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A greeting from Don and WalterDon't ask me how or why it happened, but this particular golf week at Pitlochry (I think it was '88 or '89 - my memory is not as good as Walter's), this was THE BEGINNING. 
Strange as it may seem we met these two Irish guys, Gerry and Perry, in the bar at the golf club on the Saturday. Now Gerry and Perry challenged Cliff Squires and I to a match. Which we duly accepted, especially as a Scottish pound note was at stake. Which Cliff and I naturally won. Gerry, in his wisdom, wrote on the note the word "Lent". Now there's a challenge, eh? I made a plaque with comments on it and the results of four or five future matches. Walter replaced Cliff for the last four matches, the last one being at Royal Portrush. The match was halved after we were dormy 3. This meant that the Irish contingent retained the trophy. Perry currently holds it. Gerry got in touch and asked Walter and myself to join him in Dublin for a few days. We landed in Dun Laoghaire and we spent a couple of hours looking for Gerry. As we had his address we went to it. We parked up at his flat number (and I use the term "flat" loosely) and pushed the lift button. When the door opened...there was Gerry! So we had made it. 
What a night we had!! Visiting all the well-known establishments. What Walter and I could not understand was that the drink driving laws didn't apply to Gerry, 'cos he said "if you get out of the car and stagger then you might get done." We breakfasted well and shot up to meet with Rosemary. To say we were amazed at the house/bungalow was an understatement. We played a round at Fortwilliam and dined when Rosemary joined us later. What a time! The hospitality was brilliant. But what pleased us most was that later Gerry had become Captain of the said golf club. We left Newtownabbey and went to Drumsurn to meet up with Perry and Gertie. That was the kind of introduction we had to meeting up with Gerry and Perry. When I say we, I mean our group, consisting of Ray Dowson, Mike Budd, Cliff Squires, Walter Alsop and myself. Whenever we get together and talk about old times you have only to mention Gerry's name and everyone smiles. That to me is the measure of the man. When I find out when his actual birthday is I will charge my glass and raise a toast hollering "slainte". God bless him! |
