We are very sorry to hear about the death of long time CAST member Bob Miller.
Bob joined CAST in early 2013 - shortly after our launch. He was the first supporter not based in Europe to become a member.
He was a true Canadian through and through. He never lived in England. The reason he started to support Charlton was that his son played football in a local school team in Hamilton, Ontario and the team made a tour of England in 1984. One of the teachers grew up in Charlton and, while they were over in Britain, Charlton were facing a winding up order in the High Court. Bob followed the news closely and when the club was saved by the bell with only minutes to go, he was so fascinated that he started to follow the club's fortunes avidly.
He started a group in Hamilton and came to an agreement with the owner of a nearby bar called Beasly's so that, when Charlton were in The Premier League, he could gather with friends and watch the games on TV. Although the kick off was at 9am local time they could open the taps as they were a private party. There is a Charlton flag behind the bar to this day.
He became very involved with the International Addicks. He made many friends via Skype and he came over in 2013 to meet up and watch Charlton play Bolton. Swedish Addick Lars remembers that it was a memorable occasion and well worth the trip as The Addicks came from 0-2 down to win 3-2 with goals from Johnnie Jackson, Dorian Dervite and Yann Kermorgant. Bob's last visit included a defeat at The Den - a familiar experience to all Charlton supporters.
Last year he submitted a question to Thomas Sandgaard for the Q&A which CAST hosted with Thomas in March 2022. We decided it would be a good question to open up with.
"Thomas, every Charlton supporter I know was absolutely thrilled when you assumed the reins of the club, thus ensuring its ongoing survival. Your enthusiasm and energy is contagious, building a very positive mindset for all. A year or so ago, you suggested that a five year plan was being put in place to achieve hoped-for Premiership status for the club. In view of the current struggling and often mediocre mid-table play of the squad, among third tier competition, just where does this plan stand at the moment?”
Thomas answered in typical bullish fashion but unfortunately the record of the meeting recorded "assumed the reins" as "assumed the reigns". Bob wrote very politely to request that we edit the record lest people thought the spelling mistake was his own.
In recent years he made the most of Charlton TV and rarely missed a game. Despite undergoing radio therapy for his tongue and throat cancer he managed to watch and enjoy the Wycombe game on September 23rd. He was a typical Charlton supporter in that he never gave up and he would have very much enjoyed the last ten minutes when Tedic and CBT secured a 3-1 win.
Lars remembers: "He had a great sense of humour. You never had a dull moment with him and I will miss him so much"