That’s me in the photo, on the right, with Seb Coe today, showing off my prize possession – a jar of cinders from the London 1948 Olympic track at Wembley Stadium, which was later re-laid at Eton Manor Boys Club to form the first floodlit athletics facility in the whole of England.
I was pleased to discover that Seb was aware of Eton Manor’s historic significance. And, as he said, another important chapter is now beginning.
For some of my fellow old boys, it was a real lump-in-the-throat moment as that digger tore into the old sports hall which played such a major role in our lives.
But I’m not such a sentimental man. For me, the most important thing is that Eton Manor is once more to be associated with top-class international sport.
It was the proudest moment of my life when I became a member, aged 13 years and 11 months, in 1952. The star of the club was Harry Malin, a two-time Olympic Boxing champion. He, and everyone I met in those years, inspired me and shaped my life in some way. They are all heroes, and an example to young boys of every generation.
Although I’ve long since moved out of Hackney, I’m still an active member of the Eton Manor Association, which maintains Rugby, Athletics and Swimming sections to this day.
I also chair the War Memorials Committee, and we’ve reached an agreement with the ODA that allows me to come down regularly to make sure the monuments to our veterans are safe and being treated respectfully.
So I’ll be back to check on their progress and – God willing – I’ll be here as a proud spectator and a witness to the historic events in August, 2012.
