DESPITE his long and varied career in the estate profession, Roy Hunter Hudson once admitted property was not his first career choice.

Straight out of school in Ripley, Surrey, at the tender age of 16, he was tramping Fleet Street trying to turn his love of sport into a livelihood.

After realising this was not to be, he decided to follow Plan B and went into property, joining Connaught Estates, off Edgware Road, as a junior.

However, his time there was short-lived as his parents persuaded him to live with them in Bournemouth.

Not long after this the Second World War broke out. It was while serving in 2nd Tactical Air Force in Europe that Roy developed his great respect and affection for the French.

After being demobbed in 1946, Roy set up Hudson and Son at the age of 25.

Primarily a commercial practice, Hudson and Son pioneered the sale of flats in the Bournemouth area. He became involved with many of the major office blocks put up in Bournemouth after the war, as well as international schemes, including a post-war development in Paris at 10 Rue de la Paix.

From the late 1960s to the early 1970s, Hudson and Son operated branches in Paris and Marbella, and became involved in developments in Belgium, Spain, Majorca, Cyprus Germany and Eire.

In 1962, Roy was elected both a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Glovers and Freeman of the City of London.

Always taking an interest in the welfare and progress of the real estate profession, Roy became the national president of the Valuers Institute in 1965.

This followed various organisational mergers within the profession in which he played a key role, leading to the birth of ISVA, of which he became a Fellow. This Society eventually merged with RICS, of which Roy was also made a Fellow.

His love affair with the continent led to his involvement with the British Chapter of FIABCI (International Real Estate Federation).

Roy was made Honorary Secretary for nine years prior to being awarded the FIABCI Medaille d'Honneur in 1984 for his contribution to the Common Market committee.

In 1986, he was elected president of this committee.

Married for fifty-three years to Lydia, his late wife, he is survived by his two children, three grandchildren and great granddaughter.

His interests and hobbies were numerous and varied, including cricket, football, music and snooker.

His wife recalled an occasion in a hotel room on a Presidential weekend. In her desperate attempt to rectify a wayward bow tie, she had her foot on Roy's neck just as the phone rang to announce the arrival of the distinguished guests.

He will be affectionately remembered by friends as "one of Property's most respected and popular dinosaurs".