Gone Home – David Hutchinson

I first met David online in the mid 1990s when he contacted me to say he had been a Cub at 1st Claremont many years earlier, before leaving for Ireland. He subsequently visited us several times as he still had family here. I think his first visit was to see an aerial runway / foeffie slide built by the Scouts at the Rondebosch craft market. He gave me some advice for the Archery base that I was staffing at the Cederberg Adventure. My father and I also hiked up Table Mountain with him. The route up Skeleton Gorge is beautiful but steep and unrelenting, and David struggled, but he was determined and reached the top, with much puffing! At the top he took a photo of the prominent cliff overhang above Kasteelspoort, which he got published in a magazine in Ireland. We kept in touch for many years but eventually lost touch, so I was very sad to hear of his passing recently via Facebook. – Ian Webb (SGL)

Below are some of the posts from others who knew David:

“Been a strange week, I have just learnt of the passing of Doctor David Hutchinson.

Former Scout leader and District Commissioner for Antrim and District in Northern Ireland.

Dave was a great influence on my Scouting career.

I probably wouldn’t have finished my Queen Scout Award, or went half the places I did. He talked me in to going to London Venture back in the early nineties then to the World Moot in Switzerland a year or two later. He had me on the NI Venture Scout Board where I represented County Antrim. And no doubt he was involved in me getting the Chief Scouts Commendation I received while he was District Commissioner for Antrim and District.

The first time I met him though was at his home and his radio shack where he introduced several of us to HAM Radio and I really enjoyed talking to people from different countries on the Jamboree on the Air weekends. I loved it and continued on with CBs and various other radios in the years after.

Thank you David, and may you RIP. Thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Gillian, his children and the wider family circle.”

“One memory of Dr Dave was him driving 6 or 7 of us in a mini metro through west Belfast the night Bobby Sands died. People were on the streets and hijacking cars. David said something to the effect of ‘don’t worry lads I will get you to Ardnavally in time for the BBQ.’ We came home up the motorway!

Thank you for your service to scouting and condolences to the family.”

“Oh no. Not David Hutchinson. Oh how sad. I didn’t know. Spent many years with David and our International Scouter friends on many online international activities, especially some of the very first JOTI Activities 95/96/97 before World Scouting took up the challenge. I am deeply saddened that he is gone. He was a wonderful friend and it was an honour to know him and his family. When the Australian Olympics were held in Sydney David and his wife came out to be Judge for the International Archery. We were not able to meet up but we did manage to have a few phone calls.

Well served, David. Go home in honour and peace.”