Island Life Magazine Ltd February/March 2011 | Page 45

Island Life - February/March 2011 interview Anthony brews up fabulous life after being on the brink Considering Anthony Goddard was pushed towards the brink of bankruptcy following a disastrous sortie into the world of insurance, he says: “The bottom line is I have had a fabulous life.” Anthony, 65, was behind the successful renovation and rejuvenation of Barton Manor, converting what was once part of Queen Victoria’s Osborne House estate it into one of the Island’s leading tourist attractions of the time, and producing fine wines from its vineyards. And for the past 18 years he has been at the helm of the equally successful Goddard’s Brewery, winning numerous awards for real ales which remain as popular as ever, not only on the Island but also along the south coast. At the brewery’s headquarters at Barnsley Farm on the outskirts of Nettlestone, Anthony reflected on the many highs and occasional lows of a career that has also embraced engineering, agriculture, and accountancy. “I am very lucky that I have seen and done lots of interesting things. I have been fortunate that I have enjoyed good health, a long-lasting marriage, and good businesses. So really I am not complaining about anything,” says the man who once saw more than £1million of his assets wiped out in the Lloyd’s of London controversies. Anthony revealed that he was conceived behind German lines in Northern Italy during the Second World War. His father John was an Army Officer who won the Military Cross for his actions in North Africa. Shortly after that he was captured, but after two years 'in the bag' he became an escaped prisoner of war and he met his wife Vilma – Anthony’s mother - after she sheltered him for eight months or so, while running messages and medicines for the partisans. They came to England to live in Surrey after the war, and that was where Anthony was born and brought up before attending Uppingham School in the Midlands. He recalls: “I Visit our new website - www.visitislandlife.com 45