Dear Malcolm, Barbara and David

It was so lovely to see you all the other day.  You were our first non-family visitors for more than a year (other than David popping in to see us on a non-rugby related matter a couple of weeks ago).

The reason for the visit was very surprising; that the Society had instigated a collection for my retirement from a working role.

I started my ruby career at Grangefield Grammar, missed a year after leaving school and started playing again as Captain of the first Stockton Colts side.  This was based on a group of lads from Billingham Community Centre youth club with Grangefield boys added.

In 1975 Alan Todd and I introduced mini-rugby to Stockton and I chaired meetings with other clubs to  arrange a programme of fixtures.  In these games the coaches refereed the games.  I gave up playing in 1980, finding it easier to get up on a Sunday morning for the mini-rugby if I hadn’t played the day before.

My son started playing rugby at Northfield School in 1978 and in the second year I started travelling to away games on the bus taking two teams to other schools.  I was occasionally asked to referee.  In 1980/81 I joined the Society.  I refereed until I was sixty five in 2006.

I took over from Terry Stephenson as Appointments Secretary for Sunday and midweek fixtures and later took over the re-appointments role for Saturdays.

The pandemic and my age persuaded me that it was time to retire from this role.  Alan Thompson and the computer based appointments system (WTR) has made my role less significant which made it easier to come to a decision.

I must say that I have really enjoyed my various roles in rugby and, as Malcolm is always keen to remind me, I have enjoyed unstinting support from Edna in all my endeavors. 

We shall use your gift for a few days in Cheshire where we will pursue our long time hobby of tracing our family histories.

By way of this letter may I ask Malcolm to arrange for these thanks and our appreciation to be passed on to all those who contributed.

Thank you once again,

Edna and Jim Fox