John Russell

Message: John hello again...and beaucoup thanks to yourself, Holcroft C. who I can remember having to "seriously See Joe" one time, along with Newly, for indiscretion during Mass...and Terry Gander et al for putting this site/film together.
I live in Australia now in case I didn’t mention....not all its cracked up to be, by the way...bit Wild West still!!
I knew Fr. Wilkie before he came to Tollerton, as we came from the same small Welsh town Wrexham...and I helped him with the title shots/splicing the 16 or 8mm movies as they were then...I remember them very well as I must have viewed them a dozen times or more back in the day... I think there were a few more films that maybe didn't survive or not good quality at the time..such as Bonfire Night. However, for young Jim Mullins, should he ever read this...I am 99% that the race he is in on screen, was the 880yds on sports day...I was in the race in a Beauvale blue shirt...I might be wrong but I think young Jim won the Victor Ludorum that athletics day too...with T.Gander winning the mile and me second in that race. TG reversing/revenging the result of that years inter x-country.

There was also a film from the same year methinks...showing Kevin Marris crossing the line to win the senior x-country with Chris MacGuire second...I won the Intermediate with the Flying Cockney, Terry Gander second...and Tony Williams won the junior race...The finish line was on the front lawn. Tony Williams is in the Games part of the Hughtube...smiling and sitting on a bench next to G. O'Boyle. (Just in case you are looking for names.)
Lovely to see Fr. Calnan again...what memories. The words "See Joe...." in those days was akin to a modern day meet with Voldemort. Your day was never the same after receiving that command...then wishing that JEJB would make us repeat Salve Regina a dozen times after night prayers, due to mispronunciation of the lingo classicus, to delay the inevitable whack. Great memories. Hope some of this might be of interest....thank you once more to everybody involved with the site and lucky enough in their formative days...To Ride A White Swan.