Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association

It is with great sadness that we learned this morning that our dear friend Howard succumbed to a short but devastating cancer.

Howard was a stalwart of the Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association. It is only now after he asked other committee members, because of his illness, to relieve him of his chairmanship and workload that we have become fully aware of the effort and hard work that went into his beloved club.

It was not just hard work. Howard legacy is a thriving classic car movement in Gibraltar. It is hard to quantify the pleasure he brought to the tens of thousands of visitors to Gibraltar who were pleasantly surprised, on arrival, to see one of the club’s classic car displays in town. It’s an icon that he created.

Howard was not satisfied with his achievements in the local classic vehicle scene. In 2013 he spearheaded the move to get the GCVA (Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association) accepted as a full member of FIVA, the international classic vehicle federation. At the 2014 General Assembly of FIVA the GCVA was accepted as a full member. Howard was not one to rest on his laurels and he was soon lobbying to join FIVA’s General Committee. He was soon elected Vice President (Membership) with characteristic modesty. However he was still not satisfied and lobbied within FIVA and the government in Gibraltar to host the annual FIVA General Assembly for the benefit of FIVA and Gibraltar. In November 2018 the General Assembly was held at the Sunborn Hotel. This event attracted hundreds of delegates and spouses to our Rock.

Above all Howard was a patriot. He worked to put tiny Gibraltar’s name on the global scene. His leadership of the classic vehicle movement was just one aspect of his patriotism. He was a member of the Gibraltar Commonwealth Games Committee, a leading light as a producer and thespian of the Gibraltar Amateur Dramatic Association, also on hte Gibraltar Multiple Sclerosis Committee. In short Howard was a quiet leader whom Gibraltar, the GCVA and FIVA will sorely miss. The massive hole he leaves for Betty, his widow, and his lovely daughters Elizabeth and Stephanie will be impossible to fill. A friend, husband, father, grandfather has left us but his leadership, stoicism, modesty and commitment to his causes leave us a shining example of humanity.

John Alcantara on behalf of the GCVA Committee