Comments on: Rugger Days http://www.dmarkcato.com/2009/05/03/rugger-days/ Dying to Live Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:31:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: DMC http://www.dmarkcato.com/2009/05/03/rugger-days/comment-page-1/#comment-277 DMC Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:38:16 +0000 http://www.dmarkcato.com/?p=8#comment-277 Great to hear from you,Geoff.Of course I remember the squash final and allowing you lifting the trophy However, as you observe I was encased in plaster having had a spinal fusion following the smashing of four vertebrae in a polo match against the British Army and I had, after all, played in all the preceding matches to get you boys to where you can get all the glory. The one great debt I owe you was proposing me for Lord's. As you may gather from the photograph at the beginning of the blog I have been very keen member for the last 34 years or so and now qualify for my own named seat in the Pavilion. Okay, so that qualifies you for a child's portion of food at Gluttons provided you pay for the champagne. One incident you may have forgotten was ringing your presenter mate on the Today Programme, Radio Four,having heard a spoon playing butler, on the way into the office, and telling him forget the Butler because your governor could play tunes on his teeth. I still have the recording of the BBC interview which was hilarious. However, I lived to regret having accepted Robert Robinson's invitation to appear live on the Nationwide news programme, who were hosting a dentist convention that he Lime Grove Studios. Happy days. Use your initiative to find out my telephone number as I'm certainly not going to put it here. Best wishes Mark Great to hear from you,Geoff.Of course I remember the squash final and allowing you lifting the trophy However, as you observe I was encased in plaster having had a spinal fusion following the smashing of four vertebrae in a polo match against the British Army and I had, after all, played in all the preceding matches to get you boys to where you can get all the glory.

The one great debt I owe you was proposing me for Lord’s. As you may gather from the photograph at the beginning of the blog I have been very keen member for the last 34 years or so and now qualify for my own named seat in the Pavilion. Okay, so that qualifies you for a child’s portion of food at Gluttons provided you pay for the champagne.

One incident you may have forgotten was ringing your presenter mate on the Today Programme, Radio Four,having heard a spoon playing butler, on the way into the office, and telling him forget the Butler because your governor could play tunes on his teeth. I still have the recording of the BBC interview which was hilarious. However, I lived to regret having accepted Robert Robinson’s invitation to appear live on the Nationwide news programme, who were hosting a dentist convention that he Lime Grove Studios.

Happy days. Use your initiative to find out my telephone number as I’m certainly not going to put it here.

Best wishes

Mark

]]> By: DMC http://www.dmarkcato.com/2009/05/03/rugger-days/comment-page-1/#comment-274 DMC Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:14:03 +0000 http://www.dmarkcato.com/?p=8#comment-274 Great to hear from you Geoff.I certainly owe you a great debt for proposing me for Lord's.As you will have gathered from the photograph on the blog. I have had an immense amount of pleasure from this particular club for the past 34 years.I even now qualify from my own name see in the Pavilion. Okay, that warrants a child's portion of food at Gluttonsas long as you pay for the champagne. Sure I remember the squash championship. Okay, so you boys play in the final, as I was encased in plaster at the time, but who captained the team up to that point? Many thanks I do have my own copy of that particular photograph. The most amusing incident you failed to mention, was ringing your mate on the Today programme after hearing the spoon playing Butler and telling him that I could play tunes on my teeth. I still have the original BBC interview but wish I'd never gone to Lime Grove Studios for the live Nationwide News programme with Robert Robertson centred on a Dentist Convention. You were certainly a bit of a lad, I hope you have not changed. You will just have to use your initiative to find out my telephone number as I dare not put it here. I looked for to hearing from you. Best wishes Mark Great to hear from you Geoff.I certainly owe you a great debt for proposing me for Lord’s.As you will have gathered from the photograph on the blog. I have had an immense amount of pleasure from this particular club for the past 34 years.I even now qualify from my own name see in the Pavilion. Okay, that warrants a child’s portion of food at Gluttonsas long as you pay for the champagne. Sure I remember the squash championship. Okay, so you boys play in the final, as I was encased in plaster at the time, but who captained the team up to that point? Many thanks I do have my own copy of that particular photograph.
The most amusing incident you failed to mention, was ringing your mate on the Today programme after hearing the spoon playing Butler and telling him that I could play tunes on my teeth. I still have the original BBC interview but wish I’d never gone to Lime Grove Studios for the live Nationwide News programme with Robert Robertson centred on a Dentist Convention. You were certainly a bit of a lad, I hope you have not changed. You will just have to use your initiative to find out my telephone number as I dare not put it here.
I looked for to hearing from you.

Best wishes

Mark

]]> By: Geoff Dawson http://www.dmarkcato.com/2009/05/03/rugger-days/comment-page-1/#comment-272 Geoff Dawson Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:43:06 +0000 http://www.dmarkcato.com/?p=8#comment-272 Dear Mark I was astonished to read about your health problems in yesterday's Daily Telegraph - 24th February . Having read that article and now quite a lot of your blog , it is apparent you are dealing with life with your usual positive determination ; similar to the occasion in the 1970's when you had a bone taken out of your neck and , with your neck still encased in a plaster cast , you attempted to overrule Peter Sweet , Rod Bullough and myself and play in the final of The 1st World of Property Squash Championships at The Junior Carlton Club : remember ? - you didn't / we did , and we won the match . I have the photograph to this day ... let me have your email address I'll scan and send it to you. Our paths must have crossed in China , India , The UAE and elsewhere since those heady days of the '70's ... Remember the lunchtimes spent playing squash at The Lansdowne Club ; tormenting Wilber Stark over elaborate film scripts ; and you vigorously pursuading me to accompany me to a Lords Taverners cricket match I played in at RAF Cranwell when HRH Prince Charles bowled over the oppositon ? So many good memories Mark , but you are still an inspiration to everyone with your positive and determined approach to life . Oh! now that I am back in the UK , I'll still let you buy me lunch at Gluttons in Saffron Walden !! Keep smiling Geoff Dawson. Dear Mark
I was astonished to read about your health problems in yesterday’s Daily Telegraph – 24th February . Having read that article and now quite a lot of your blog , it is apparent you are dealing with life with your usual positive determination ; similar to the occasion in the 1970′s when you had a bone taken out of your neck and , with your neck still encased in a plaster cast , you attempted to overrule Peter Sweet , Rod Bullough and myself and play in the final of The 1st World of Property Squash Championships at The Junior Carlton Club : remember ? – you didn’t / we did , and we won the match .
I have the photograph to this day … let me have your email address I’ll scan and send it to you.
Our paths must have crossed in China , India , The UAE and elsewhere since those heady days of the ’70′s …
Remember the lunchtimes spent playing squash at The Lansdowne Club ; tormenting Wilber Stark over elaborate film scripts ; and you vigorously pursuading me to accompany me to a Lords Taverners cricket match I played in at RAF Cranwell when HRH Prince Charles bowled over the oppositon ?
So many good memories Mark , but you are still an inspiration to everyone with your positive and determined approach to life .
Oh! now that I am back in the UK , I’ll still let you buy me lunch at Gluttons in Saffron Walden !!
Keep smiling
Geoff Dawson.

]]> By: Daniel Alcon http://www.dmarkcato.com/2009/05/03/rugger-days/comment-page-1/#comment-153 Daniel Alcon Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:09:19 +0000 http://www.dmarkcato.com/?p=8#comment-153 Mark, Thanks for your reply. If you can stay positive I am certain that I can too. I will certainly draw attention to your blog. I still sit on the RICS UAE Board here in Dubai, so I will start with them. Is there an Arbitration Club branch in Dubai? I looked it up on the internet, but to no avail. Love your jokes by the way. Kind regards, Daniel Mark,

Thanks for your reply. If you can stay positive I am certain that I can too.

I will certainly draw attention to your blog. I still sit on the RICS UAE Board here in Dubai, so I will start with them.

Is there an Arbitration Club branch in Dubai? I looked it up on the internet, but to no avail.

Love your jokes by the way.

Kind regards,

Daniel

]]> By: DMC http://www.dmarkcato.com/2009/05/03/rugger-days/comment-page-1/#comment-152 DMC Sun, 03 Jan 2010 11:32:01 +0000 http://www.dmarkcato.com/?p=8#comment-152 Thank you Daniel so much for your very kind remarks about my blog. I hope other people find it as inspirational as you do which would mean that it is achieving its objective.You might be interested to know that we passed 150,000 hits at the end of the year. So pass it on to all your friends and colleagues in the hope that they will do the same and it might reach someone who will benefit from it. Have a great 2010 and good luck with the diabetes. I have many friends who have this complaint that neither perfectly normal life.forget about the negative side, amputation, and concentrate on the positive controling in your sugar count. Thank you Daniel so much for your very kind remarks about my blog. I hope other people find it as inspirational as you do which would mean that it is achieving its objective.You might be interested to know that we passed 150,000 hits at the end of the year. So pass it on to all your friends and colleagues in the hope that they will do the same and it might reach someone who will benefit from it.

Have a great 2010 and good luck with the diabetes. I have many friends who have this complaint that neither perfectly normal life.forget about the negative side, amputation, and concentrate on the positive controling in your sugar count.

]]> By: Daniel Alcon http://www.dmarkcato.com/2009/05/03/rugger-days/comment-page-1/#comment-151 Daniel Alcon Sun, 03 Jan 2010 05:19:00 +0000 http://www.dmarkcato.com/?p=8#comment-151 Dear Mark, Having received an email alert this morning that a former colleague at J R Knowles, Graham Atherton, had connected to you on Plaxo, I have spent the last hour reading various parts of your blog, culminating in your rugby career above. Very amusing!! Hope you remember me. I was the founder and chairman of the RICS UAE Group in 2003, based in Dubai. I was working for J R Knowles at the time with Graham and also Steve Exelby who I believe you studied with when you undertook your MSc. You gave a lecture to our Members in late 2004 and kindly donated a couple of your books to us to kick-start our library. I have been reading your blog in awe of your frankness and fortitude. I greatly admire your ability to retain a sense of humour at a time when it must be increasingly difficult for you to do so. I have recently been diagnosed with diabetes, which has its bad aspects including possible amputation in extreme cases, but this seems like nothing by comparison to your current trials and tribulations. Mark, I find your approach to your situation both admirable and inspirational and I wish you all the very best. Yours sincerely, Daniel Alcon, Dubai, UAE Dear Mark,

Having received an email alert this morning that a former colleague at J R Knowles, Graham Atherton, had connected to you on Plaxo, I have spent the last hour reading various parts of your blog, culminating in your rugby career above. Very amusing!!

Hope you remember me. I was the founder and chairman of the RICS UAE Group in 2003, based in Dubai. I was working for J R Knowles at the time with Graham and also Steve Exelby who I believe you studied with when you undertook your MSc. You gave a lecture to our Members in late 2004 and kindly donated a couple of your books to us to kick-start our library.

I have been reading your blog in awe of your frankness and fortitude. I greatly admire your ability to retain a sense of humour at a time when it must be increasingly difficult for you to do so. I have recently been diagnosed with diabetes, which has its bad aspects including possible amputation in extreme cases, but this seems like nothing by comparison to your current trials and tribulations.

Mark, I find your approach to your situation both admirable and inspirational and I wish you all the very best.

Yours sincerely,
Daniel Alcon,
Dubai, UAE

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