A Tribute to Ric Oldham - Our much loved colleague

Ric Oldham, a member of staff at the Watership, died on December 22 after a motorcycle crash on his way to work. He had been a much loved and respected part of our team for a just under a year.

Colleagues and customers alike enjoyed his humour and his knowledge gained from many years working as a barman in different pubs around the country. He was great fun to work alongside, and had a wealth of funny stories from his various jobs – including working “on the bins” – or his time at university. His two great interests were music and motorbikes, and he would happily talk to anyone about his passions.

Ric, was a tremendously committed member of staff, who always turned up half an hour before his shift to start setting up and to make sure everything was ready for when the evening service began. He once walked all the way from his house in Andover in the snow because he didn’t want to ride his motorbike in the conditions – a remarkable act of dedication and a perfect demonstration of why he was so respected by his colleagues.

Ric worked in the evenings so that he could look after his 19-month-old daughter during the day. When his wife Katie got home at 5pm, Ric would leave for work. He was particularly looking forward to spending this Christmas with his daughter where she would be aware of what was going on.

His tragic loss has devastated his family. They have decided to hold the wake following his funeral at the Watership on January 10, and have invited all who wish to celebrate his life to come along. We have a collection pot for his wife and daughter in the pub, so please contribute what you can.