It is with great sadness that we report the untimely death of Richard Puxty, better known to all of us as Aussie Dick. Dick was born in Newcastle, New South Wales in 1938 and died on 4th August after a short battle with cancer. He leaves a younger sister and a son.

Dick was a good rugby league player at school, it was the predominant sport in that part of Australia. The teams were picked by size and weight rather than age and they were weighed on scales used for sheep fleeces.

Dick claimed he was a poor student because he was only interested in sport, and after a bout of pneumonia in 1949 he was no longer allowed to play rugby league. In 1950 he met an English boy who played soccer, he could kick with both feet and Dick became obsessed with football. Later, Dick co-founded Newcastle’s first football team, Newcastle KB United, the Knights. Jackie Charlton played for them and guest players included Mick Channon, Craig Johnston and Bobby Charlton.

After school, which he hated, Dick worked night shifts for the BHP Mining Company whilst training as an accountant during the day. He would go on to work for Tutt Bryant Ltd.

Fascinated with Europe whilst watching ships coming into and out of Newcastle harbour, Dick always wanted to travel, but it took an affair with a married Yugoslavian woman and the threat with a shotgun from her husband that prompted Dick’s Dad to send him abroad for a while. In 1961 he sailed from Sydney to Naples. He travelled extensively around both west and east Europe and built up a particular affinity for the eastern bloc countries. He also came to England for the first time.

Back in Australia, Dick married ,and soon after his son Ritchie was born. The marriage was to be short lived. By now Dick was a self-made man, an entrepreneur. He was buying and selling pubs and hotels and sports cars.

In 1974, Dick travelled Europe again, following the World Cup with his son, and by 1980 he had settled here in Northampton where he met his second wife, Ann Burton. It was at this time that he became business partner with Alan Docking. Alan Docking Racing ran in Formula 3 and were responsible for the careers of many racing drivers. Not least of which is Mark Webber of whom Dick was particularly proud. Alongside ADR, Dick also ran Emilia Concessionaires, the sole De Tomaso agency in the UK.

Dick’s wife, Anne, died in 1995 and in 1997 he met Geraldine, who would become his third wife.

Dick loved the rugby club, liked winding us all up “…Australia, the greatest sporting nation the world has ever seen!...” In truth, he was an anglophile, looked forward to the changing of the seasons and liked “Pommie Sheilas.” Sport he was obsessed with, didn’t matter what it was. He had a dry sense of humour, and liked nothing more than a drink with his mates.

And so, I hope Dick is in a better place now. That there is an unending cellar of the finest Australian claret, and that there is perpetual sport, and Australia are winning - but not all the time!

The funeral will be 3.30pm on Friday 2nd September at Crownhill crematorium followed by a reception at the rugby club.

David Baines