206doorman 0 #1 February 17, 2010 Mike Stanton passed away yesterday at home in Plymouth UK. Born in London 05/04/32,he spent his early years in the Peckam and New Cross areas. Stanton,as he was affectionatly known, had major heart surgery in 2008,just after which he suffered a mini-stroke which affected his right side. He never fully recovered from the chest op,and had another stroke in 2009 which affected his speech and mobility. Always a colourful character, his stories around the campfire were legendary! He spent time at Elsinore back in the late 70's after leaving his UK home DZ Dunkeswell. He arrived in South Africa in 1981 and quickly established an association with Witbank Skydiving Club which lasted some 18 years. At WSC he was Chief Instructor and Chairman at various times. Also early on in SA he became the National Coach and Safety Officer,a position he held for about 4 years. He won't mind me telling you that in the early 60's he also spent time " At Her Majesty's Pleasure" after being the getaway driver for a bank robbery. As a young man he served in the British Army and the SAS. Married numourous times,he leaves a son, two daughters and three grandchildren. I was fortunate to have known him for some 28 years,and managed to stay in contact despite his frequent disappearing acts to various parts of the world! His last jump was in Sri Lanka around 2003. Go well my dear friend, you will be missed and never forgotten. Nigel Peart UK Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
africapete 0 #2 February 17, 2010 I remember Mike very well from PASA meetings in South Africa - a colourful man indeed ! May he rest in peace ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Katzeye 0 #3 February 18, 2010 Blues Stanton, you sound like one helluva guy! Is a chicken omelette redundant? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
D302 0 #4 February 19, 2010 When I started to explore the skydiving world away from the familiar home DZ, Mike was there inviting me along, giving me the chance to try something bigger than a three or four way (I had less than a 100 jumps at that time). His patience, his love for the sport was inspiring and as Nigel mentions, his stories around the 'braai' are something never to be forgotten. Daniel Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
