It is with deep regret that we have to inform you of the passing of John Noble. He died peacefully at his home on August 19 at 6pm, after a lengthy stay in hospital. Our sincere condolences go out to John’s family both here and in the UK.

No date has been set for the funeral. We will publish details when we have them.

Better known as “Farmer John”, he lived in the Buriram area for a great number of years. The word “character” can be overused but in John’s case it was totally appropriate. He was a character in every sense of the word with a wicked sense of humour but he also didn’t suffer fools gladly . He was never slow to voice his opinion and stood by his convictions.

John was also a keen angler, which is why we chose the above photograph.

A proud Welshman, John will be remembered in Buriram for a quite remarkable karaoke performance in the Bamboo Bar at an event to celebrate the life of another departed friend, Neil Cameron.

He couldn’t sing a note and couldn’t read the words on the monitor. No-one can actually remember what he attempted to sing but his sheer stage presence brought the house down.

It has been mentioned already that his eyesight was not exactly 20/20 and anyone who has travelled in a car with John was not exactly keen to repeat the experience. It is sad that having undergone an operation which restored his sight he was not able to enjoy his new life for longer.

That unique smile ( local dentists will not have met John) will be sadly missed. RIP “Farmer John”.