Arthur Jessop Trophy presented to Colin

All of you who were unable to attend the AGM missed Paul James' excellent speech to commend Colin for the award of the Arthur Jessop Shield which we present each year to a club member for outstanding achievement and service to the club. And, if you didn't know, you will be equally pleased to learn that the trophy was presented to Shirley last year. David Aylett was awarded the prize in 2015. Here is the text of Paul's encomium:

"There is only one man in this room who was actually born on a bicycle, wrapped in hi-viz swaddling clothes and placed in the sidecar to his parents’ tandem where he spent his early childhood.

With his parents he was in at the founding of the South West London District association in 1948.

He became a National councillor for the CTC in 1964.  It was on the organising committee of the British Cycle Touring Competition that he met his wife.

From leading rides for fellow schoolboys he graduated to Chairman and President of the SW London District Association and National Vice President of the CTC.  He has never been one to sit back and take a free ride.

I first bought a bike only six years ago so my experience of him has been in his recent years, involved on nearly every Beginners Section ride I have known.

Thanks partly to persistent leafleting the Beddington Park rides are now growing in popularity and introduce cycling newcomers to the club but a couple of years ago hardly anyone came and this man was sceptical about their future.

But we asked him to stick with it.  He said he would and since then, rain or shine and one week snow, slush and ice, many times taking out only two or three of us, he was there every month by the Pavilion at two o clock just as he said he would be and despite his own doubts.

The committee was astonished to realise that his name was not on the Arthur Jessop trophy already and felt, albeit belatedly, that this omission should be rectified.  I am talking of course of Colin Quemby."

~ Tim

Thanks to Mike Morley for this photo