Death of an ACOTS gentleman - Steve Housden (Tinny)

Twelve years ago a jovial, white bearded, rotund gentleman called Steve Housden was introduced to ACOTS. Invariably he was known as Tinny. He loved his collecting - toy trains, books, toy soldiers, trains and classic cars. His South Australian rural property included seven interconnected sheds built to house his collections.

Steve was a Yorkshire man known to love polishing off a bottle or two of red whilst exercising his urbane sense of humour. This may have been to conceal his inherently painful shyness and struggle with depression but he was always a pleasant fellow with never a bad word for anyone.

His huge collection of English made figures, often still in boxes, was well known to other ACOTS members like Bryan Wagstaff, Steve Wardle, Brenton Hoffman, Bob Bolton and Tony West who had visited him and his sprawling exhibits. Alas, I never got to see his collections.

Steve died, at age sixty four, of stomach cancer and his ashes will be placed in a sandstone pyramid on his property, which has now passed to his brother. We salute a wonderful man and a fellow collector who will be greatly missed.

 

Here is Tinny at the boat shed next to his house boat which he spent heaps of money on but seldom sailed.