It was an honour and a privilege to have been invited as a guest with my wife to share in your 75th Anniversary Dinner celebrations.
It turned out to be one of those very “special” nights in table tennis which are both heart warming and life affirming and I offer my sincere congratulations to President Joe Hickey and Chair Pat Hunter for leading and organising such a marvellous tribute to the many dedicated and talented administrators and players who have made such a great contribution to table tennis in Ireland.
President Joe Hickey, faced with a daunting task, delivered an outstanding speech which will surely form an important part of the Association`s archive, ensuring the marvellous work carried out by so many down through the years is properly recorded for posterity.
On a personal level it gave me great pleasure to share in the recognition of those legends of Irish table tennis who received special presentations from Ken Strong: Tommy Caffrey, Karen Senior/Walker, Tara Fusco, Andrew Dennison and John Murphy and those two Referees par excellence, Tony Phillips and my old friend Tony Martin.
It was an evening to renew old acquaintances and pick up the threads of friendships forged over many years and cemented by the common bond of our love of table tennis.
A special word of praise also for another old friend, Pat O Brien and his marvellous collection of memorabilia.
Finally, a word in honour of the venerable, the mighty Joe Veselsky. How good it was to see him again and when I pass on Joe`s best wishes to former twice World Champion, Johnny Leach, next week on his 90th birthday I will also be able to tell Johnny that Irish Table Tennis is in great shape, in very good hands and ready to take on the challenge of the next 75 years.
Congratulations and best wishes to all,
Richard Yule.