4 September 2012
We woke to a beautiful morning. Being Tuesday a perfect day to visit the golf club and see my fellow members of the geriatric club. We left as usual with Ollie and his Friendly Wheelchair Service, arriving around 10.30 and headed off across the course speaking to various members that we met. Just before 12.30 we headed back to the golf club and joined those members who had finished their round and were sitting outside in the sunshine. Although I felt perfectly well, when it came to it I didn’t feel like a drink and did not want any lunch. Couple this with no desire for one of my small cigars and you can imagine that I was concerned. I stuck it out until 2.15 when Ollie, he of the Friendly Wheelchair Service, picked us up again for the journey home.
Then suddenly, it came to me in a flash. This was probably the last time I would come to the club. A club which had become part of my life. It is a very special club which quite apart from the wonderful course (The Sacred Nine) all of its members are hand picked that is to say voted in on the basis that the committee believe they will be compatible with the existing Worlington members. I could not begin to recount the pleasure that I had received as one of this happy band.
All the time that we were there members came up to greet me warmly and effusively. In When it came time to leave, one after the other day came up, many of them, I believe, now realising that this really was farewell and they may never see me at the club again. This was obvious to me as some of them gave me a bit of a hug, or a stroke or squeeze, more than a normal, simple goodbye. Many of them, I believe, realised that they were probably seeing me for the last time and, as a member who had played once or twice a week and taken a very active part in the competitions or special days, I might be missed,
For me this departure was very emotive. I had been a member this club for the past 38 years and it had become a very important part of my life. The members, almost to a man, were people I would happily call friends and as such I was now leaving a large piece of my life behind.
A SAD DAY