mikebaldock

I remember quite clearly the day in mid-February, 1963, when I visited 19 Panmuir Road to meet Roger and Adrian with a view to becoming their flatmate. What a welcome I had – such warm, genuine men they turned out to be; such good cooks, too! I remember Roger from those times as being a keen rugby player, keen tennis player and organizer of twhat became known for a year or two as the Panmuir Road Tennis Tournament – doubles, usually mixed, to be played between numerous friends and invited guests. The day generally was fine, and the food worth playing your heart out for. Roger was such a gentlemen, kind, thoughtful, generous of time, and he had such a wonderful sense of humour. He would laugh at the fact that in those days to me a main course at dinner was not a main course unless potatoes in one of its varied forms was served. Roger’s love was rice (doubtless due to his upbringing in China) and after my initial astonishment at the fact that rice could actually be part of a main course I grew to love it, too. By the mid 1960s the three of us want our separate ways only to meet up at weddings and occaqsionally nat mutual friends’ celebrations. Our last meeting was at Charles and Joan Dawson’s Golden Wedding Anniversary in April, 2012. Such a joyful occasion that was, and it was so good to be able to sit and chat with Roger about old times, folks we knew, family and friends: such a warm-hearted, generous, fun-loving and caring gentleman.