I did see Ann Lee and Hughie on a visit to Springs nearly three years ago Ann was not well on that visit.
As a young tenor in my early 20s I was in a number of concert parties with Mrs Nora Savage and Paddy Jeffreys, with Ann Lee and Wynn Phillips Mezzo Soprano.
I was Frederick in Pirates of Penzance and Alexis in Sorcerer.
But it was through the encouragement of my many musical friends that I had in Springs that I have had a career in Opera that has lasted over 38 years with performances with Sir Simon Rattle singing the part of the Drum Major in Wozzeck.
I have recently sung Canio in Pagliacci and Floristan in Fidelio.
This was after an introduction to opera by Ann Lee and Wynn who used to take me as a young man when I was in engineering in Nuffield to the Town Hall in Johannesburg and to Pretoria to see productions by PACT.
The introduction to Gilbert and Sullivan with Dennis Watson and Springs High School Old Boys productions of G & S led me to Saddlers Wells and a debute with D’Oyly Carte in 1980 singing Frederick.
My condolences to Hughie and to the family my thoughts are with them at this time.
Robert W Crowe
The Castle, Kirk Wynd, Dunning PH2 0SJ, Scotland.
