My Personal Memories of Tony Joyce
Back in the late 1960's because of a change in my occupation and work demands I gave up my role as a uniformed Scouter at the 2nd and joined the parents committee. At that time a young PL arranged a meeting with me and my late father-in-law who was also on the committee. This young PL came to see us with his father. He was concerned that the 2nd Scout Troop which had numbered 25+ was now down to just 6 because of lack of Scouters.
That PL was Tony Joyce and as a result of that meeting I returned to the 2nd as Scout Leader with my father-in-law, Harry Penfold Senior as my ASL. Between us we visited all of the Scouts who had left in the past 6 months and got nearly everyone back. The Troop did not look back and was strong for many years to come.
I have some great memories of Tony as my senior PL. Winter weekends in the snow at Chorley Lodge, dismantling, repairing and repainting the 2nd's trek cart in my back garden, and when I was given a whole tree - sawing it up cutting it into logs to distribute around the local senior citizens for free on the trek cart.
One of our annual camps was held at Fairthorne Manor. Our final night's camp fire had to be called off because of heavy rain, so we held a camp concert in our quite large marquee. One act, was one of my other PL's disrobing on stage down to a small pair of union flag underpants! Whilst this was happening the whole troop was la-la-ing the music to 'The Stripper', conducted by Tony. As this was happening there was an awful lot of laughter. In the semi darkness I saw a face at the door whom I did not recognise.... it was the visiting District Commissioner!!!!
Some years later when Tony was a Venture Scout Leader and I was ADC we scouted together again. Tony by this time had re-introduced 'Summit' to the District. I was asked to go along one year as mini bus driver, radio operator, part time cook and to lend a 'steadying hand' to the whole operation. I will always remember the awe in which the Scouts in my mini bus held the hills when they first saw them. But this piece is about Tony and me and I want to tell you about the journey home. We left Wales in torrential rain and we had gone only a few miles when we found that the windscreen wipers had an intermittent fault. Basically they kept stopping without warning. I made it a rule that on the return journey when everyone usually slept, that whoever sat up front with me as 'co-pilot' stayed awake and talked to me, the driver. On this occasion Tony was my co-pilot. A visit to the local garage proved fruitless as they weren't interested. So Tony and I rigged a piece of string tied onto one wiper in one window, across the dashboard out of the other window, and onto the other wiper. In this way we could get the wipers going again if they stopped, and in this manner we set off.
Driving down the M6 at 60mph in torrential rain when your wipers stop working is not much fun! So whenever it happened Tony was up leaning out of the window - getting soaked trying the get the wipers going again with our piece of string, and in this way we travelled all the way home to Southampton.
Tony was a great man, with a quiet manner and very relaxed, a modern term would be 'laid back'. His vision and enthusiasm in re-introducing 'Summit' to the district will be a lasting legacy to him. There are many young people who have a love of the outdoors, hill walking and climbing because of Tony's foresight and vision.
Although we had not been in touch over the last few years I had kept up-to-date with what he was doing with his brother-in-law, Mike Jackson.
Tony was one of life's gentleman and how sad it is that he has left us far too soon and much too young. My thoughts and deepest sympathy go to Ann and all of his family.
George Longhurst