John
GendallJohn Gendall’s rugby interest was nurtured
at Lescudjack School and then with Mounts Bay Colts before he moved up to the
senior ranks. A wing forward who played a total of 107
games for us during the sixties, he left those duffel-coated, mini-driving days
as a panel-beater, became a miner, and has been for many years a patriarchal Mennaye
manicurist! Over the years John has experienced the highs and lows of life,
but has survived as a spirited ‘bionic’ man who has given stalwart service
along the way. His ‘craft and graft’ to help improve our clubhouse
and grounds (in particular – drawing envious acclaim from visiting teams)
has been exceptional, besides in the past having been a Colts Official, a member
of the Supporters Club, a fund-raiser, and a successful 3rd. team Manager! Not
surprisingly, and certainly most deservedly, John is a Life Member. ‘Jan’
admits to being occasionally irascible, but he is a dedicated, conscientious,
jovial and popular character. A
story from the past Over
the years a good number of ‘Pirates’ have played the demanding sport
of water polo, but not John. However,
he was with the tour party celebrating a fine Western Counties Cup Final win against
Cheltenham at Exmouth in 1966. Hostelries
such as the ‘Heavitree Arms’ and the ‘Deer Leap’ were visited,
where the intoxicating ‘black velvet’ mix of champagne and Guinness
heightened the spirits still further. – quite literally in the case of a
luckless John, who was carried shoulder-high along the pavement late in the evening
when a ‘panda’ (police) car suddenly appeared. At
the peak of the ‘swinging sixties’ John was left hanging from a tree
branch, his carriers had scarpered, the branch broke, and big ‘Al’ (Alvin
Williams) had to explain to the police on John’s behalf that it was a case
of ‘high jinks’, an accident which involved a man of good character.
Hear, hear! | 
