There was quite a party up there. We had a week golfing. Norman also worked very hard in Rotary. He attended every meeting during what was an extremely happy year. It always is, if you have a popular President, and at that time we were very friendly with St. Andrews Golf Club. They visited us down here on his President’s Night, as they did every year.
For many years we had our Presidents’ Nights and various functions at the Heybridge Hotel in Ingatestone. I think Norman definitely had an interest there, because we received special treatment and could usually get any function there when we wanted it. I think he had a financial interest in many things until he lost most of his money. After May died, he had a knee replacement that went wrong. He had so many operations and he was laid up for years afterwards. It was a miserable time for him. He still lived in his great house. I used to visit him. He managed on his own, but he never got better and eventually he died. He had been a great friend and I have great memories of him.
Norman was followed by Tex Baxter. I never knew a great deal about him. He was on the Hornchurch District Council. He was a keen councillor and he lived off Hornchurch Road. I remember much about that year, although it was about the same. He died while he was a member of the Club. Gladys Baxter was one of our widows whom we used to see quite a lot of for a long time.
The next was Harold Rivett, the undertaker in Hornchurch. John Challis introduced Harold into the Club earlier on. He was a very serious little man, but very pleasant. He took everything seriously, even his cricket for Harold Wood. He had a walk and a way of his own when he was leading a funeral down to the Crematorium. He had a wonderful way of holding his hat and looking terribly pompous. He was a great Rotarian and took that as seriously as everything else. We had a good time under Harold. He was also an embalmer and was very proud of it. He persuaded me to have my father embalmed when he died, but I wished I hadn’t. I would rather see him as he normally appeared.
Although Harold didn’t play golf, he presented the cup that is still played for at Upminster Golf Club every year. His wife Margaret was very nice and worked very hard for the Inner Wheel, and, when they retired, they went down to live at Westcliff. She had leg trouble, so had a buggy and used to ride out quite a lot down there. We didn’t see much more of them.
Ken Webb took over after Harold died. 35
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