Contact nov 2016

Good Bye Old Friend._ a tribute to Arnold Wride I was in St.John’s one Sunday morning dri ing around like I generally do when a voice whispered into my ear “How do you fancy an interes'ng and absorbing job?”

I looked round and there was Arnold Wride. What I did not know was that Arnold was looking for his successor as Churchwarden.

I said to him that I was already very busy in my job as a Ship surveyor. No, he said a task that could occupy some of your evenings. I men'oned that I had a wife, two boys and a dog all of whom liked to see me occasionally. Of course the upshot was that I did accept the request and became a Churchwarden. I knew that if I had a problem I could always turn to Arnold for advice and indeed did so, several 'mes.

I had known Arnold in one way or another for years; from the 'me of his daughter’s wedding day when as vestry clerk I relieved him of his top hat and then presented it back to him at the conclusion of the ceremony. I believe this was the only aspect of the ceremony that he had not rehearsed! Our PCC days together, work par'es and fetes, and right back to the days when with him and Marion Avril and myself went on several occasions, to a folk club held in the old HMS Dilligence naval ra'ngs quarters in what is today loosely called the church car park, but was then part of HDC Some of you may remember listening to both Marian and Arnold singing in church, during of our social evenings, some of their wonderful folk songs like “The mighty ship Herzogin Cecille”.

I did not know him well, as he worked in London from Monday through to Friday. A er he re'red of course we met up with each other on numerous occasions and became enmeshed in all sorts of ac'vi'es as diverse as work par'es – where he was known to enjoy the odd bacon sandwich and cup of tea – The wonderful Armchair Travel Club and Quiz nights and the even more infamous Call my Blu: evenings with Arnold’s peculiar mind dreaming up words like Bar'zan and Shalloon and the even more convoluted de;ni'ons of such words! When a<ending one of these evenings he would o en say to me “Would you like to try a drop of this bi<er or stout – he was a great home brewer!

Arnold was interested in a wide range of subjects. He was a very interes'ng person to be with - simply because he had so many interests.

I and I know many other people will miss him, God bless you Arnold Till we meet again, Tony Bates MBE.