adverts, traffic, community action, political debate, buy and sell, resident’s info, lost and found…. and some just plain moaning! Whatever the title nowadays of ANY Facebook group in Gosport, they have all likely sprung from that initial brainwave by Dave to bring local people together to share and enjoy company with other folks who have links to our Town. Dave regularly received messages from members who’d settled in other parts of the world but were thankful for this link to home, with all the old memories but also current images and news. The many messages which made him really “fill up” came from people who led lonely lives, perhaps not going out or speaking to another person for weeks on end, but who felt his group gave them company and made them feel part of something good. We will all know of Dave’s great local history knowledge (especially when it came to trains or pubs) and his sharp wit. He had a wonderful mind, great humour and massive ability to tell a story. He will be sadly missed. — with Dave Rowland.