Hastings Old Town is losing some of its greatest characters

Larger than life Italian Tony was part of the warp and weft of what makes that corner of town so special.

Sharp dressed, with a perpetual twinkle in his eye, Tony would greet everyone with a whole-hearted ‘Alright my old sausage!’

A barfly with a love of the local music scene, Tony was surprising light on his feet and many woman on social media commented what a good dancer he was when he whisked them unexpectedly onto the pub floor.

His favourite tipple was Guinness and he would order it by saying “Another pint of turps landlord.”

What has hit people locally is that Italian Tony is probably the last of a great crop of Old Town characters.

In recent years we have lost ‘Pat the Hat’ a flamboyant figure who used to dress as a Western gunslinger, who would sit in the Dolphin pub with a toy six-shooter on the table in front of him.

Gone too are John the Cobbler and Ron ‘Popeye’ Everett.

Going back we have lost Peter Trickett and ‘Mad’ Min. Min was a talented sax player and sometime (I suspect self-invited) member of The Jazz Caverners New Orleans marching band. He would join carnival parades bare-footed. I recall, years ago, a friend and I encountering Min in a wheelchair at the foot of the flight of steps that led up to the Nelson pub. Concerned for him we offered to carry the wheelchair up that steep flight, with him in it. Lowering it, exhausted, we were amazed to see Min suddenly leap sprightly from the wheelchair and dash to the bar. It turned out that it was just his latest affectation.

A lot of these characters were intense flames that burned too bright and fiercely to last for long.

Characters are not limited to the Old Town of course, but the area does seem to be a magnet for them. Monkey Dave. Johnny Panic – both long gone.

We still have Pete the Skirt - if you have seen a wiry, middle-aged man flashing by on a bicycle and had to double take because he appeared to be totally naked - that would be Pete. When he’s not riding starkers he wears a skirt.Italian Tony was a bar room philosopher who could be disruptive at times – ‘Sorry for enjoying meself' he would reply when being reprimanded by bar staff. He was uncompromising in the way he lived. Everyday was a party. ‘If I fall off a horse’, he used to say to me, ‘I’m gonna fall off a good’un’.Tony had the charm and self-assurance to get away with anything. But like most jesters, he had another side and I would often catch him in serious and sanguine moods.

John the Cobbler has a bench in Courthouse Street, Popeye the sailor hat sculpture, created by Leigh Dyer. Even Jack the pub cat has a painting in the Standard garden It would be nice to see something lasting created to remember the cantankerous Italian who brought a smile to so many people.

Have you read? Old Town mourns loss of Italian Tony