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On long weekends in Germany with friends from the Branch, he would often visit Oberhausen in the Ruhr, where he had studied and worked as a conductor on the German Railways, many years earlier. Once there again, lunch would be taken at the Zeche Jacobi Brewpub in the new shopping centre that has been built on the site of the former steelworks; a local landmark, which had been well-known to Andrew.
Possibly CAMRA's longest-serving Branch Secretary, he kept the South-West Essex Branch in order with a flurry of e-mails in which the text grew larger and the backgrounds ever gaudier, until his desired result was achieved.
He was the Branch 'Diary' who never forgot to send a birthday or anniversary card and he was also the unofficial Branch 'Mourner', attending numerous funerals on our behalf.
He worked tirelessly at the Thurrock & Chappel Beer Festivals on the cooling of the beer, while for Chappel he also looked after the washing of the festival glasses, production of the cask cards, and was the contact point for coach parties that wished to attend the festival.
He was the bane of present and past CAMRA National Chairmen, given to heckling at meetings whenever a perceived injustice frustrated him, often culminating in a theatrical "storming-out", with a tirade of invective, and occasionally having to return to collect a jacket (or cuddly toy) that he had left behind!
Rarely using just one word when a dozen could be deployed (particularly if they were German), he also had a phenomenal memory for those obscure facts which were so often useful in pub quizzes.
He enjoyed traditional pub games, especially Cribbage, and often demonstrated the 'Clifton Cut' (which left too few cards to deal with), the 'Clifton Shuffle' (which quickly wrecked any pack of cards) and always complained he was going to be 'mullered', if he ever got so much as 1 point behind in a game.
His great love of Real Ale (particularly stronger beers like Exmoor Beast), was matched by his enjoyment of wine (provided it didn't contain too much tannin), including some 'gorgeous' German Reds. He was also partial to gin & tonic, espresso coffee (particularly 'large' ones), and cheese.
Unwelcome questions that he didn't wish to answer were often fielded with a shrug of the shoulders, while if he was unhappy about something, he would mutter away about it under his breath.
He loved eating out with friends and enjoyed the fare provided by a wide variety of international restaurants, representing the many different national tastes. He also enjoyed holidaying with friends on the Canals in England and France, once losing his glasses in the Shropshire Union Canal, when he was caught out by a sudden gust of wind.
His love of the 'Garfield' (the cat) comic strip resulted in many themed cards for his birthdays, and when he bought a cuddly toy donkey it quickly became the Branch mascot. It was named 'Hophead', as he bought it while the Branch were travelling to visit 'Dark Star', the brewery that produces 'Hophead'; a particular Branch favourite.
Andrew was cremated at the South Essex Crematorium (Upminster) on Friday 5th October, after a well-attended service with over 100 mourners present. Quite a few of whom had to stand, as the South Chapel did not have sufficient pews.
Andrew had a 'Heart of Gold' and is greatly missed… |
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SW Essex Branch |
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© The SW Essex Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale To contact us: Email: swessex @essex-camra.org.uk or Phone: 07711 971957 |
