Much loved Hunstanton character dies aged 86

A tribute to Dick Melton, family man, columnist, and prolific letter writer written by his friend Patrick Richardson.

Dick, who died at the age of 86 on Saturday 25^th April 2026, was very widely known and much respected for his work on behalf of the community in Hunstanton over several decades. Known as the Sage of Hunstanton, it is with great sadness that we learned of his death in his care home.

Born in Portsmouth on 7 July 1939, he moved to East Winch in Norfolk when he was only six months old to live with his grandparents until his dad found a house in Dersingham before moving to Hunstanton where he raised the family.

Dick would spend many an hour cockling on the beach at Hunstanton, the town he really loved. With his knowledge of the beach, he always knew where to find a good feed of cockles for tea. In his younger days between shifts working at the Kit Kat, he would do a bit of bait digging on the beach to sell to fishermen and being a big strong man Dick was quite successful at this and earned a useful amount of money for his back pocket. He would also do net fishing on the beach and rod fishing off the pier at a time when there were more fish to catch than there are today.

While working at the Kit Kat Dick did many outside catering jobs for them such as weddings, birthdays etc, in Norfolk and neighbouring counties. Doing silver service on one occasion he served the Queen Mother and when Dick said would you like more potatoes Ma’am, the Queen Mother replied ‘please say that again because I love your Norfolk accent.’ Once he worked on the catering for lunch at the gun dog trials at Wolferton, and he would say he had lunch with the Queen because Queen Elizabeth II came in and sat on a bale of straw to eat her lunch. He would say he met Royalty, Lords and Ladies when doing catering.

Dick was never very interested in School. At the age of about 12 his dad, who worked at the village school in Dersingham, once said to the headmaster my boy Dick won’t be coming in today sir, the Head replied I know I just saw him go driving by on a tractor. Dick would go home to lunch while at school and on one occasion he was walking back when his best mate shouted the binders are cutting the field of barley near the big wood, so Dick and his mate cut a stick each from the hedge and went rabbit catching instead of to school. The gamekeeper at the time said you are not allowed to take any rabbits, so Dick and his mate hid a half a dozen rabbits they had caught and went back for them later when the gamekeeper had gone home.

In the late 1950s Dick did his national service in Germany where he worked on the big guns so he was gunner Melton.

Dick (right) home on leave from the army 

He also chauffeured for a Doctor Ford while doing his national service and later Dr Ford became a GP in Heacham. Afterwards he found a full-time job on a farm at Clenchwarton when he would cycle the 30-mile return journey every day until he saved enough money to buy a motor bike.

Dick the Sage seated third from left at Edfest in 2008

Dick was one of the last old characters living in Hunstanton. He was very knowledgeable about the town and the surrounding villages and it was his enthusiasm for life that really showed through in his long list of interesting tales that he told us every month in his 'Page from the Sage' Town & Around articles. He encouraged many who read them to look further into the topics he raised about the local and surrounding area. He put in a lot of effort with his writing and wrote articles for Dersingham Village Voice, along with letters to the Lynn News and the Eastern Daily Press. He made many friends from his time working in the Kit Kat where he knew all the bands that would play there throughout the year, and during his time on the management committee and on the door of the United Services Club where he made people feel welcome as they arrived.

Dick finished his working life in the Arcades in Hunstanton. He would say he had many jobs in his lifetime, then he would add “I was never out of work”.

Dick and Joy in their garden in Hunstanton

He met Joy at the Vegas in Hunstanton where she worked. Dick would come in to buy a bag of chips and ask Joy to go out with him, but she wasn’t sure and it took him 12 months of asking before she agreed. They married at Fakenham in 1966.

Dick loved his family dearly, especially his wife Joy. He leaves behind three daughters: Tracey, Julie and Wendy and one son, Paul and plus twelve grandchildren and eighteen great-grandchildren.

He had a very interesting and busy life, and he was an outstanding man.

I am sure you will Just ‘keep on a troshin’ Dick.

Images: Town and Around