John Sadler

 

Every member of the club has been saddened to learn of the death of our President, John Sadler. The club has never had a more energetic or more efficient member than John. He and Angela were hosts to the group leaders of the very first visiting party from the Civray Club in the summer of 1976. They have continued to host ever since, often receiving the same two guests.

Within a couple of years John had become the Club’s Treasurer and no one could have done a better job. It was at a time when we had to use every means we could muster to raise money the Club needed to continue and John produced the ideas and the energy for all efforts. There were dances of all kinds, often with accompanying refreshments, raffles and even jumble sales! Those were the days before we received a Town Council Grant or had started a Club draw. It was of course John who organised that lifeline without which the Club would never have survived.

After long and vigorous service as Treasurer, John became Chairman after Ray Wiseman and continued to drive the Club with the same energy and efficiency. He had the ability to make new members feel they were welcome at all activities and involved them as often as possible in the Club’s main activity of hosting our guests from Civray.

In his early twinning days John threw himself into learning the French language and found his usual success, with the result that he made himself well known and well liked in our twinned town. He will be just as sadly missed by our French friends as he will be by us.

When John’s health deteriorated a few years ago, he gave up the chairmanship and took over the Presidency and made his normal success of it. It was the last part of the tremendous debt that The Downham Market Twinning Club owes to John Sadler.

 

Glynn Howells.