Ian Fitzgerald with his wife Pauline.

This article was previously published in the Eastcote Hockey Club newsletter, edition no. 813, December 2021.

1930 – 10.12.2021 

It is with great sadness and an immense sense of loss that Eastcote Hockey Club (EHC) of Ruislip, Middlesex, announces the passing of one of its greatest sons, Ian Fitzgerald. Ian represented the life and soul of the club for well over 50 years. He was 91.

At about 9pm on Friday 10 December while socialising with his wife Pauline and three generations of his family, Ian fell asleep in his chair at the home of one of his grandchildren and passed away peacefully without any indication to those around him of what had befallen him. They thought that he had just fallen asleep!
To say that Ian lived life to the full would be an understatement to all who knew him well. Even in his twilight years he was fully active at EHC, having been re-elected as the Club’s General Secretary for the forty-second time in September.

And in his ‘spare’ time Ian was equally industrious in the affairs of his local Church. Ian was a devout Catholic and he was not only devoted to the spiritual aspect of his faith but also helped, in practical terms, the local priest to conduct his many ecclesiastic functions during each week. Ian was a man of action even unto the very end of his life.

With respect to EHC, there were three spheres of influence that defined his value to the club.

In his younger days he played in the First XI. He was a deadly striker and seemed to find the goal from whatever angle from which he was shooting. He also played as an inside forward with the vision to snake passes through the defence to his forwards, who anticipated his passes and latched on to them with very little effort. In his day Eastcote were very fortunate in having several penalty corner specialists. Ian was one of them along with Wally Howe and Denzil Beale.

His membership of EHC did not rest in his capacity as a player. For over forty years he served the club as its General Secretary alongside Graham Pile as Chairman. The Club Secretary’s duties are managing the administration that enables the club and its members to function effectively, along with having close involvement in the general running of the club. This alone should have kept anyone extremely busy without much spare time for any other activities; but Ian somehow found time to take on the role of Bar Manager which entailed him placing the orders to keep the bar well stocked and even serving behind the bar himself regularly. He was also the club’s Maintenance Manager including keeping the bar equipment up to scratch.

Even then, Ian’s workload did not stop. The laying down of a new Astro pitch, the rapid increase of the number of men’s and women’s teams and the phenomenal enlargement of the colts section not only meant more administrative work for Ian, but he was also directly involved in playing hockey every week, coaching the youngsters every week, and helping to prepare the club premises for an increase in social events that inevitably followed the growth of the club. Ian was always one of the first helpers on the scene if the club hall needed decorating.

Lastly, in his later years, Ian took up serious umpiring. Even there he was involved, for many years, in the administration of the Middlesex Umpires Association. He appointed umpires for several games at the weekends and even regularly umpired himself. Ian got involved in the administration of university hockey umpiring by making himself available to umpire several mid-week games. One would think that there was not enough time for any one person to carry out so much work. Yet Ian was not just “any” person. He was extraordinary. He was determined to work on and on, and then work some more.
In addition to the above, Ian, along with Pauline, found time to raise four wonderful children. Susan, John, Mark, and Scott are a fine bunch of kids who are a tribute to both parents in their approach to life.

Ian was an Anglo Indian who was born and raised in Bangalore (as it was then called), India. He was sent by his parents to one of the best secondary schools in the Indian sub-continent. He was a product of the Raj and the school he attended was founded in 1856 by the Jesuit Fathers just one year before the Indian Mutiny in 1857. St Mary’s in Mumbai was a top private school and attracted the attention of many Anglo-Indian parents who had lofty ambitions for their children. Ian was a boarder there throughout his secondary school years, and though he went home each year for holidays, his character and principles were moulded by the Jesuit Fathers who figured prominently in his formative years. It could explain his dedication to his faith in the Church and his devotional work ethic.