There's quite a few toasts to come so please make sure your glass is well charged and please try to look interested.  I hope there will be one to you Pross for making his all happen............. a fantastic achievement to get us all together.

"Youth is wasted on the young."  Attributed to Bernard Shaw but certainly applied to me when i think of Jonah and of course, his dear wife, Jane.  All those wonder weekends playing for TH and The Hornets.  Staying at 16 Boltons Court.  A free bed breakfast, dinner, Match of the Day,TWTWTW That was the week that was with David Frost, Lance Percival and Millicent Martin. How Jonah loved that. A lift to the match in the Bentley Continental. Then all those wonderful trips with the Hornets.I still have Jonah’s letter of 25 September 1964 presenting me with my Hornets tie saying he saw no reason why I should not become an International! Did the Hornets ever lose a match? I can't remember one. All those incredible Easter Tours to Bremen, Hamburg, Hannover, Bloemendaal. And perhaps Jonah's finest hour being the defeat of India the Olympic Champions 5-2 in London. I think David you scored all three goals!

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Did I ever write a proper thank you note? Did I ever present Jane with some flowers - I fear not. And then the 66 Tour of Australia. I was 22. Married with a two month old baby son. A trainee Insurance broker with JH Minet at Lloyds. What an opportunity. My dear wife, Jane, ever supportive, said "Go for it ". I went to my Director and confidently asked him for six weeks off to play hockey for GB. To my consternation he said that it would set a precedent and he couldn't give permission. I was dismayed - especially considering that I was the lowest of the low and paid a pittance. I gave in my notice on the spot, came home and rang my good friend and hockey player Alan Hills, a builder in Colchester. I told him the story and he engaged me as a navvy for 8 weeks. Not only did I get extremely fit from digging, hod carrying and general labouring - all at double time (much to the amazement of my fellow blokes) - but with overtime I earned much more than in my City job.

 

And what an unforgettable experience that Tour was. Our average age was around 23 with Ollie and Sinc at 21, the two Geoffs and Floodie at 26 and you, Alan, an ancient 27. I think five of us were married so at least five Golden Weddings. Did I really understand what a great privilege it was to play for my Country, to see more of Australia than most Australians would ever see and play on those iconic cricket test grounds (the Gabba and the W.A.C.A)? I don't think so. Youth is indeed wasted on the young. More of that to come from Tony and David.

 

But I'm here to propose a toast to you Jonah. Just think of it. Jonah was born in 1908 so he was 58 in 1966. He died of a heart attack in 1990 aged 82. He had served in the RAF in the War and become a very successful businessman (he would be called an entrepreneur today). He played for Tulse Hill and was instrumental in establishing the club and its place as one of London's best. He was the first Englishman to be elected to the F.I.H. and was later awarded their badge of honour. He served as Hockey Association  Match Secretary from 1957 to 1960 and was an H.A. Vice President and Chairman of the H.A. Management Committee for two years until his retirement in 1982.

 

He gave an immense amount of time and service to hockey. I have been talking Pat Rowley and Alan Page about him. Alan advised him on financial matters and was his Executor and told me how generous Jonah was to many well known names in hockey. Maybe, to some of you here. Before our tour Jonah had managed very successful tours to South Africa and Kenya. Just before our Tour he lost coach Dickie Dickens, who was unwell and so he took 18 young men round Australia , playing Six test matches against the Olympic Bronze Medalists (who had beaten GB 7 0 in the Tokyo in 1964), most of the State sides and 22 matches from Cairns in the East to Kangoorli the West with Crookwell (who can forget that mud bath?) somewhere in the middle – all in 38 days. We travelled some 7,000 air miles and 1,500 road miles in Oz, staying with families to keep costs down. With every stay flowers were given and thank you notes made. Every day two duty boys were selected to make sure everyone arrived on time and luggage was stowed etc. We were never late. Talk about a lesson in good manners! And after every match there were drinks , dinners, toasts and speeches. I think we can all see Jonah's tumbler filled with lemon slices that denoted the number of gins consumed. They can't be any other international managers who have the name of Gordon put in their official title. Was he ever flummoxed or off form. I can only remember the famous    "we have enjoyed the night stubs" speech. I asked him how he did it and he said there were many times when he threw up in his bedroom but he was determined to show the Aussies how to behave and particularly to drink Charlie Morley, the Ozzie Manager, under the table! Remember that we too were encouraged to out drink our opponents and there was never a curfew. What would modern managers think? But esprit de corps was his guiding principle . Team before individual at all times.

 

Then in 1967 it was all to end. Our performances in the London Tournament were not good enough and Jonah was sacked. Geoff Cutter became the new GB manager and promptly got rid of me Geoff Nott and you, David. Geoff Cutter wrote me a postcard telling me that I was no longer required and could I return my shirts preferably ironed a.s.a.p.! Talk about how not to manage! I got a letter from Jonah saying how sorry he was for me and you Geoff but making no mention of his own dismissal. He really understood the value of keeping a team together over time and building a really strong team spirit. (Sir Alex Ferguson comes to mind) I did also get precious notes, from you Tony and you Sinc, saying how you could not believe I had been omitted. I still have them. I don't have the note from Cutter.

 

On reading your excellent notes on the London Tournament Jeremy and your "what if we had beaten India" comments I think they were so true. I think if Mike Corby had been in the side we would have had the extra fire power to score the few crucial goals needed. You highlight, Jeremy, that we only needed a couple of goals to convert those draws to wins and go way up the table. What a different outcome it could have been. Mike Corby, myself and you Tony were to enjoy success with Southgate winning three European Club Championships with Roger Self as our coach, who of course went on to take GB to Bronze and Gold Medals in 1984 and 1988. If only Jonah had had Roger with him and Mike in the side what might we have achieved.

 

But all our lives are filled with “what ifs”. Our careers, our wives, our children, our grandchildren, our triumphs and disasters - all happening by chance. But it was for all of us to have the fortunate chance of being in your team Jonah.....to learn so much about thoughtfulness for others and good manners, to give our all for the team, to take defeat on the chin and be modest in victory. To have an unforgettable amount of fun and excitement, whose memories have stayed with us throughout our lives and have brought us here today.

 

I didn't thank you properly then, Jonah, but thank you, Pross, for giving me this chance now. Thank you, Jonah, for all that you gave to us, for your generosity, your kindness, your great good humour and integrity.You live on in our memories .We raise our glasses to you and trust that there is enough gin and tonic up there to last forever.

 

A toast to the one and only - Jonah “Gordon” Jones.

 

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