DEATHS AND OBITUARIES
tennis and excelling on both the athletic and rugby
fields. He went on to play rugby for Headingley and
proudly represented Yorkshire on the wing. In the
spring of 1982 Geoff was invited to tour with the
Anti Assassins to Kenya.
Further study then led him to St Paul’s College,
Cheltenham, where he studied PE before going into
teaching in Bransholm. Geoff then began training as
a physio before embarking on a long and successful
career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Geoff married Ann in 1983 and moved to Bramhope,
Leeds before having three children, Sarah, Emma
and Richard. He became a grandfather in 2011 to
Samuel and then Cora in 2014.
was then that John finally had the time to really
involve himself at the rugby club. He was a life
member from an early age and became president
for the 2012/13 and 2013/14 seasons. From 2014/15
to 2017/18 he was events co-ordinator. Nothing
was ever too much trouble. If something needed
doing John was your man. In recognition of all his
hard work, John became an Honorary Life Member
of the club in 2016. and after a number of years, acquired the tenancy of
Belmanear Wold Farm as well.
His passing leaves a large void at the club and in the
lives of all his many friends. John was a big man in
every sense of the word. Bob was very much a family man and he and Gladys
always put the family first, enjoying those wonderful
Christmases together and the summer parties. They
also loved their holidays with friends in various parts
of the world. Their other passion was playing bridge
and in their later years they spent many happy hours
both on bridge holidays and playing at the local
bridge club. It was very fitting that Bob had played
bridge the night he died and they had been awarded
the cup for the most wins that season.
(Adapted from John Machin,60-69, and Malton &
Norton RUFC, edited by R Dare)
Geoff retired in 2015, his love of sport still at the
forefront, spending his first day watching England at
Twickenham. Geoff and Ann enjoyed their retirement
splitting their time between the UK and Spain.
He was very involved with Settrington Church
serving as Church Warden for thirty years. For
almost fifty years, he was a very active member
of the Malton, Norton and District Lions and was
awarded the highest honour in the Lions – the
Melvin Jones Award for services to the community.
Bob will be sadly missed by all who knew him but
he will also be remembered for all the right reasons.
One of his friends always referred to him as an
“officer and a gentleman” – very fitting I think.
(Ann Smith)
(Bill Thompson, 47-53)
Robert (Bob) Thompson (42-48) was born at
Gowthorpe near Terrington, moving to Woodhouse
Farm, North Grimston with his parents in 1934.
John Tate-Smith (55-62) died on Saturday 27
October 2018 in York Hospital, aged 74.
Educated at Pocklington School during the Pitts-
Tucker era, John was a keen sportsman and enjoyed
rugby, becoming Vice-Captain of the 2nd XV rugby
team and on occasion playing for the 1st XV. He
was awarded 2nd XV rugby colours in 1962. He
was a member of the junior and senior swimming
squads and reached the rank of Sergeant in the CCF.
He was a committee member of the Play Reading
Society and a member of the Drama Society, taking
part in a number of school productions. During the
sixth form he was appointed as a House Prefect.
After Pocklington he went to Leeds College of
Technology.
During his working life John was a publican at
the Green Man in Malton, The Crown Tavern in
Scarborough and then The Crown & Cushion at
Welburn where for several years he hosted the
OP Malton dinner.
John continued his passion for rugby as a loyal
supporter of Malton and Norton Rugby Club
over many years. On retirement he and his wife
Maggie moved to the family home in Malton. It
30
He enjoyed his years at Pocklington School and
would often reminisce about different events and
the friendships he had made with other pupils
from the school. He loved to talk of his time at
Wilberforce Lodge which bordered the airfield.
They would count the bombers taking off and keep
their fingers crossed that they would all return in the
morning. He was keen on both rugby and cricket,
received his colours at both sports, was selected to
play for Yorkshire Schoolboys at rugby and played in
both games against Wales and Lancashire.
After leaving school he completed his National
Service and was selected for officer training at
Sandhurst. After receiving his commission he
was posted to Benghazi in North Africa to train
Mauritian soldiers. On returning from Africa he was
able to relax and enjoy his time playing rugby once
again for the very successful Duke of Wellington’s.
After leaving the Army, Bob had a spell in hospital.
He was nursed by a young lady named Gladys, an
encounter that changed his life – they married very
shortly afterwards and had over sixty very happy
years together with three lovely daughters, five
grandchildren and two great grandchildren. When
he married, he moved from the family farm at
North Grimston to Wold House Farm, Settrington,
Paul Woodhouse (71-75), who died unexpectedly
in January, was the former chief sub-editor of the
Yorkshire Evening Post and night editor of The
Yorkshire Post. He also handled copy at the Press
Association and the Daily Mirror, for whom he was
working up to his death. Born in Exeter, he had
begun his career on the Widnes Weekly News,
before moving to Bradford and then to Yorkshire
Post Newspapers at its old building on Wellington
Street in Leeds. A chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral
in his youth, he was an accomplished saxophonist,
flautist and singer, a founding member of the Ilkley
chamber choir Pinsuti, and a composer and set
designer at Ilkley Playhouse. He was married with
three grown up children.
(From the Yorkshire Post)
STAFF RUGBY TEAM - ANSWERS
L-R back row: Sean Houltham, Gary Kilsby,
Mike Evans, Tom Taylor, Richard Bond, Martin
Davies, Russ Parker, Mike Newhouse, Nick
Tomazewski,
L-R front row: Garry Binks, Andy Towner, Dave
Galloway, Trent Morgan, Rob Peel, Martin
Butcher, Ray Denton, Neil Sissons.
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