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A tribute to Gerald Hitman
FOR two years now regular readers have been kept guessing about the identity of Contrarian, the regular writer of this weekly "As I see it" column.
This week I can reveal his identity, but I do so in the very saddest of circumstances. For Contrarian was none other than Gerald Hitman, the Ribble Valley property tycoon who died suddenly at his Ribble Valley home recently.
A few had pieced together clues, picked up on snippets of information occasionally revealed in the columns and put them together like an elaborate jigsaw, but to the vast majority Contrarian remained a mystery figure.
And that is how it had to be, because to write such a column – often presenting the alternative view, fighting the cause of the underdog, or even playing devil's advocate – the writer must be anonymous.
Inevitably Gerald wrote about the things which interested him, whether local or national issues, and he often wrote with great insight and knowledge gained from personal experience. But when writing about, for example, the lack of affordable housing in the Ribble Valley, he needed to be able to do so free from accusations of "Well he would say that... he's a property developer".
The whole point is that the column is here to generate debate about the views expressed in it, not about the writer expressing those views. In reality, Gerald often took a surprising stance, fighting the corner of those you would not expect him to ally himself with.
It was he who first approached then editor Vivien Meath, offering to write the regular column. She asked him to pen a few examples, and had them on her desk a few hours later. He simply loved writing, and no, he wasn't paid.
"Contrarian" was also an apt name, and one he chose himself, for he loved to take the contrary view, to stir things up a bit, to get people talking. Some would agree wholeheartedly with the views he espoused, others oppose them entirely. There was rarely much middle ground, and that is just how a good opinion column should be.
Like it or loathe it, it really doesn't matter – just so long as indifference is not the response. Gerald was also very much of the "publish and be damned" school of journalism. If he believed something was right or wrong, he would say it, plain and simple, regardless of the consequences.
Occasionally his coulmn had to be toned down, if only to avoid lining the lawyers' pockets, but Gerald quickly learned there were ways of getting his point across. He wrote eloquently and his Contrarian column became a popular and well-read feature. His only frustration was at being limited to one a week! One one occasion his piece had to be sidelined and something more pressing put in its place. In the editor's e-mail basket on the morning of publication was a tongue-in-cheek missive from Gerald. It read simply: "Grrrrrr!"
His writing brought him pleasure, he did it with style and was happy for readers to take issue with him, setting up an e-mail address for Contrarian at which readers could personally take him to task. He loved the cut and thrust and genuinely admired those who spoke out for what they believed in, even if those beliefs were at odds with his own.
Often controversial, always outspoken, never dull – perhaps the real surprise is that more people had not realised Gerald Hitman and Contrarian were one and the same.
>> Funeral of Ribble Valley property tycoon - date
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Weather for Clitheroe
Sunday 05 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: West
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Cloudy
Temperature: -2 C to 6 C
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