Staff at Southern Vectis are mourning the loss of much-loved former colleague, Alan Cooley – best known for painting mallyshags on the Island’s buses for almost 50 years.
Alan retired in 2014 after some 49-and-a-half years as a painter for the Island’s bus operator.
Before the use of vinyl, as seen on the green buses of today, Alan used his skill and a paintbrush to sign write single deckers, double deckers and coaches with some rather memorable designs including the pink double-decker bus promoting 150 years of Blackgang Chine and the bright orange Needles Tour bus that served the West Wight, among others.
Al was well known in the bus world for creating a very special trademark – The Mallyshag – on the buses he painted. A mallyshag – the Isle of Wight word for a caterpillar – appeared in various places on the bus, from small ones on the inside to ones painted across the entire roof. Alan’s efforts saw him featured in The Sun newspaper in the early 2000s.
Julian Rose, Depot Engineer for Southern Vectis, has said on behalf of the company:
“This is a sad time for us all, and our thoughts are with Alan’s family and friends as they come to terms with his loss. He was a popular colleague and played a crucial role in bus painting before the introduction of vinyl”.
Alan sadly passed away on Monday (4th April 2022).
A great job he done too R.I.P