Dave
 
God iv put off doing this as iv lost so many good friends lately I need to block sadness out or could end up seriously depressed.
 
I knew David from about the age of 6 we used to walk to school together every day and I think we were in the same class in the infants and juniors at chapel fields.
 
Trying to pick out individual times we did this and that is tricky as we all used to all hang around together over the park, a bunch, some older some younger to name a few.
 
Dave, Nason Alan, Sally Clucky, Dean Villanueva (apparently he came from Spanish royalty) according to him anyway, Gerard also known as Gerard jerundies ) and later came Adam and Stephen and screwy( dad was a copper) that was our corner of the park.
 
 Then you got Lud flom booey Dez Cliff, Bozwell, Jayne, Danny, sponge, blockhead Wow the list goes on and all characters and all part of growing up.
 
Life was simple, we got the 70s music Supertramp, Elo. We got the summer of 76, We got bikes, we got football, we got piggy back fights. Trackin over Wentworth. We got this …Probably the best feeling as a kid,,, we got the first day of 6 weeks off in the summer.  Is there any better feeling.
 
So i think maybe trying to explain the times we all spent together as a group  may be a better way of explaining memories of Dave.
 It wasn’t that he didn’t stand out he just didn’t want to, Most of us were trying to prove something, whose the coolest whose the naughtiest whose the maddest whose the hardest etc  Dave just wasn’t interested he just was himself no more no less but always there with a smile on his face always there when you needed a friend, always there when you needed a chat…. just always there, wouldn’t judge, wouldn’t gripe and always laughed at your jokes no matter how crap..
 I think I can safely say that I never heard Dave say a bad word about a single soul in all the years I’ve known him now that’s a rare quality if not maybe unique. I would also add I have never heard anyone say a bad word about him.  Even rarer.
 
 Even the last time I seen him even though he knew he was really sick he was still the same mate I knew as a kid, nothing had changed still smiling, still laughing still shining. Never changed who he was, never tried, why would he.
 
I remember a time in English when we were probably about 9 or something and we used to have to read a poem out loud in front of the class. It came to a poem that started, and I remember it to this day   “Molly Vickers wets her knickers”   and whose turn was it to read.. yep David the slightly shy kid, he couldn’t read it for ages as he was laughing so hard. Golden !  Google the poem.
 
Another time we was walking home from  School,   it was lashing down and the park was flooded and had massive puddles everywhere we were that wet we just decided to do the footballers slide in every massive puddle we came across. In for a penny in for a pound. Soaked to the bone, I bet Margaret was impressed J  May as well be hung a sheep as a lamb was the attitude. Memorable.
 
He got into golf… probably because the rest of us were just causing attention seeking mischief of which he didn’t want any part of  (good call)  and started taking a few irons over the park, we all had a crack but soon found out it was a tough game for dedicated people not us,  but Dave persisted to become an excellent player with a great temperament for the game. He is on the honours list at Robin hood numerous times.  Testament to a dedicated player.
 
 One funny now but not at the time incident was when he gave Adam a go of his iron from the top of the park, Adam actually hit a decent shot down to the bottom field 150 yards away and hit bonzos dad square on the top of the head. He was ok just really pissed off. Everyone legged it. Funny if not scary.  Bonzos dad was a bit of a bruiser.
 
Another time I remember is when he asked me to golf with his dad and Nasons dad to hatchford brook.  Id played a bit over the park with Dave so could hit the odd ball but never been to a coarse. We started on a par 3 with players on the green, so the conversation from the grownups was,,, let him, (me) go first, no chance he will reach the green then I heard a term id never heard before……FORE !! I Actually copped hold of one, Dave was doubled up.
 
We used to build some cool dens as a group over the park under Alans instructions of course ! Now there’s a lad who you could fall out with daily J joking ! My only recollection of Karen as kids was when me and Dave went into her bedroom to ask her something and all you got was this glare,  as if to say .. What on earth are you bratty kids doing in my room J
 
Margaret patched me up after I fell off by bike outside her house the once. Big gash on knee still got the scar. Thanks Margaret I was in so much pain J # lifesaver.
 
 I think the first time we got drunk was around Nasons house Dave was there. Woodpecker cider. I think 1 bottle got all 5 of us on the way.
 
Carol singing, off we went,  extortion really, a barbers quartet we wasn’t.
 
David was always with us we had some laughs and some great memories. Big thanks to our parents for putting us all in such a great place to grow up.
 
After school had finished everyone sort of went in different directions.
 Mortgages, jobs, marriages, divorces other mundane nonsense got in the way but from what I know Dave didn’t go down this route. He loved his golf, loved living at home with his mom, loved going out with his dad and working with Alan. Loved his life and was happy, Isnt that the most important thing.
 
In conclusion with tears running down my face id say… Dave was all the qualities of the human race and had none of the darkness and although we never seen each other as much as I would have liked in later years it was just so great to know you were still around the corner where we had such a great time growing up. Sort of a comforting feeling.
And what id give to go back to that first night of the six week holiday break from school,  with it all to come, in the summer of 76, with you and the rest of us just loving life.
 
 
Will miss you a lot  mate RIP
 
Rob Yoggi Choggi