Can't help looking back

I'm pictured with John and Kathryn Crowe with their daughter Janice at a family wedding in 1981.

Although I enjoy looking back and publishing old pictures, far more of my time on this site is spent promoting future events. Maintaining a positive profile, and believing that things can improve, is an important part of developing any sport.

But after attending my uncle's funeral today (John Crowe) I can't help and look back at the way some things have changed for the worse.

My uncle was a bank manager and many of the tributes that have been paid to him were by his former customers. He would spend time with them, and understand their businesses, before putting his faith into many. He had the discretion to make lending decisions that saw many businesses take root. In recent years the banks have surely lost sight of the two reasons we want to use them - either to deposit money or to borrow. John was a prolific letter writer to the newspapers and ridiculed the appointment by his former employers of "Head of Customer Experience".

Looking back over my Uncle John's life also made me realise how good the post war years have been for most people. He was awarded the Military Cross for bravery in the Second World War but thankfully had good health at the end of it. We've had unprecedented good health since then but not everyone has made the most of it.

As athletes we generally do but maybe sometimes at the cost of selfishness. How many people can be successful but caring at business, spend a great deal of their time with the family, spend even more time and money helping other people and yet still have time to pursue a stack of personal interests? I know someone that did for nearly 92 years.

Enough of looking back. How many of us are going to get the best out of the rest of our lives?