Its funny how this world of ours has a habit of taking a high moment and then kicking you in the guts. That’s how I felt on Monday afternoon when I found out about the sudden death of Malcolm Campbell. Malcolm was the long-standing Branch Secretary of Croydon UNISON, member of the Regional Committee, London’s Rep on the Conference (LG) Standing Orders committee. He was a dedicated and princcipled Trade Unionist who never compromised in his beliefs and he is a massive loss to our movement. He had so much more to give and was only 56 years old. Having taken a few days to get my head round it I wanted to remember him
To me, and many others Malcolm wasn’t just a Trade Unionist however, he was a friend and someone we looked up to. This job we do can be a thankless task sometimes. In that field people who understand and make time to support eachother are at a premium, Malcolm was such a person. He had been a long standing Branch Secretary when I took over Haringey and was always willing to take the time to offer advice when asked but also to ensure you didn’t think he was telling you what was right to do. That is something I shall miss enormously.
Death at any time is sudden but this was completely out of the blue, after having had a heart attack a few years back Malc had recuperated rested and then thrown himself back into his passions of UNISON, the Trades Council, Music and Football (I’ll even forgive him his choice of team Chelsea!) I saw him for the last time only on Friday when we were planning both for UNISON’s Local Government Conference and our annual trips to our other shared passion of the Folk Festivals.
Malcolm managed to balance his endless commitment to UNISON with his other loves. He loved nothing more than going here http://www.fairportconvention.com/cropredy.php and having been with him it often felt he knew the whole crowd in person. He camped with a group of friends and their families all of whom shall miss his so much as well certainly when we sing this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvtdF0z69io in the Summer year we shall think of him as we all stood together last year arm in arm to remember those that were no longer with us.
He will also doubtless be missed by his many friends at Chelsea and in his local down in Sutton http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/12/12043/Little_Windsor/Sutton. Where he shared many a laugh and enjoyed good company and good beer.
Most of all however my thoughts are with his partner Jane and his family, at this time of this tragic loss. There are many others who were touched by Malcolm and I know there were a lot of shocked and devastated UNISON activists around London and beyond as well as colleagues who are employed by the Union.
Goodbye Malcolm we shall all miss you, I shall remember you in so many different places this year: The Conference Hall, Cropredy, Tolpuddle, amongst them. It was a privilege to call you a friend and comrade
Wednesday 29 April 2009
Sunday 26 April 2009
Championes championes oleoleole
Woke up this morning with the hangover from hell but the still can't take the shitfaced grin off my face :) AFC Wimbledon the Club who according to the F.A. Commission (28.5.2002) were "not in the wider interests of football" have completed their journey to the top of the non league pyramid. It's been a long journey but there was something strangely familiar about the burning sunny day the copious amounts of alcohol and the general fan love in yesterday. It was just like Sanhurdst in 2002 in so many ways.
AFC Wimbledon was formed by ordinary people like me and is owned equally by ordinary supporters like me to this day and run as a fan democracy by our Dons Trust (and Industrial and provident society) with one member one vote. A certain ex chaitrman of a league Club once said football fans couldn't run a bath. well my bath sometimes overflows but so does my footballing cup :D
In seven years since we picked ourselves up from the shameful decision to rob our community of it's club and allow the league place ot be franchised to another town (Not a city as it claims!) we ain't done bad. Four promotions, two championships, a county cup and league cup, an appearance in the first round proper of the FA Cup. The purchase of a ground, the ongoing refurbishment of it (and ensuring we treated our co tenants properly) on and off the pitch the future is bright the future is yellow and blue :)
From a personal point of view I was delighted to present the WISA Player of the Year Trophy at half time to Ben Judge. ( I am the Treasurer of the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association) I thus got to be one of a select few fans who were allowed onto the pitch yesterday! The award was presented by myself and actor Alun Armstrong who is a long standing Wimbledon supporter. (If you doubt this just watch an episode of New Tricks and see how many times he manages to be in shot with Wimbledon merchandise or works the Club into story lines :) ) He was a very nice and approachable person as it goes and I would take a wild stab he is a good socialist to !
Oh and the day was completed by hearing that the Franchise Scum had lost at home thus ending their chances of automatic promotion. Now Come on Leeds, Come on Millwall come on Tranmere (or Scunthorpe) deal another blow for football and kill their play off chances :)
There will be many challenges ahead not least trying to increase the capacity at Kingsmeadow (the game yesterday was the latest in what I suspect may be a regular line of sell outs) For that matter the small issue of trying to secure a longer term home in our home borough ( albeit we are only 2 miles way from its boundary), turning professional and balancing all this with fan ownership. Still if Hamburg can manage it why cant we :)
We are wimbledon up and at here we go , singing wimbledon wave your colours to and throw, go with wimbledon follow us and see it through, shout and sign for the boys who fear no one , proud to wear the blue of wimbledon etc :) (We are Wimbledon F.A. Cup Final Song 1988)
Well done to Terry Brown and his management team, well done to the players, especially well done to those who give up their time to volunteer for our club. Thank you to those we elect to run it for us and those we employ to help support them.
AFC Wimbledon was formed by ordinary people like me and is owned equally by ordinary supporters like me to this day and run as a fan democracy by our Dons Trust (and Industrial and provident society) with one member one vote. A certain ex chaitrman of a league Club once said football fans couldn't run a bath. well my bath sometimes overflows but so does my footballing cup :D
In seven years since we picked ourselves up from the shameful decision to rob our community of it's club and allow the league place ot be franchised to another town (Not a city as it claims!) we ain't done bad. Four promotions, two championships, a county cup and league cup, an appearance in the first round proper of the FA Cup. The purchase of a ground, the ongoing refurbishment of it (and ensuring we treated our co tenants properly) on and off the pitch the future is bright the future is yellow and blue :)
From a personal point of view I was delighted to present the WISA Player of the Year Trophy at half time to Ben Judge. ( I am the Treasurer of the Wimbledon Independent Supporters Association) I thus got to be one of a select few fans who were allowed onto the pitch yesterday! The award was presented by myself and actor Alun Armstrong who is a long standing Wimbledon supporter. (If you doubt this just watch an episode of New Tricks and see how many times he manages to be in shot with Wimbledon merchandise or works the Club into story lines :) ) He was a very nice and approachable person as it goes and I would take a wild stab he is a good socialist to !
Oh and the day was completed by hearing that the Franchise Scum had lost at home thus ending their chances of automatic promotion. Now Come on Leeds, Come on Millwall come on Tranmere (or Scunthorpe) deal another blow for football and kill their play off chances :)
There will be many challenges ahead not least trying to increase the capacity at Kingsmeadow (the game yesterday was the latest in what I suspect may be a regular line of sell outs) For that matter the small issue of trying to secure a longer term home in our home borough ( albeit we are only 2 miles way from its boundary), turning professional and balancing all this with fan ownership. Still if Hamburg can manage it why cant we :)
We are wimbledon up and at here we go , singing wimbledon wave your colours to and throw, go with wimbledon follow us and see it through, shout and sign for the boys who fear no one , proud to wear the blue of wimbledon etc :) (We are Wimbledon F.A. Cup Final Song 1988)
Well done to Terry Brown and his management team, well done to the players, especially well done to those who give up their time to volunteer for our club. Thank you to those we elect to run it for us and those we employ to help support them.
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