RVR founder Mark Yonge dies at 77
MARK Yonge, one of the founders of the Rother Valley Railway, has died at the age of 77.
He passed away at his Tenterden home on December 15, having been suffering from cancer. A private funeral was held on January 5, with family members in attendance.
As well as being one of the founders of the Rother Valley Railway Ltd company in 1991, he acted as press officer for the RVR project to reconnect the Kent & East Sussex Railway to the main line at Robertsbridge, and had previously served as chairman of the KESR itself.
Paying tribute to his “vision and passion for the reconnection,” Gardner Crawley, chairman of the Rother Valley Railway Heritage Trust, said: “We are very appreciative of all that Mark achieved for the railway.”
Mark had just had his book, Unfinished Lines, published by Pen & Sword, about railways that were partially constructed but never completed.
Gardner said: “Mark saw his book launch at The Ostrich Hotel in Robertsbridge as a goodbye and was very happy to see so many friends there.”