ROY HARRINGTON RIP
I was very sad to hear of the passing of Roy Harrington – my first memories of Roy are of him in a very high revving Morris Minor at hillclimbs and race meetings.
I got to meet Roy when we were both racing Minis and were often in the same class or races and started a friendship that lasted many years. Roy became one of the group of about six of us; petrolheads that usually went in convoy to the race meetings so we could all help each other if needed. Great camaraderie in those days.
I went to work for Roy when he was Service Manager at a Fiat franchise. During that time Roy was asked by Torino Motors, the Fiat Importers, to drive a Fiat Bambina in the B&H with Barry Hiett. The following year Roy was “upgraded” to drive a Fiat 1500 with Tim Bailey and he recommended me to drive the Bambina.
Roy and his wife Judy moved from their home in Glendowie to Bucklands Beach and Roy bought a small workshop in the area. He let me know about a section development in the area, and I managed to buy and build on one just a few streets away from him. I worked for Roy on Saturday mornings and Shell helped him buy a bigger premises and build a bigger workshop and service station on the main Bucklands Beach Road, where
I also worked on Saturday mornings for many years. Judy ran the office and service station. During this time Roy raced several different cars, including the quick but often unreliable “yellow peril” Hillman Imp and later a Ford Escort.
Roy was always a great friend, good to work with and a quick and forceful driver. We used to socialise a lot with Roy and Judy, and Roy always enjoyed a good party. He will be sadly missed by family and friends.
Richard Sisler, via email
Thanks for that Richard, I’m sure many of our readers will remember Roy for his motorsport exploits and send their condolences to his family. AGW