At a time when the RFU is eager to recognise all the hard work put in by club volunteers around the country, there could be no one better qualified to receive such recognition than Woodford RFC’s Harold Colley who, at 74, is still exerting a major influence.
The club honoured the septuagenarian way back in 1999 when they presented him with a lifetime achievement award at their 75th Dinner and it’s not surprising when you hear all that he’s done for the club over the years.
He’s an amazing man who is quite unique, having been made a member of Woodford by his father, Colonel Colley, when he was born. “He hasn’t had to pay a sub all that time,” jokes club president Richard de Berry. “But what he’s given the club is immeasurable.”
Apart from doing his National Service as a 2nd Lieutenant in Palestine, he has never strayed far from his birthplace. Having followed his father into teaching until eight years ago he was headmaster of St. Aubyn’s Preparatory School in the town.
As a player and a 6'2" second-row he generally turned out for the second XV although did enjoy a season of first team rugby back in the 50s. He’s also been a very active committee member and was President for a time but his big contribution for the past 27 years has been the mini and junior section.
It was his foresight in 1974 that made Woodford one of the first clubs to encompass the mini/youth ethos and since then thousands of youngsters have enjoyed the benefits provided by the Essex based London 2 East club. Players such as Saracens fly half Andy Lee and Wasps and England Under 21 scrum half Alex James have Harold to thank for getting their careers started at a very young age.
As well as putting out five senior sides each week Woodford now field six junior teams and seven mini sides and Harold is still running the show to this day.
“Sometimes nearly half the first team have come through from the youth section,” says de Berry. “It’s helping us survive. We are doing well financially and holding our own in the league as well as having thriving local support and social membership, but without the mini and juniors it would have been difficult to sustain.”
Not content with his involvement in the youth of the club Harold never misses a first team match, home or away, and writes the match reports for the local paper.
He also produces the highly popular match-day programme which has taken over from the club’s newsletter The Acorn - so called for their approximation to Epping Forest - as its principal means of imparting information. “He makes every programme a fund of knowledge and humour,” says de Berry.
One recent programme in Touchline’s possession contained reports from two previous matches, a complete break down of their opponents of that day, together with the team line-ups. There were also such gems as, “If they squeeze olives to get olive oil how do they get baby oil?” and “Sign in what Americans call a ‘gas station’: ‘Coke 49 cents. Two for a dollar.’” A life-long bachelor, Harold is very much the mainstay of the Woodford family.
Jeff Probyn will be paying Woodford RFC a call in the near future to present Harold with a VIP tie and toast his efforts. If you recognise that someone in your club has put in the kind of effort which Harold has perhaps you would care to nominate them
