Obituary : Alan Rix, Rotarian and hospital administrator

Alan Rix who was the Savernake Hospital and Marlborough Children’s Hospital  administrator for almost 40 years and a leading Rotarian has died at the age of 94 at Highfield nursing home in the town.

Born in Brentford in West London, he was the last surviving of four brothers. From Chiswick School for Boys he went to London School of Economics but was relocated to Cambridge University in World War 2, gaining a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

A lifelong sportsman he learned to be a soccer referee during his National Service from 1946-48 in Egypt with the Royal Air Force and then worked at the Patents Office in London for two years before going into health service administration as a clerical officer at the Maudsley Hospital in London and then transferring to the Central Middlesex Hospital Group as a trainee administrator.

Mr Rix then worked as deputy hospital administrator in Croydon before taking the job of hospital secretary for the two Marlborough hospitals in 1956, a position he held until retirement in 1982. He was responsible for running the two hospitals plus all the clinics and health centres in the  Marlborough area until the hospitals at Pewsey, Burderop and North View, Purton, later came under his wing as well.

After retiring from the NHS Mr Rix served for eight years as the steward in charge of the Duchess of Somerset’s Hospital, the retirement home at Froxfield.

He was a lifelong sports and keep fit enthusiast and he kept up refereeing after his military service, refereeing soccer matches in and around London and ran the line for major league games and interationals. After moving to Marlborough he refereed in the south and south west including matches at Swindon, Bristol Rovers, Cardiff, Bournemouth and Southampton.

His daughter Alison Marsh said her father loved to recall that he once off-sided the late and great player Jimmy Greaves when he was running the line for a Spurs match! A lifelong cricket fan, he played for Marlborough (Savernake) CC for some years and in later life loved watching first class cricket on TV.

In retirement Mr Rix maintained his love of physical activity and with his wife Deirdre, who pre deceased him, enjoyed being members of walking groups. He had met his wife when she was a nurse at Savernake Hospital and they married in 1957 in Bournemouth where she previously lived.

Until he was 80, when he gave up driving,  he worked out regularly at Marlborough Leisure Centre and had a daily swim. In his younger days he was a Scouts leader and in later life became secretary of Marlborough Deanery Church Synod, supported the Friends of the Marlborough Hospitals and attended music appreciation and discussion groups at Marlborough U3A. He was a member of Marlborough Rotary Club for many years and its president in 1974-75. He was also a life member and former chairman of Probus.

Mr Rix’s love for the Marlborough Hospitals led to him writing a booklet about their history in 1966 for Savernake’s centenary. Mr and Mrs Rix lived at Sempringham in Salisbury Road initially, moving to Ogbourne St George, Southview Place, the St Margarets Mead children’s home where his wife was matron and finally at Reeds Ground.

Daughter Sarah died tragically in 2008 when she was struck by a car on a zebra crossing in London Road close to their home. Mr Rix is survived by daughter Alison who lives in Swindon, grandchildren Tamara, Yousif and Hannah and great grandchildren Max, Lily and Taalia. Funeral arrangements have not been finalised.