One of my abiding memories of Charlies funding draws was the speed at which he got out of the blocks. While others were thinking of making a move Charlie would have made his way to Claudy and sold twenty or thirty tickets before anyone else had time to sneeze. The only consolation for someone else like myself was that because Charlie loved his car and treated it so well he didn't venture up bad lanes, leaving these for me and my four wheel drive. Charlies treasurers report at annual general meetings was an individual work of art. Charlie had all transactions and workings in his jotter with various invoices, receipts and memos and no one only Charlie would have made any sense out of them but he would always manage to balance the books and account for every penny raised and spent. Charlie was a man of great humility and one story graphically illustrates this. When Charlie was elected as Derry clubperson of the year in 1989 he had to travel to Dublin with several committee members to meet the GAA top brass and receive his award. Charlie, at that time had (no offence meant to Nissan owners) a Nissan Sunny and upon arrival at the Berkley Court hotel in Dublin he found himself surrounded by Rolls Royces and Mercs. Immediately he shouted to his companions, “sit where you are lads till I hide this thing round the back”. This, I think was the occasion that Charlie vowed to himself that never again would he be caught with an unfashionable motor and so began his love of driving a decent car from then on. Apparently, on the same night he was rather fascinated at how the “other half” lived, being particularly astounded at being able to take a phone call in the hotel bathroom from a GAA dignitary and at being able to turn on the gold plated taps, a far cry from what we were all used to back in Craigbane.Finally, Charlie will be badly missed by us all and the Craigbane club again offer their condolences to Charlies wife, Marie, his sisters Annie and Teresa, brothers Patsy, Vincent and long-time friend Johnny and the entire family circle.
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.

John Hood on behalf of the committee Craigbane GAC.