Choosing Day
Monday 5th December 2022

Distinguished guests, Mr Mayor, Past Deputies, Fellow Freemen.

I would like to propose Rob White as your next Deputy.

Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to propose Robert White to be the next Deputy of this ancient Cinque Port Liberty of Brightlingsea. Our links go back to the mid 14th century. In proposing Robert I know that he will have a hard job to follow Mark Wilby who has excelled over the last 12 months. Mark, Debbie and his crew of able assistants have raised a large sum for the benefit of a medical facility in our town. I have known Robert and his family, his late father Reg and his grandfather Bert White for many years. When I was a boy I would often go down to the Hard to see his grandfather Bert. Bert was an oyster fisherman who had layings in the creek. He operated his business from an old building in a plot where roughly the Colne Yacht Club now stands. He would gather his oysters and after they had been treated in Oyster Tank Road they were sent off to London. Bert was Deputy in 1957. Robert now owns these oyster layings and they are now being used with great effect by Gary Humm. How good it was that this year Brightlingsea was able to hold its own Oyster Feast. Robert and his delightful wife Suzi have had five children. Thomas, Henry, Freddie and Rupert. Sadly Annabel their daughter died when she was very young but she is still fondly remembered by all the family. Of his sons Thomas and Henry work for the family firm of White Formula, while Freddie works on a worldwide basis fittingout yachts for racing and Rupert is now training sailors in China. Robert’s whole life has been associated with the sea. Not only is he a very good sailor of Olympic standard - as you will hear from Alan Goggin in a moment - but his working career has Involved him building boats. He is the owner of White Formula who manufactures up to 20 different classes of dinghies. He is also a Technical Director of Topper International based in Ashford in Kent and has been so for some 30 years. Topper make many world famous dinghies. I have mentioned Robert’s immediate past family connections with the sea but it goes back even further. Robert’s great grandfather was Captain Carter from Wivenhoe who was the skipper of Britannia. I have no hesitation in asking you to endorse Robert for the next Deputy as I know he will fulfil the office extremely well. So there we have it, Robert as he is known to his friends or Chalky as Princess Anne calls him.