JOHN ANDISON PLAQUE UNVEILING, SATURDAY AUGUST 23RD 2025.

JOHN ANDISON WAS A KEY FIGURE HERE AT MANSFIELD PARK FOR HALF A CENTURY. HE NEVER GOT TO PULL ON THE GREEN JERSEY. IT WAS A GREAT REGRET OF HIS. HE PLAYED FOR THE PSA AND THE YM BUT HE WAS INJURED IN A GAME WHILE PLAYING FOR THE REGIMENT ON HIS NATIONAL SERVICE AND HE NEVER PLAYED AGAIN.

IN HIS TIME AT MANSFIELD, HE WAS FIXTURE SECRETARY, SEVENS CONVENOR, GROUND CONVENOR AND BUILDINGS CONVENOR. HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ANNUAL STAND INSPECTION, FOR THE REGISTRATION AND INSURANCE O A’ THE ADULT PLAYERS IN THE TOON AND FOR SENDING TEAMSHEETS TO THE SRU AND THE SCORES O GAMES WITHIN TWO HOURS O THUM FINISHING. HE WAS ALSO SOUTH ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR TWENTY YEARS, A SOUTH SELECTOR AND COMMITTEE MAN. ON THE HAWICK RUGBY CLUB COMMITTEE FOR FIFTY YEARS HE WAS A MAN OF FORTHRIGHT OPINIONS, WHAT EE SEEN WAS WHAT EE GOT, HE DIDNI SUFFER FOOLS GLADLY BUT EE AYE KENT WHERE EE WERE WI UM.

HE DID A POWER O WORK CO-ORDINATING THE HUGE EFFORT INVOLVED WHEN THE GROUND WAS PERIODICALLY AND DEVASTATINGLY FLOODED. HE ALSO HAD THE UNENVIABLE TASK OF LIAISING WITH THE FLOOD PROTECTION SCHEME PEOPLE.  SUFFICIENT TI SAY THAT THE NEW IMMACULATE POST FLOOD SCHEME WALL AND TARRING IS IN NO SMALL MEASURE DOWN TO JOHN’S NEGOTIATION.

THEN AS A TRADESMAN HE CARRIED OUT COUNTLESS WEE JOBS –SAVING THE CLUB A GREAT DEAL O MONEY OVER THE YEARS. DEBBIE OR LINDSEY JUST HAD TO PHONE AND HE WAS DOON HERE IN NAE TIME - HIS CAR COULD FIND ITS WAY DOON ITSEL – NO JOB TOO BIG, NO JOB TOO, SMALLDOOR HANDLES, TOILET SEATS, YOU NAME IT, JOHN COULD FIX IT.

HIS SAD DEATH LAST YEAR WAS A HUGE BLOW TO THE CLUB. MUCH OF HIS UNRIVALLED PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE WENT WITH HIM AS IT WAS IN HIS HEID IT WASNI WRITTEN DOON. WE OWE HIM A HUGE DEBT FOR ALL THE UNGLAMOROUS, BEHIND THE SCENES WORK HE DID WITHOUT SEEKING ANY REWARD. HE DEDICATED A HUGE PART OF HIS LIFE AND AN INCALCULABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO HAWICK RUGBY CLUB. WE SHALL NOT SEE HIS LIKE AGAIN.

THE CLUB HAD AGREED TO MAKE HIM A LIFE MEMBER AS PART OF OUR 150TH COMMEMORATION BUT IT WASN’T TO BE. WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GRANT HIM A REQUEST HE MADE IN HIS CONTRIBUTION TO OUR “VOICES OF HAWICK RUGBY” BOOK IN PROVIDING A NEW NOTICE BOARD ON THE HIGH STREET WHERE HE USED TO PIN UP THE HAWICK TEAM SHEET ON A THURSDAY NIGHT. AND TODAY WE ARE COMMEMORATING FOR POSTERITY AN UNSUNG HERO WHO NEVER SHOVED HIMSELF FORWARD AND IT’S IN KEEPING WITH THE CHARACTER OF THE MAN THAT AT INA’S REQUEST WE HAVE KEPT THIS WEE CEREMONY DELIBERATELY LOW KEY.