Remembering Terry Read, the man who brought us Mag-It

The iconic Mag-It machines will surely be familiar to fishing enthusiasts in Suffolk and beyond.

These were the brainchild of Terence Read, an idea that stayed with him from his teen years until he was able to make his dream a reality.

Terry, as he was known to family and friend, wore many hats over the course of his life; from hairdressing to housebuilding to running his own business and raising his children, Terry did everything with passion and a smile on his face.

Terry was born in Ilford on December 8, 1944, the first child of Harry and Florrie. Terry was their only boy, with two younger sisters, Joan and Rosemary.

Terry as a boy, with his big, cheeky smile. Image: Family of Terry Read (Image: Family of Terry Read)

The children grew up in the east end, and Terry enjoyed being part of a vast extended family, helping his grandad push his cockles and eel barrow.

Terry grew up in the East End, and remained proud of his cockney roots. Image: Family of Terry Read (Image: Family of Terry Read)

When Terry was a teenager, the family moved to Basildon where he attended Brynn’s Boys School. After school, Terry enrolled in a hairdressing course at Barratt Street College.

He did not complete the course, but found an apprenticeship with Phillips Hair Fashions, where he proved popular with clients.
Terry grew up as part of an big extended family, with cousins, aunties and uncles all around him. Image: Family of Terry Read (Image: Family of Terry Read) For much of his life, Terry loved fishing, and it was this passion which one day provided Terry with a brainwave.

As a college student waiting for a train one day, Terry glanced over at the vending machines. An idea struck him: If you could feed the machine a few coins and buy a milk carton or a chocolate bar, why not fishing bait? It would take almost three decades, but this idea would change the shape Terry’s life in years to come.

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In 1963, Terry met the woman who was to become his wife, Margaret.

Margaret was a good friend of Terry’s sister, Joan. Walking to work together, Margaret would always tell Joan to walk slowly past the hairdressers where a handsome young man worked – not realising that this was none other than Joan’s brother.

When Margaret threw a Valentine’s Day party, Joan brought Terry along – and the pair were together ever since.

Terry and Margaret Read, pictured on their wedding day. Image: Family of Terry Read (Image: Family of Terry Read)

The couple tied the knot on March 25, 1967. Together, they welcomed three daughters, Nicky, Alison and Samantha.

In 1977, the family moved to Campsea Ashe, to a ramshackle house in the middle of the countryside that Terry dreamed of restoring.

Terry and Margaret on their wedding day in 1967. Image: Family of Terry Read (Image: Family of Terry Read) Terry’s daughters said they have magical memories of this time in their lives – days were spent playing in the surrounding fields, learning to dive in their outside pool, and looking after their menagerie of animals, including Gracie the goat who one day sneaked upstairs and bounced up and down on their parents’ bed.

Later, Terry and Margaret moved to Saxted, Ufford, before finally settling in Ipswich.

It was in Suffolk that Terry’s idea finally grew wings. Telling a friend about his idea for vending machines for fishing bait, the friend told Terry that he would finance the project, and in 1990, Mag-It was born.

Terry Read with two of his young daughters, Nicky and Alison. Image: Family of Terry Read (Image: Family of Terry Read)

Terry was featured int the East Anglian Daily Times in 1990. Image: Family of Terry Read (Image: Family of Terry Read)

The very first Mag-It machine was installed on the forecourt of a garage in Hadleigh Road, where Sainsbury’s is now. At one point, the business had 120 vending machines, all around Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex, with some as far as Kent and Bedfordshire.

The business proved such a novelty that Terry caught the attention of the media, including the East Anglian Daily Times and the then-Evening Star.

Terry even appeared on Channel 4’s Big Breakfast, being interviewed by Jonny Vaughan and Denise van Outen.

Terry's idea finally became a reality in 1990. Image: Family of Terry Read (Image: Family of Terry Read)

Terry and Margaret pictured together. Image: Family of Terry Read (Image: Family of Terry Read)

Mag-It was very much Terry’s fourth baby. He continued to nurture his business until his 70s, with the help of his family. Terry’s daughters and many of his grandchildren became experienced in filling cans with maggots and going out on rounds to make sure the machines were fully stocked.

Family remained the most important thing in Terry’s life. He loved being the head chef at family barbeques and took great delight in playing games with his eight grandchildren.

Terry Read and two of his daughters, Nicky and Alison. Image: Family of Terry Read (Image: Family of Terry Read) Terry Read and his great-grandson, Theo. Image: Family of Terry Read (Image: Family of Terry Read)

Soon, he and Margaret were blessed with nine great-grandchildren.

Happy, sociable and unfailingly generous, Margaret said that Terry always believed the best in people. He cared deeply for the people in his life and was quick to offer help or support to anyone in need.

In his later years, Terry had his share of health difficulties, but he remained optimistic.

In the final weeks of his life, Terry was cared for by St Elizabeth Hospice, having been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018. His family remain grateful for the “incredible” care he received here, enabling him to make the most of his final days.

To thank the hospice, they have set up a donations page in memory of Terry, which currently stands at £840. To donate, visit: terenceread.muchloved.com

Terry passed away on June 4, aged 79.

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