Tributes paid to popular cabbie
11:10am Monday 17th January 2011
Tributes have been paid to the former leader of Basingstoke’s hackney cab drivers, who collapsed at work and died.
Terry Cooper, a former chairman of the Basingstoke Hackney Carriage Federation, collapsed at the wheel of his cab by the rank at Basingstoke railway station on Wednesday, January 5.
The 61-year-old, of Bowmonts Road, Tadley, picked up a fare just after 7pm, but felt unwell as he turned into Bunnian Place and immediately returned to the rank.
Other drivers tried to resuscitate him, but after being rushed to Basingstoke hospital by ambulance, he was pronounced dead.
Witnesses said Mr Cooper had been involved in an argument with a car driver who blocked his way in Bunnian Place minutes before he collapsed.
But Lucy Dibdin, media relations manager at Hampshire Constabulary, said officers were not investigating the matter. His family have also rejected the incident as a possible trigger.
His youngest son Anthony, 27, told The Gazette that doctors at Basingstoke hospital believed his father had ischaemic heart disease, which blocks arteries and can lead to strokes and heart attacks.
He said: “We weren’t aware of it to be honest. It was sudden and out of the blue.
“He was a hard-working person. He was a lovely person without a doubt and was always there for his family.”
Mr Cooper grew up in Stag Hill, South Ham, Basingstoke, but moved to Tadley 20 years ago.
He spent 13 years as a black cab driver in two different spells, and also worked for Mars Drinks UK at their plant on the Daneshill Industrial Estate.
He was also the chairman of the Basingstoke Hackney Carriage Federation for five years, representing cab drivers in discussions with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, until he stepped down at the start of 2010.
Since Mr Cooper’s death, mourners have tied flowers to a lamp-post near the taxi rank and left short messages of condolence on a piece of card.
His fellow drivers have also paid tribute.
Mick Gilluley, 41, of Wagner Close, Brighton Hill, one of the drivers who tried to resuscitate him, said: “He was a great guy – the man you went to if you wanted to know anything about the cab trade.”
Lee White, 51, of Vyne Road, South View, said: “If someone had a grievance with the licensing department then Terry would go and help and act as a mediator – he was always there.
“He was respected up and down the country.”
Federation member Peter Dainty, 55, of Foxmoor, Oakley, said: “He was a stalwart and through what he has done, the trade has benefited enormously.”
Black cabs will form part of the funeral procession which will set off from Mr Cooper’s home in Tadley to Basingstoke Crematorium next Tuesday morning.
Mr Cooper is survived by his wife Monica, 62, and his two sons, Anthony and Derek, 35.
Source; http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/new ... ar_cabbie/
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A driver in Dundee last week had a heart attack luckily he survived