Former long-serving and controversial New Milton town councillor Goff Beck made honorary freeman
DECADES of community service saw a former long-serving and controversial New Milton councillor and mayor become its third honorary freeman.
The prestigious title was bestowed on Goff Beck (89), of Barton, during a special ceremony held by the town council at Ashley Road’s town hall.
Primarily recognised for his commitment to the local branch of the Royal British Legion, he follows in the footsteps of late past town councillors John Hutchins and Alan Rice.
The town council unanimously backed Cllr David Rice-Mundy’s proposal to award Mr Beck for having “rendered distinguished and eminent service over many years to the people of the town”.
Vice-chair of the RBL branch, Mr Beck was Remembrance Day parade marshall for 12 years until he stepped down in 2023.
Among other commitments recognised by the honour was his role an Arnewood School governor and support for the founding of associated free school Eaglewood.
He also helped fundraise for Ashley-based First Opportunities Pre-School and the New Forest Disability Information Service.
Having served on New Milton Residents’ Association, he acted as a link to the town council, on which he served for 20 years until 2019.
He sat on the planning committee during this time and was also chair of the amenities committee.
Mr Beck oversaw the launch of the Citizen and Young Person of the Year awards, as well as the annual 10th July commemoration at Barton clifftop’s Indian war memorial.
Cllr Rice-Mundy said: “Goff is someone who gave freely of his time in various voluntary capacities.”
Mayor Cllr David Hawkins presented Mr Beck with an illuminated scroll with the citation.
Thanking the town council, Mr Beck told how he was reminded of the many things he and past and present members achieved over the years.
“You are all part of my reward,” he said, praising his “very tolerant, supportive and patient” wife Christine. The couple recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.
He expressed gratitude to former RBL branch president Ted Horne BEM and recently retired St Mary Magdalene Church vicar the Rev. Andrew Bailey for their assistance with the Remembrance parade.
“In the role of parade marshal, I found it most gratifying to witness the gatherings grow from about 50 at the turn of the century to the present day when the numbers are to be counted in hundreds,” Mr Beck continued.
“What a great pleasure it is to see the many young, uniformed children being on parade and paying their respects to the fallen.”
He paid tribute to former town councillor and one-time mayor, Paul Woods, who died recently, crediting him with having persuaded him to join the council.
Town clerk Graham Flexman and the then town councillors were also credited for helping him get New Milton granted “long overdue” mayoral status. He became the first to don the chain of office.
Mr Beck said the achievements took “resilience” and “strength of commitment”.
He concluded: “Sometimes we did not get it right straight away, but we got there in the end.”
Cllr Hawkins told the A&T afterwards: “As the mayor of New Milton, it was a pleasure to honour Goff Beck and bestow upon him the title of Honorary Freeman of New Milton.
“He has worked tirelessly for our town and community, and very much deserves the accolade”
As reported in the A&T, a series of controversies led to an unsuccessful motion by nine of Mr Beck’s Tory town council colleagues to boot him out in 2012.
These included NFDC’s standards board finding him guilty in 2009 of bullying former fellow town councillor Margaret Lloyds.
Another former town council colleague, the Rev. Barry Rathbone, accused Mr Beck of homophobic abuse.
In 2015, road safety charity Brake slammed him for telling stunned Hordle parish councillors he drove past a community speedwatch scheme in Wiltshire at 43mph in a 30mph zone to test the system.
