Wildlife lecturer and constant gardener will be missed by all
A HIGHLY regarded horticulturalist who was much in demand as a speaker both at home and abroad, has died at home in Aston Abbotts, aged 82.
Victor John Scott, who lectured for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), was a self-taught gardener and naturalist, whose interest in flora and fauna started as a teenager, when he was frequently to be seen roaming the countryside, eager to spot a flower, butterfly or bird he hadn’t seen before, acquiring an encyclopaedic knowledge of the natural world.
During the Second World War, he was a regular visitor to the Abbey in Aston Abbotts, which housed the Czech government-in-exile, and established an enduring friendship with the former President Benes.
From 1969-71, Mr Scott campaigned for the Wing Airport Resistance Association (WARA) that successfully resisted the building of a new airport in Cublington.
Mr Scott began his working life as a junior gardener at a large house in Aston Abbotts and stayed for 30 years, leaving when the property changed hands.
An occasional guest on BBC gardening programmes, Mr Scott was a regular fixture on the international lecture circuit for organisations that included the RHS, RSPB and National Trust. His talks proved so popular that the holiday firm Bales Tours would tailor trips to fit in with Mr Scott’s own travel plans.
Mr Scott’s lifelong friend Peter Kent, 76, of Bletchley, remembers him as excellent company, always generous with his knowledge.
“My wife and I went on several tours with Vic and wherever we went, we’d ask about a plant and Vic would know the Latin name and so much about it,” he said.
Victor Scott was profiled by the Independent newspaper in 1998 under the title: “Gardening? Need an answer? Just ask Victor.”
He was married for 21 years to Christine, whom he married 15 years after the death of his first wife, Jill. “I will remember his happiness, his contentment, his smile and his incredible knowledge,” she said.
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