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T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 8 8OSFC REUNION DAYA Saturday in late October at The Old Elizabethans MemorialGround in Barnet, the home of Old Stationers FC, saw agathering take place of a group of rather mature, greying, balding,portly (in some cases) but still just about recognisable formallyfinely honed athletes. This was the Annual OSFC Ex-PlayersRe-Union Day.Fortunately we were lucky to be blessed with a fine sunny daywhich encouraged more than 40 ex-players to turn up to watchthe 1st XI take on SAL Senior Division 3 rivals, CambridgeHeath in the AFA Senior Cup.It was a game that we dominated for long spells but withoutreally creating many clear cut chances, and as time was runningout and the prospect of extra-time looming, the choice facing theassembled masses, between watching a further 30 minutes offootball or retiring to the bar after the normal 90 minutes mighthave proved a decision too tormenting for some! Thankfully wesnatched a deserved winner 15 minutes from the end to run out1-0 winners and saved those with the weakest willpower havingto make a difficult choice!It was good to see a bumper turnout of so many ex-players whohad worn the blue and gold colours of OSFC with suchdistinction over the last 50+ years. After the game, stories andmemories of many past matches, representing the Club, wereexchanged. As the evening wore on and reminiscences becamemore hazy, it begs the question, that if some players were astalented as they seem to have recollected, how come we didn'twin more trophies!!A few days later I attempted to list from my memory of the daythose that were in attendance (although an ageing brain and IPAwas not a an ideal combination). Apologies if I have missedanybody out, and sorry if I have included anyone who wasn'tactually there... incidentally, you missed a great occasion.Listed in alphabetical order:Pas Acierno, Keith Allen, Marco Bittante, Gary Bhola, Ian Blackmore,Terry Butler, Paul Cane, Chris Davenport, Dave Deane, PeterDerrick, Bruce Donaldson, Pat Dunphy, Rudi Ellis, Roger Engledow,Orville Gayle, Tony Hemmings, Dick Hersey, Ray Houldsworth, JohnJackson, Peter Jarvis, Tony Joyce, Dean Kassie, Mike Kassie, ChrisLangford, Bill Martindale, Ian Meyrick, Andy Mouzouri, EddieNaughton, Bob Pedersen, Dave Sheath, Harry Shacallis, TonyTheodoulou, Russell Toone, Jim Townsend, Vince Wallace, TimWestbrook, Peter Whitecross, Chris Wilkins, Tony Wittich, Mike Wood.OSFC 1stXICelebrating in the bar.A near capacity crowd fill the terrace.Turning to the state of the Club in general. You may be awarethat we, along with many other clubs in AFA football, have beingexperiencing challenging times for a number of years. Socircumstances dictated that this season we would field only oneteam, the 1st XI, competing in SAL Senior Division 3, a Leaguewe have been desperately trying to get out of for far too manyyears. However the team has been strengthen since last season bythe addition of a few young promising players....friends offriends, as is the way of recruiting these days and encouraginglyat the end of November we sit second in the Division which iscurrently topped by arch rivals Crouch End Vampires. It is stillearly days but, following a number of lean years, we believe thatthings are at last looking slightly more positive. We hope thatthose that attended on the Ex-Players Day were also encouragedby the team's performance. Fingers crossed that the improvementcan continue in to the second half of the season.If you enjoyed the Re-Union Day or couldn't make it and haven'tbeen to the Club for a while, please pop along to a home gamebefore the end of the season... there is beer afterwards!You can find details of the games and follow the Club's fortuneson the OSFC website www.oldstationersfc.co.uk.Only another 13 years until OSFC's 125th Anniversary!Ian Meyrick ian.meyrick1@gmail.com10
T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 8 8life at the end of a walking stickOn August 15th 2017 I was crushed against the side of my carby a lorry manoeuvring in a narrow one -way street in Ilford. Mypelvis was badly fractured, but, fortunately, an ambulance rushedme to the Royal London Hospital. I received surgery to pin mypelvis together, then spent several months in the Royal London,followed by a spell in Queen’s Hospital, Romford. I receivedphysiotherapy, and was ultimately transferred to a local carehome, where I stayed for several months.I was so relieved to leave the care home to return home onFebruary 12th this year. The food in the care home was awful,though the nursing assistants were generally helpful, kind andconsiderate. Unfortunately the same could not be said for theSenior Nurse in charge of the home. She was authoritarian, andrude. She was accustomed to standing by a window in the dininghall, barking out her instructions to her underlings. She told methat she knew that I did not like her, presumably having pickedup some remark that I may have made to one of the staff. Mylack of response to her comment confirmed her suspicions. Myexperience of the care home has convinced me that I haveabsolutely no wish to end my days in one of those institutions.My mobility was still very limited, so I had to be taken home inan ambulance, and carried up the stairs by the paramedics. Forthe first weeks of my homecoming I was confined to a first floorbedroom, not being able to climb up and down the stairs veryeasily. The local social services provided a modicum of help forthe first six weeks. A helper came at breakfast and dinner time tocarry meals up to me because it was too difficult for Rita to carryout that task, though she prepared the food. Apart from that wewere left to our own devices.I was fortunate to have regular visits from a physiotherapist. Hegave me daily exercises to do, gradually bringing me to the pointwhere I could slowly manage to climb up and down the stairs.Social Services tried to pressure us into installing a stair lift, butRita pointed out that, if I became dependent on it, recoveringthe use of my legs would be impeded. Instead she arranged for awooden stair rail to be fitted. Using this and the banister rail Iwas able to navigate the stairs. The physiotherapist also took mefor short walks (eg: 25 yards) on the pavement outside.Before my accident I had been in discussion with the editor ofThe Square magazine. He had previously published my articleabout the controversial eighteenth century Freemason, CountCagliostro. I had mentioned to him that I was a member ofUndine Lodge No 3394, which was founded by a group oftemperance Freemasons, and maintains that tradition to thepresent day. He asked me to write a short article about theLodge, which I was happy to do so. I duly started work on thearticle, but my accident intervened, obliging me to put it on theback burner. Following my return home, although there had beena change of editor in the interim, she agreed to publish the articleif I would like to finish it. I was delighted to have this project towork on, and the article is expected to be published later in theyear.Eventually I was able, with the aid of a walking stick, to make itto our car. Some years ago Rita, myself and our two friendsDonna and Walter had taken to driving out into the countrysideon Sundays, weather permitting. We had visited every NationalTrust property within a day’s drive of London. We decided tostart visiting pub restaurants along the River Lea. The JollyFisherman at Saint Margaret’s near Ware was close enough toNigel Wadethe river to view the motor launches and narrow boats gliding by.We dined Al Fresco to a sumptuous Sunday Roast. The Fish andEels pub at Dobbs Weir was pleasantly located by the river, butthe service and quality of food were somewhat mediocre. ThePrincess of Wales at Clapton also nestled by the river, but the softdrinks service was so slow that we complained robustly.Fortunately the management compensated us by letting us havethe drinks for free. Unfortunately, once again, the food qualitywas below par. Going for a change of cuisine, we tried theOriental Star Chinese restaurant at Cuffley. The buffet waswidespread and delicious. Unusual for a Chinese restaurant, theyoffered a good range of dessert. Particularly delicious was thetoffee apple, the fruit enclosed in a crisp and mouth-wateringcasing. I can thoroughly recommend the Oriental Star to anyOld Stationer looking for an inexpensive, but tasty lunchChinoise. We also went farther afield to Leigh-on-Sea. The oldtown has a lovely cobbled high street. We found a pleasant artdeco restaurant with a splendid view of the Thames Estuary. Ihad a delicious plate of steamed mussels in wine, followed by atasty Eton Mess.One of our neighbours organises a swimming club for thedisabled. Every year she organises a coach trip to the sea side. Wejoined the group for a pleasant trip to Clacton. The town seemedmore spruced up than I remember from a previous visit. Thesandy beach was comfortably peopled with day trippers andholiday makers, enjoying the sunshine as much as if they hadbeen at the French Riviera. We sampled the delicious ice creamsand soft drinks at the Atlantic Cafe on the broad walk. Theproprietors were quite happy for us to lounge there under theshade of a parasol.I cannot thank the large number of Old Stationers enough fortheir cards, letters, good wishes, telephone calls and visits. Theyhave played an important part in boosting my morale andhelping me on the road to recovery. As each day comes, I lookforward to making steps, literally, in the right direction. I amoptimistically looking forward to joining in with OSA activitiesin the not too distant future. My sincere thanks to you all.Nigel Wade11
Page 1 and 2: No 88 / January 2019The Old Station
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Page 25 and 26: Hi Tim,Ross-on-Wye,25th September 2
Page 43 and 44: Ralph 'BEN' batchelorDear PeterStef
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