Although John was a right-hander he was a great supporter of the lefties, attending numerous meetings. He was a regular at Portpatrick, his favourite event. At tournaments for lefties only, such as our Championships, he would often volunteer to assist Alan with the starters duties so that he could be part of the event. John was a wonderful friend for forty years and was always fun to be with. I first met John through basketball; he was an international referee for many years, travelling all over Europe and officiating at some very high profile games. He will be missed by many.   By Ron Walker