Tributes to Tony 

“As a resident of the town for 50 years, Tony cared deeply about its historic buildings, safe environment and community feel and he was gravely concerned about the threat posed by high-rise buildings, Crossrail 2 and follow-on development. He worked tirelessly to make sure local people were informed and that they had the chance to represent their views. We will greatly miss his insight, commitment and sense of humour.”

Gay Bennett-Powell, Secretary, Friends of Wimbledon Town Centre

“Tony had a deep passion for all things Wimbledon and gave so generously of his time and made a huge contribution to the local community. The success of Wimbledon BookFest is due in no small measure to his charismatic personality and determination. He will be very sadly missed.”

Simon Lee, Chief Executive of Wimbledon and Putney Commons

“Tony had a rare capacity not only for seeing the bigger picture but for turning it into reality. The Wimbledon Society was immensely grateful to Tony who gave our Milward Local History Prize an initial boost. Persuaded of the competition’s worth to the history of the borough, he gave us the precious column inches needed to set it on its way in 2013.

In similar vein, Tony grasped the value of the Society’s book events, notably that given in 2007 by The Rt. Hon William Hague MP on William Wilberforce, once a ‘local’. The idea for Wimbledon’s BookFest was conceived by Tony that night in Polka Theatre. It went on to become the highly professional event in the national literary calendar that it is today.  Tony Kane enriched Wimbledon life and consequently that of all who live here.”

Jeremy Hudson, chairman, The Wimbledon Society

“Tony was such a visionary to create a truly lovely publication which has grown so successfully from year to year! We first met many years ago now on the Wimbledon Transport Forum where we used to discuss how to improve our transport systems. One of my complaints at the time was not having any indicators to say where the tubes were going from Wimbledon and when, and following our interventions they added the electronic boards we now have for the tube. It took a great deal of persuasion but it was thanks to our enthusiasm and constant badgering that they finally got there.”

Michael Denton, wine expert Decanter, T&L contributor

“I knew Tony for over 25 years, working closely with him when we were local union secretaries – Tony from the NASUWT, myself from the NUT. He was such a stubborn and principled defender of teachers and of state education. We were very lucky to have Tony on our side. He was also great fun too. We joked on how we both ended up establishing businesses after leaving teaching – two socialist capitalists! What a great job he did with that too.” 

Bob and Nahid Sulatycki

“Tony was always so passionate about Wimbledon and particularly the arts in the town. Being such a straight talker and with such conviction, along with a twinkle in his eye, I was never in any doubt about what he believed we should be doing to improve Wimbledon’s position and offer. It was a pleasure to pass the time of day with Tony over a glass of wine, setting the world to rights and I always read his editor’s notes with great interest and a wry smile as he wrote exactly how he spoke. Tony’s legacy to Wimbledon and its community is amazing.”

Helen Clark Bell, Love Wimbledon BID

“Whether over a pint or in a strategy meeting, Tony’s outlook on life and in particular his passion for creativity, the arts and culture and the value they add to our communities, was a real inspiration for me. He instilled this in Time & Leisure, and is the reason we decided to change our annual Food & Drink Awards to include culture. It was a real honour to see Tony present the inaugural Tony Kane Cultural Experience of the Year Award last year. We will all miss his unbounded energy and vision, and I am proud that we will continue to recognise his achievements through his award for years to come.”

Mike Reed, Time & Leisure

“My overwhelming impression of Tony was his ability to get things done and take everyone on that journey with him – be it launching Time & Leisure or founding Wimbledon BookFest. He wasn’t about the talk, he wanted action and he was never bound by convention. I think that was what was so refreshing when working with Tony. We get so bound up by the way things ought to be done and he would come at things from a different angle. I remember him saying to me: ‘Fun happens on your doorstep, you don’t need to go far to get it’. I was lucky to have almost 20 years of waking up and looking forward to working with the most amazing colleague who made you think anything was possible. And so often it was!”

Fiona Razvi, former Time & Leisure Editor, co-founder Wimbledon BookFest