ROTARIAN, dental technician and former New Milton town councillor Graham Smith has died aged 78 after a short illness.

He ran Graham Smith Dental Laboratory from 1968 until just two years before his death, supplying dental equipment to surgeries across the New Forest.

Mr Smith was born on September 29, 1935. His parents owned a grocery store in Ashley, and he was brought up in the area. Mr Smith was brought up during the Second World War and attended Ashley Secondary School, where he met his future wife Patricia Hampton.

After school he was apprenticed as a dental technician, and continued this trade while doing his national service with the RAF. Before he returned to civilian life in 1958, he was twice posted on Christmas Island during nuclear tests.

He was a life-long cricket lover and played for the RAF 1st XI during his national service.

Back in New Milton he married Miss Hampton at All Saints Church in Hordle and the pair moved to Southampton.

Over the next few years they moved to Parkstone and then back to New Milton, and had three children – Simon, born in 1963, Helen in 1965, and Peter in 1968.

They ran the family business together until Mrs Smith’s sudden death in 2003.

In 1971 he joined the New Milton Rotary Club and became a hard working member of New Milton Round Table and continued to play cricket and football for local teams.

He was president in 1980-81 and was awarded one of the organisation’s highest accolades – the Paul Harris Fellowship – in 1994.

It was through Rotary that he met Mary Pye, his partner of the last nine years.

He also served as a New Milton town councillor and was present at the authority’s first meeting in June 1979.

He served as a councillor for six years, working on the amenities committee.

He was a governor for Arnewood School, and co-founder of the New Milton Sports Club.

He enjoyed golf and was a member of Barton on Sea Golf Club, travelling abroad and spending time with his five grandchildren and three step-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at All Saints Church, Hordle, today at 1pm.