Condolences have been pouring onto social media today after well-known Caulkhead, Chris Weston, passed away.
We first met Chris about ten years ago in the photographers’ pit at Bestival. He was one of the most welcoming and encouraging people we met there and we were pleased to bump into him on a regular basis in the years that followed.
Iconic photographs
Chris was one of the handful of electricians at the infamous 1970 Isle of Wight Festival at Afton Farm and responsible for the iconic photographs of the hundreds of thousands of festival goers.
From a long discussion we had with Chris – what you thought might be a quick chat with Chris always developed into long and interesting conversations – our memory of how 
the photos came about was that some years after the Festival he had all the photos he’d taken laid out on his coffee table and suddenly noticed they could be stitched together to form the huge panoramic photos that have become so well-known.
They provided the gateway to him pursuing his passion in photography and the rest is history.
Rob da Bank: “We’ll really miss him”
Bestival founder, Rob da Bank, told OnTheWight,
“Ah what a bummer to lose Chris… he really was one a kind. He was a permanent fixture in the photo pit at Bestival where he took some incredible shots, and quite often gave them to me and Josie as presents.
“He gave us an unbelievable framed shot of Stevie Wonder which is pride of place upon my office wall and has double the meaning for me now.
“He was always enthusiastic, always chirpy even when he found out about his illness which he talked about as if it was just some hindrance to his busy life which he could overcome. Sadly he couldn’t.
“Our kids will always remember Chris as the lovely guy who came to our house and meticulously cleaned and mended our garage full of bikes big and small and would never take any payment. My friend Sam told me he may well have passed way whilst watching the Tour De France, which is just fantastic if true.
“The West Wight and Bestival won’t be the same without lovely Chris and we’ll really miss him.”
Cycling, football angling and more
However, photography wasn’t Chris’s only passion – he had many, including angling, football and cycling.
He was a mechanic on a professional cycling team providing essential skills to support the riders as they took park in competitions all over Europe. In his normal generous way, he then later brought those vital skills to cycling teams on the Island. He was also responsible for giving us access to all the teams when they competed in the Natwest Island Games in 2011.
Russell Page, Team Manager of the Wightlink-Wight Mountain Cycle Race Team told OnTheWight,
“Wightlink-Wight Mountain Cycle Race Team are very sad to hear of the passing away of team founder Chris Weston at the weekend.
“Chris formed the original team in 1996 with sponsorship from Wightlink to allow riders from the Isle of Wight to be able to race on the mainland and beyond.
“He was passionate about cycle racing and was the driving force of the team for many years. Chris was a highly skilled cycle mechanic and worked a lot on the Irish and Asian racing circuits as well as national and local events.
“His attention to detail held him in high esteem with the riders he worked with. Chris handed the team over to myself when he retired from running his bike repair business and stopped working as a mechanic.
“I have tried to run the team in his image and with his professional attitude to racing.
“Chris was a loveable rogue at times, lived life to the full and will be greatly missed by all who knew him and I have lost a truly great friend.”
Something we didn’t know about was his involvement with football. Anthony Wood explained on Facebook how Chris “laid the foundation for 35 years of success West Wight Football Club have enjoyed following his reasonably short stint as Manager in the late 70s”.
Farewell fella
Music was a great love of Chris’s – he was regularly seen photographing Island bands in pubs and at festival. A surprise party was held for Chris last weekend, with the sun shining and great friends for company, Isle of Wight band, L&M, set up in his garden. It looked like a very special event.
Chris sadly passed away on Friday 7th July.
Farewell fella, you touched so many peoples’ lives and we hope you enjoy the festival in the sky.
Image: © Chris Weston
