From the Ogri MCC website at http://www.ogrimcc.org/ --------- Begin page text ------------- I am sorry to have to announce the death of Paul Colmer following a long illness. Paul is long-standing member of OGRI MCC and will be sadly missed by all the club and his family and friends. The members of OGRI MCC would like offer our condolences to the members of Paul's family. Paul's funeral will be held on the 30 December at St Luke's Church, Burton, Christchurch, Dorset. Paul is well known, not only as a member of OGRI MCC, but for his involvement with other clubs in the area; too numerous to mention here. It is Paul's wish to have as many motorcycles as possible accompany him on his last ride, and bring Poole and Bournemouth to a standstill. For anyone wishing to attend the funeral the meeting points will be: Poole at 0915, Hurn sports ground at 1100, and St Lukes Church at 1200. It has been requested that there should be no flowers. If anyone would like to make a donation, a collection will be held for the hospital where Paul was receiving his care. Details of the hospital and a map showing the route to be taken will be available shortly. 0915hrs Assemble at Ashley Road, Parkstone Poole 1000hrs Depart Poole and along A338 to Hurn 1100hrs Arrive Hurn, there will be a short wait at Hurn, vehicles will be directed to parking places, either in the local sports club or in the adjacent forestry commission car park. Between 1100-1200hrs Depart Hurn to St Lukes church, Burton. 1200hrs Service will be held at St Lukes Church. Following the service we will return to Paul's house at Hurn --------- end page text -------------
Thanks to all who turned up to see Paul off. http://www.thisisbournemouth.co.uk/dorset/bournemouth/news/BOURN_NEWS_NEWS1.html or http://tinyurl.com/343t9 Date Published: Wednesday 31 December 2003 Bikes turn out for Paul by Robin Thompkins - ThisIsBournemouth HUNDREDS of motorcyclists from across Britain and Europe converged on St Luke's church at Burton yesterday for the funeral of local biker Paul Colmer. Riders from as far afield as Belgium, Holland and the Channel Islands formed a huge two-wheeled convoy which followed the coffin from Parkstone to Mr Colmer's home at Hurn and then to the church where tributes were led by fellow Ogri motorcycle club member Steve Turner. Mr Colmer, 55, who lived at Hurn where he was also a parish councillor, died earlier this month in the Royal Bournemouth Hospital after a three-year battle with cancer. Despite his illness and gruelling chemotherapy and radiation treatment the award-winning chef and former Bournemouth restaurateur continued organising and attending bike rallies at home and abroad. With his own Yamaha VMax machine he was a regular at the weekly Poole Quay gatherings during the summer and just two weeks before his death he travelled to Belgium for an international rally. His widow Anne said: "Paul loved the people and parties as much as the biking. He was always organising parties and big events and kept partying to the end." It was their love of bikes that brought them together nine years ago and they were married shortly after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in June 2000. Now his motorcycling friends including the Solent MCC of which Anne was a member are raising money in his memory for the £1 million diamond appeal launched by cancer charity Tenovus to improve patient facilities in the oncology unit at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. Born in Bournemouth, Mr Colmer trained as a chef and worked on the P&O liner Oriana before opening his own Chandelles restaurant in Boscombe and earning several international food awards for his cuisine. He later worked in the building trade using skills he learned while doing up his cottage home at Hurn.
