Having been pestered for about two years or so by 'Tumbling Bill'
Panton, KL and world Hash genealogist, as to which Hash was Glasgow's Hash Mother, I
finally tracked down Roger McIlroy, the founder of GH3 through a chance discussion with
Ronnie Robb (Wild Local) from Aberdeen.
Sometime in July 99. Conversation went something like this :- Ronnie "How's Nash Hash
coming along?" Steve "Great. Everything's in place, regos are going well, can't
complain". Ronnie "That's great. We are all looking forward to the event. Don't
let Scotland down now! This has got to be the best Nash Hash since Edinburgh!" Steve
"We wont. Hey guess what? We just realised that NH99 falls almost exactly on the 10th
birthday of Glasgow HHH. The one thing that bothers me personally is trying to find Roger
McIlroy, the guy who founded Glasgow Hash to a) get some historical background, and
b) find out which Hash he ran with immediately prior to founding Glasgow". Ronnie,
"Do you mean Roger McIlroy the guy that works for me?? Want his phone number??"
That was how - after about two years of trying EVERY ex Glasgow Hasher and pestering
(Sick) Nick Hoffman in Oz for trashing his old PC with the Hash History on it - that I
found Roger. Here is what he wrote, although it was submitted too late for inclusion in
the Nash Hash magazine, it clarified that Hague was Glasgow's Hash
Mother.
Steve (Barcode) Taylor
23rd July 1999
Stevie,
I promised I'd write something so here it is:
SOMETHING
No seriously...
The Glasgow Hash started with the setting up of Britoil in Glasgow and the associated arrival of Oilfield Trash from around the world. Along with the trash came a number of associated rituals, probably the most famous of which is of drinking too much and then trying to get off with the local talent.
At the time, the early eighties, free love had yet to reach Glasgow even though the rest of the world seemed to have already had had it and had moved on. So Glasgow was still a place where more subtle techniques had to be employed if any nookie was to be had.
This is what I found when I returned to Glasgow, my home town having sampled the delights of such far flung places such as Senegal, Italy, Oman, The Netherlands and Aberdeen on the way, all of which, with the possible exception of Aberdeen, where men were men and sheep were somewhat apprehensive, were much more welcoming to a lonely willie.
So the first idea was to get a mixed hockey team together and having hooked some talent under the subterfuge of sport, only let on after the game that the mixed part meant in the showers too. This captured what turned out to be the original hard core of the GH3: Carol McCutcheon, Shirley Naismith, and Mark Simpson. Only Mark, unfortunately, was keen on the showers so a second plan had hastily to be set up.
This was Hashing. The plan was born in the Basement of Archies Bar in Waterloo St where Mark and I had ended up after the girls from the Hockey team had gone home for their shower. I had done a Hash with The Hague Hash in the Netherlands and seen the possibilities along with the behinds of a lot of very nice Dutch girls. (I was a fairly slow runner in those days) Having asked where they kept their caps and discovering that they were actually quite willing to show me I realised that Hashing attracted just the sort of girls I could do business with!
So the first run was planned and a case of beer bought just in case anyone got thirsty. This was the famous "Dry Run" in Pollok Park set by Mark and myself (26th August 1985). Advertising was by Britoil noticeboards and word of mouth. Rumours were purposely spread that along with the free beer, free hash and even the much sought after free love might be available. So a good turn out resulted with even more stalwarts arriving on the scene notably Graham Dean, Wol Chaffe, John Nieto and Christine Flint.
A second dry run followed and as momentum built the "Inaugural Run" actually Run 5 was set up, complete with Founder Member T Shirts, Hash Sheets, Down Downs, by which time Maw and Paw Broon, Carolyn Grant were well on the scene and the Glasgow Hash had come out of the Britoil closet and was well on the way to becoming the Glasgow Institution it is now.
What happened to me? Well I was soon on my travels again, leaving behind the GH3 among maybe a few other babies, to Edinburgh then Copenhagen and now finally back to the Northern lights of Aberdeen again.. where men are still men and sheep are even more apprehensive...
I eventually did find love through the Glasgow Hash too, on a return visit.. and she wasn't even a member. She was Carolyn Grant's next door neighbour. Invited into a Hash Party to avoid complaints about the noise...Aye.. you just never know. We've got three children now, seven years later. I havn't taken them on a Hash yet. What! expose them to that riff raff...maybe when they're 21. Second thoughts.. make that 31.
On On
Roger McIlroy (BIGMAC)