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Lamma Forums • View topic - RIP, Linda Tompkins
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 Post subject: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 2:22 am 
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Have just been woken & interviewed by the police (02:00)........ the house of my nearest neighbour Linda (Tai Shan West) is "totally ablaze".
Police only recently arrived & are enquiring about whereabouts of Linda.


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 Post subject: Re: FIRE
PostPosted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 6:38 am 
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Just walked down to the house... building totally gutted... police said body found inside


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 Post subject: Re: FIRE
PostPosted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 10:22 am 
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How terribly sad. What a way to end a life.


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 Post subject: Re: RIP Linda Thompson
PostPosted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 11:22 am 
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Submitted by Nick the Bookman:

"Well, I guess most people on Lamma have heard the sad news by now. Linda passed away in a fire at her home about 1:30am, Good Friday. No one is exactly sure what happened, but here are some details. Jill, her near neighbour reported an explosion and fireball at about 01:30 which set the trees in Linda's garden on fire. The fire department was up there ASAP and the blaze was put out in about half an hour. The kindest (and most likely the most accurate) way to look at this is to say that Linda died of carbon monoxide poisoning. That's to say her death was painless. She had been especially poorly since the Wednesday before the Rugby Sevens which was the last time I saw her and helped her get up the hill to her hovel-cum-home.

I know Mike from Hung Shing Yeh saw her as recently as last Wednesday (two days ago). He'd bought her food and other essentials and said she was basically bed-ridden, quite weak and slowly dying. Hadn't been in the village for a few days. She is most likely to have had a drink or several, lit a cigarette and fell asleep with the cigarette falling on her bed and starting a fire. Linda's place was basically a death trap. Lots of wooden furniture, books, styrofoam lunch boxes etc all over the place. A fire started. Carbon monoxide built up and she passed into a deeper sleep and eventual death. Her three dogs, Puppy Duck, Chok and Paley were able to get out and are unharmed. Dr. John Wedderburn might be caring for them short term, but they're going to need new owners quickly.

Linda had said she didn't mind if they were split up if that made it easier to home them. Here's hoping that will happen. I don't like the thought of her mostly harmless dogs (Yeah, they had a few nip attacks on people and other dogs now and then, but that isn't because they're bad dogs. Just insufficient training which Linda was too weak to carry out) being put to death. Especially when such lowlife scum like Blair/Bush/Cameron/Cheney and their Democratic, Republican, Conservative and Labour fellow misfits from the shallow polluted end of the human gene pool are still flopping and wallowing about. A rancid tribute to how low the human race can go when religious bigotry runs rampant and unchecked. Feel free to add your own bogeymen to this list.

Anyway, the house is gutted. The plastic roof has melted along with the support beams and most of the furniture. The four solid walls are still standing and the kitchen appliances are probably ruined but standing. It was a nasty fire. but huge thanks to the Lamma Fire station personnel who contained it and extinguished it before it spread into a conflagration. It was a grim house in ways. Jez the magician choked to death on aspirated vomit up there one Xmas night at the turn of the Millennium. Alan died of a heart attack up there a few years ago. His body wasn't found for about three days. Now Linda makes an unhappy triad. A cleansing fire seems a cathartic closure.

Linda never really got over Alan's death. Especially the realisation that she had been sleeping about five feet above his body before the police found him. They were the Black Sheep of their respective families. They were together for over 45 years. They had their problems, sure, but overall they were more of a benefit than a curse to Lamma. They helped a lot of us out over the years. No further details needed. And now they're both gone. An End Of An Era. I hope their afterlife meeting is joyous to them both. And I hope fervently that in some parallel dimension/reality they'll both be happily bickering and crying with laughter at their spiritual reconciliation and what poor fools we mortals be. All of us. Our extended Lamma family is one link less now. The thought of that is hurtful. Seeing as today is Good Friday, I hope their reconciliation on the astral plane starts soon. Sunday would be a good day...

With lots of love from us all who knew them. Nick the Bookman, xxx"

Photos of Linda below...

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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 12:50 pm 
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Sharon Birkett, one of the amazing friends who helped and cared for Linda in so many ways:

"Thanks everyone. Yes Linda definitely lived a very interesting life here on Lamma and in India and Japan. She came to HK as a ballet dancer I believe and Ive enjoyed listening to her and Alan's memoirs over the years. They forgot to plan for their future. She had missed him terribly, they had been together 47 yrs and I hope she is really is at peace with him now despite her horrific end."

Links to so many comments from former and current Lammaites linked from the Lamma-zine story yesterday, Good Friday...

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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 1:38 pm 
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Beautifully written Nick


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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 4:07 pm 
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Some photos I took in the morning outside Linda's house, dozens of fire fighters and even off-island police, I think.
Police didn't let me go inside despite knowing that I run this community media website.

3 deaths in there in recent years, see Nick's story above...


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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Sat Apr 04, 2015 5:47 pm 
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Plus a still frame and the video interview with Linda about 5 years ago, from the Lamma My Island "dogumentary" by film maker Alba Rayton.
Interviews with many Lamma "celebrities", Linda at 20:20 minutes, including dancing on Powerstation Beach!

This is how I prefer to remember Linda, 5 years ago and 50 years ago. RIP.



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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Sun Apr 05, 2015 10:28 am 
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Nicely written Nick and Sharon. RIP Linda.


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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Wed Apr 08, 2015 7:42 pm 
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Three more frames from the video, due to popular demand:
Dancing barefoot in the sand of Powerstation beach and together with the most famous Prima Ballerina, Dame Margot Fonteyn:


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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Fri Apr 10, 2015 10:56 pm 
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Had the great opportunity to meet her. May she rest in peace. SAT NAM.


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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Wed Apr 15, 2015 1:02 pm 
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I feel extremely sad and shocked about this news. :(

I don't know Linda, just know her name in this article. But I see her almost every day on my way to the ferry. She always sit nearby the HSBC ATM with her dog.

One weekend, I saw her dog following her all the way to the ferry. And another day, I saw her dog waiting outside the ferry as if waiting for Linda's back.

It is a pity and regret I see her (glance at her to be exact) nearly everyday, but I never say "Hello" to her, (actually I very much want to but shy)

Maybe she saw me quite often as well and recognised me, one day she gave me a very slight smile, which is the only mutual smile communication between us. And...it will never happened again...

Amazed by her pretty face when she was young, and her commitment.

Every person is born to have a special life journey and interesting story. While we are all alive, let's precious...precious those people around us.


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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Thu Apr 16, 2015 4:46 pm 
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Nice piece Nick. RIP Linda and Alan

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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2015 6:26 pm 
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From Sharon Birkett:

"A Tree-planting Memorial will be held for Linda Tompkins on 25/5/2015 (would have been Linda's 69th birthday), from 10am-12 midday - it's a Bank Holiday [Buddhas's Birthday - Editor].

Meet at Fountain Head at 10am.

Linda, one of Lamma's longest residing residents, sadly died in a fire at her home four weeks ago today. Due to the extent of the fire the Police and Fire Dept are still investigating the case. Family in UK have now been notified.
If you are interested to join us, for our own "farewell" to Linda, see you at 10am on 25/5 at Fountain Head - we will be leaving at 10.15am up Tai Peng Hill to the forest. Thank you."

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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 11:54 am 
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Eulogy from Nick the Bookman:

Linda Memorial 25/5-2015

It's about 1000 on 25/5/2015 and a small group has gathered outside The Bank/"Tinhead" to pay tribute to Linda who died in a horrible fire at her house on Good Friday. Today would have been her 69th birthday.
Anyway, there's Sharon and Jim, Claire, Tamara, Annie Knibb, Mike (without wife Roz) from Hung Shing Yeh, the other Roz from HSY (who can't stay), Michael and his daugher Bory and me, your humble scribe. We're all going to make our way up the hill to The Castle, which was Linda and Alan's first home on Lamma. Now occupied by Annette, who has kindly allowed us to use her little garden area for the gathering. Jim has brought along a small white hibiscus bush to plant in Annette's garden as a tribute to Linda. It's a nicer idea than mine which would be to draw a picture of a blue plaque on the wall twixt The Bank/"Tinhead". Saying "Linda sat here 2013-2015".

Anyway, our dogged little group is making its way up Tai Peng Hill where we'll be joined by Debbie, Jill, Annie (from Pak Kok), Jane and Marcus and Dee from across the road who's wandered over to see "What's up, dudes?" If I've forgotten anyone, my apologies. But you all know who you are. Jim has kicked off the ceremonies by making Bloody Marys for all who need them. There's also wine and cold beers and some lovely munchies. Good toast and a delicious banana cake. Sharon is recording the event on her iPpad and there are some beautiful photos of Linda affixed to the wall of The Castle.

Mostly they're recent photos of Linda's last few months. Coupled with the lovely head shot of her ballerina days. Taken from Alba's "Lamma, My Island" dog-umentary. There's a haunting one of Linda in a wheelchair with Jane, Sharon and Annie standing behind her. A chance for Linda to get out and about and hang with the Lamma Ladyhood. Well done.

There is also one absolutely haunting photo which I hadn't seen before. It's a shot taken at The Shrine in Tokyo in 1973. It's a beautiful shot of Linda with a million kilowatt gorgeous smile and Alan on her right. Teeth gleaming through his bushy black pirate beard. It's a couple with everything to look forward to in their lives. Although in hindsight, there's a pre-sentiment of terror in the photo, Looking ahead to the disasters yet to befall them. The picture is mostly black and white. A little greenery on the left hand side slipping into sepiablackandwhite. It's like an inner-sleeve of an old Fairport Convention LP. Bare ruined trees where late the sweet birds sang. And Linda and Alan looking like two matched parts of some old acid-folk band. Caught on the cusp of greatness. Linda is probably 27.

Alan is about 30. Prime of life stuff. And although they were considered to be the Black Sheep of their respective families, their union lasted over 45 years. Until Alan died of a possible heart attack on 7/5/2013. Linda post-survived him by a little less than two years.
And it was sad to see her gradual decline. Thanks in part to a malign friend of Linda's, who most definitely wasn't invited today.
Long term friends will know who I mean. 'Nuff said, except that it's best to remember them by this photo.

Linda and Alan were A Family. Despite being outcasts from their own families. And she really could have used some love and care from her own family. Especially after Alan's demise. I remember one time (turn of the Millennium?) when a relative came to visit.
Mostly, I remember a blonde bouffant beehive hairdo with a nice(ish) lady underneath. But I also got a sense she was "slumming". Linda and Alan were living "up the other hill" in their final home at this point. She was ecstatic about her family visiting. The house was neat and tidy. Wiz did some extraordinary carpentry work in the kitchen.
They weren't embarrassed to have friends and family popping by.

Anyway, we've spent about two hours at The Castle. Sharon has recorded a lot on the iPad. She's played "20 Million Things To Do" by Little Feat which was one of Linda's favourite songs. Jim has planted the white hibiscus bush and left a photo of Linda underneath it. We've all toasted her memory and it's about time to go. Sharon finishes off the ceremony with a lovely poem called "Three Sisters Are We". Written by Barbara Greenway and Lesley Neilson, And forgive me ladies. I'm taking your approval on trust and printing it here and now. Thank you
in advance. ntb

Three Sisters Are We

We are three sisters,
three sisters are we.

Now, we know we've had our troubles,
which we always tried to get through.
The real message is we hope you loved us,
as we always loved you.

We've had lots of good and bad times
that we'll never forget.
Sometimes we worry
and sometimes we fret.

But of God ever gave us
something special you see.
It might have been the blessing of,
Three Sisters Are We.

God has given us lots
of Happiness, Sadness and Glee.
But the most special thing he did was
make us sisters all three.

Goodbye Linda, we hope you find the peace in
Death
that you couldn't find in Life.

All our love always,
Barbara and Lesley.

(For the record, this is the Second Draft of this story. The first one was a bit richer in imagery, but the sodding auto save didn't do its job and I lost the whole piece in the electronic ether when I tried to send it to Lamma-Gung. I hope this one has caught most of the flavour. Again, thanks to everyone who turned up.) ntb

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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Thu Jun 04, 2015 12:25 pm 
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Superb Nick. Thanks so much.


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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2015 5:49 pm 
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Pics of Linda's memorial/tree planting at "Tai Peng Castle" (opposite the renovated sitting-out area) on May 25, 2015, from her very good friend Sharon Birkett:

More pictures an subtitles on Facebook...


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 Post subject: Re: RIP, Linda Tompkins
PostPosted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 11:10 am 
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