Thank you Allen Edwards 1930 - 2003
Earlier to-day I had posted on my Shaun Harrison Angler facebook page a picture of me with one of my snow carp captures, along with the heading...
When we wore an A.C.A. badge with pride and Allen Edwards would attend almost every angling show going, without claiming loads of expenses. They won so many pollution cases bringing the guilty to rights.
I then thought how much every angler here in the U.K. really does owe to Allen's dedication in protecting the future of our waterways. Allen gave up a real comfortable job working alongside Clive Loveland at Cadbury. Some will know Clive as being the person who held the pike record for a while when the record books were re-written with a 39 lb pike from Knipton reservoir. Allen landed that fish for Clive.
Some will know I worked for 25 years at Walkers of Trowell angling and country store and with my then boss, John Walker being on the A.C.A. committee, we were one of the largest individual fund raisers for the A.C.A. holding many film nights etc when there were very few angling shows for anyone to attend. Loads of classic old cine film stuff. The last one we did was right at the start of the VHS videos, but by then, there were lots more angling shows around. Lots of the big names of the 70's and early 80's would make their annual appearance at our shows. Richard Walker, Arthur Oglesby, Reg Rygini, Jim Bruce, Ken Walker, Bob Church, Ian Heaps and on and on, would donate their time to attend.
Suffice to say we used to see a lot of Allen and had more than a glimpse into the work he tirelessly put in, whilst hardly claiming any expenses - how things changed after he eventually retired.
The picture shows Allen with clip board, overseeing the weighing of a match at Nottingham's rowing course.
Allen was also the angling slot presenter on Radio Nottingham and was well known in these parts from his often used phrase...
"The voice from the kitchen". Whilst mentioning his wife.
I am also indebted to him for the first TV work I did after he had put my name forward for the producers to have a chat with me.
In the day, the A.C.A. under Allen's guidance, brought so many polluters of our waterways to justice. I feel it only right that Allen Edwards is never forgotten.
Thank you Allen, on behalf of all U.K. anglers, we owe you so much for what we have now.