Tributes paid to local farmer and former Newbury Show chairman

John Goddard died peacefully on April 13 at Thatcham Court Nursing Home, Bath Road, Thatcham.
Mr Goddard talked about his life in West Berkshire for a feature in the Newbury Weekly News in September 1992, when he was chairman of the Newbury Show (now the Royal County of Berkshire Show).
In the article, he described how he was a former pupil of St Bartholomew's Grammar School, Newbury, who left prematurely to help out on the family farm at Midgham Manor.
After several years with the family business, he bought 190 acres at Colthrop Manor Farm in 1957 and eventually his portfolio grew to about 500 acres.
At one point he had 450 commercial cattle but went on to specialise in a Simmental herd which won him several major awards.
He was, like his father before him, a Midgham parish councillor, and was also on the board of the Reading Abbatoir at the time that he was elected as chairman of Newbury Show in 1992.
He also served a year as cattle committee chairman for the show.
Another past chairman of Newbury Show, Simon Pallett, knew Mr Goddard for about 30 years and said that when the show had been held at Seigecross, Thatcham, Mr Goddard had helped put a great deal as a volunteer as his farm was just up the road.
He said: “His pride and joy was his pedigree cattle herd.
“He was a well respected farmer and businessman who was liked by the farming community.
“He was a gentleman farmer.”
One of his other interests was flying.
He owned a Cessna 172 and flew all over the country and even went as far afield as Denmark and Germany.
In 2004, Mr Goddard handed some of his land next to Cox's Lane, Colthrop, over to the Westerleigh Group which was looking for land in order to build what is now West Berkshire Crematorium.
The crematorium opened in January 2006.
Mr Goddard’s funeral will be held on Saturday at St Matthew’s Church, Midgham, at 11am followed by a private cremation.