The OGs

So, left to right: Nigel Summersall (not, I think it's fair to say, a great picture of him); Dad; Milnsie; Frank Woodgate; Barry Blundell (sporting some unfortunate headwear); a random; Fraser King; and Jenks. 

I don't know who the chap down the front is; another random. I would have guessed it was Jenks, except he's there in the tuxedo. 

These, then, were my Dad's close friends in Hong Kong, with whom he worked and played. We would see them and their families at weekends and social events.

With the exception of Nigel, this is pretty much how I remember them, i.e. having a good time, all the time. 

And perhaps that's not surprising. I don't think any of them came from particularly affluent backgrounds - Dad most certainly didn't - and then they found themselves six thousand miles from home, living an ex-pat lifestyle largely funded by the bank. 

Right up to the end of his life, Dad would still see Dave Milnes and Barry several times a year, and for a long time they would go on an annual trip away with a couple of other mates. 

In many ways, then, they were the precursor to my own beloved Good Gang. 

It was Dave's funeral, today. Mum didn't feel she could drive there on her own, which is why I came down to London, yesterday. 

And, actually, I was glad to go to the funeral, perhaps in some way to represent Dad, who would have been so saddened by it.

This was one of the many photos set out on a table at the pub afterwards. I've added one of Dave, his wife, Jane, and Mum and Dad as my Extra.