FOR most people Geoff Little was the man at Fry’s Garage in Tedburn St Mary, the one who worked on cars of all ages, older ones being among his main interests.

However, Geoff had a life before moving to Tedburn more than half a century ago.

Although not farmers at the start of his life, Geoff’s family became farmers which Geoff followed, gaining a considerable knowledge, as farmers do, of things mechanical.

Born in Croydon where his father was a Singer sewing machine representative, the family later moved to Dartford. By then Geoff had left school and was working as an under gardener. In 1945 they went to a small holding near Launceston.

Geoff worked with his father for a time and then began working for other farmers, mainly milking cows, probably using some of the first milking machines.

His son, Malcolm who lives at Tedburn, said that with the number of cows being milked, it was most unlikely it would have been by hand.

While there Geoff met Maureen and they married in Cornwall in 1952, a time when there was still rationing from after the last World War.

All their three children, two sons and a daughter, were born at Tavistock, the family living elsewhere.

Geoff had carried on with farm work which took them to various places in the South West as far away as Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

From 1963 to 1968 Geoff was foreman of two farms in West Lydford near Castle Cary in Somerset and then went to Balls Oak Farm which is now lost in the Fingle Glen golfing development near Tedburn.

For a short time the family moved to near Tavistock, Geoff had got to know Mr Fry who had the garage in Tedburn and began working for him. Maureen said if he was going to do that, commuting from Tavistock, Mr Fry had better find a house for them which was how they came to move to Rowney House, known as Northeast Cottage until at least 1939 and where there had been a Post Office around the beginning of the last century.

Their daughter Diane began school at Tedburn Primary, the two boys went to Crediton.

Their younger son, Adrian, has died but their daughter now lives in Dawlish. Malcolm has retired from working for the NHS and is very much involved in the Tedburn History and Information Society.

Geoff worked for Mr Fry from 1969 until 1973 when he took over the garage, Adrian joined him too. Geoff worked there right up until he died.

He had begun Tedburn Coaches which his son took over for a time but this ended in the early 2000s, and Maureen had run a taxi service in the 1970s.

In 2003 Geoff, Adrian and Malcolm went on a trip around Europe visiting various car factories and museums, travelling in Geoff’s two-and-a-half litre Riley Kestrel which he had bought in 1957.

It had no heater, the indicators were the original arm that stuck out so Geoff added indicator lights. Their only incident was a puncture.

The garage still has petrol pumps, there used to be two others in the village but now long gone.

If someone wanted their tyres checked, Geoff would only do so if they put a donation in the Devon Air Ambulance tin.

Maureen was a good cook, winning prizes at Tedburn Fair. They also fostered a number of children in their time, but kept very quiet about it.

Geoff had been a member of Tedburn Parish Council, being chairman for a time.

He was also a member of Tedburn Fair and Sports committee, was on the village Bonfire committee, the committee that organised the village beacon for the Armada anniversary in 1988 and the beacon for the Millennium.

Born in October 1930, Geoff died in September last year, with donations going to Devon Air Ambulance and Hospiscare.

A photograph of Geoff working outside Fry’s Garage was taken by the “Daily Telegraph” when Tedburn won the “Daily Mail” and Calor Village of the Year competition and is on the front of the village calendars for 2023.

Sue Read