Golf in the Hail

I went to play golf yesterday. It was a 2-man ambrose competition which Fred had entered us in. It rained, heavily, the wind blew strongly, the temperature was hovering around single digit and we had two hail showers during the game. But we carried on, along with 41 other pairs, and finished the round. We didn’t win a prize but Fred won a meat pack in the raffle. Jenny stayed home all day with the heater on. She took this photo.

We went to Uncle Charlie’s funeral last Wednesday. Alice rang me in the morning and asked if I’d mind being an usher. I turned up half an hour before the scheduled start of the funeral only to find the church almost full. “What do you want me to do?” I asked Alice. “Forget it,” she replied.

There were approx 450 people there, according to the NZ Herald. I think that was a conservative estimate. Lots of soccer and golf people. Peter Clapshaw, Charlie’s lawyer and one of the founders of Simpson Grierson, the largest law firm in Auckland, gave the eulogy. The Catholic Monsignor who took the service (in a Presbyterian Church) spoke well, then the tributes went on for over an hour. Two grandchildren, Fred, Rodney Walshe who is the Irish Consul and close friend of Charlie’s, Ross Roberston on behalf of the Government, two FIFA delegates, the chairman of the NZFA, and John Adshead and Kevin Fallon all spoke.

There were lots of anecdotes about Charlie. Fred told one about the time Charlie was taking some footballers down to Tauranga for a game. Charlie was not the world’s best driver and after a hair-raising bit of cornering one of the players in the back seat said: “Charlie, do you keep any toilet paper in the car?”

Kevin Fallon told of going to Old Trafford and meeting Sir Alex Ferguson in the lift. “Where are you from?” he was asked. “New Zealand,” Fallon replied. “Do you know Charlie Dempsey?” Ferguson said.

Jenny dressed up for the occasion.

The after-service tea at the church was a good time to catch up with lots of people. There was Guinness if you wanted, courtesy of the Irish Consul, despite the disapproval of the Presbyterian lady in charge.

We picked up my mother and went back to the house later. Her friend Vera spent quite of bit of time with her at Grace Joel as we didn’t think mum could sit through the service. It was just the relatives at the Dempseys and mum is good for Aunt Annie. She is one of the few people Annie still recognises and she and mum sit together and chat away.

It rained, as it usually does at funerals. I forgot to wash my car before going. All in all it was a great tribute and send-off to Charlie. He was a good man. None better, as Rodney Walshe said.