Obituary-Mike Shuttleworth, former correspondent who lived in a van

Mike Shuttleworth, former hippy, Reuters clerk, non-graduate trainee, correspondent and sub-editor, was found dead on Oct. 5 in the converted van in which he had lived and travelled widely for years. He was 81.

The van was found parked at Ambleside, his base in his beloved Lake District, by his daughter Jess after he didn't reply to phone calls.

Only two days before they had enjoyed a long walk together and Mike regularly walked four or five miles a day. He had a heart by-pass some years ago but as there were no recent signs of illness there will be a postmortem.

Jess said: "He was very happy in his wandering life and after his operation he said he appreciated life and especially nature even more.

"He would have wanted to go while he felt well."

Mike, who grew up in Lancashire and was a hirsute hippy in the 1970s, had an unusual Reuters career. He joined as a news desk clerk and was selected from editorial support staff to join the 1977 graduate training course.

He then had postings to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Hong Kong before taking very early retirement in the early 1990s and resuming the wandering life he had enjoyed as a hippy, when his adventures included crossing the Sahara in a dilapidated vehicle.

Mike Hughes writes: Mike was a kind, generous, eccentric man. I first met him in 1981 when he briefly came to Nairobi to reinforce during a staff changeover.

A few years later we became friends during long spells in Hong Kong where he became number two on the Asia World Desk. He enjoyed running -- he did the Macau Marathon -- and hiking as well as Hong Kong's night life, in which he was a popular figure, being elected a governor of the Foreign Correspondents' Club.

He was the godfather of our son Matthew, born in Hong Kong.

After retirement he travelled the world and introduced me to mountain climbing in the Lake District. We also scaled Table Mountain in Cape Town.

Mike, who was divorced, would annually visit us in June for our joint birthdays and would always insist on sleeping in his van. He usually woke us up driving off to the local baths for his morning swim at 7 am.

He will be greatly missed for his infectious love of life and nature. Our grandsons loved their unusual Uncle Mike, the man who lived in a van.

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