Tribute: Judith Hacking

Judith Hacking had a great talent for making friends. This started in her early childhood and was honed to perfection as she matured.

Judith came to Buckinghamshire in the early 1950s, celebrating her 21st birthday in July 1956 in The Firs at Whitchurch, but she never forgot her Northern roots and enjoyed working in Sheffield for a time. In 1959 Judith’s leisure focus moved to South Buckinghamshire as she enthusiastically joined the Lucy Clark Country Dance Group which was then based in Amersham. By 1960 she was in Ellesborough Road, not far from the Golf Club, another interest, then in 1977 she moved to walking distance from the High Street and became a familiar sight walking her dog, Hamish. Over time she maintained many diverse friendships and had a special relationship into adulthood with the children of the many families she befriended.

When Judith left school, a pioneer of “O”-levels, her ability with numbers made accountancy an obvious career choice, even though it was so male dominated at the time that on one course she attended she was the first woman they had had to cater for and they had to seek out special accommodation for her.

Judith became the go-to accountant for advice as far as many local charitable organisations were concerned. She was even Treasurer for many of them, most notably Lionel Abel-Smith Trust, which she served from its foundation meeting in 1977. In her hey-day she was also Trustee Treasurer of Abbeyfield House 1988-2000 and maintained her connection to October 2019, including (2007-2019) as Treasurer of the Friends Account. At the same time, she was Treasurer for St Mary’s from 1988 to 1996. These associations gave her strong links with many local business people. She was a popular money counter for many organisations including Christian Aid.

Judith’s amazing memory for detail and her tiny neat handwriting were prized talents among her many friends both old and new. She was thronged with visitors during her sudden summertime illness.

To read more of Judith Hacking, go to https://wendovernews.co.uk/news/local-face-judith-hacking/, page 19, Wendover News June 2009, and https://wendovernews.co.uk/news/judith-hacking-retires-from-lionel-able-smith-trust/ (May 2013).