Woodside Morris Men: Officers of the side

Most Morris teams exist with a committee type structure, usually with a leader, a dance teacher, a secretary, a treasurer and leader of music. Woodside's committee of officers reflects the Morris Ring styled club structure, with a Squire, Foreman, Bagman, Treasurer and Lead Musician, fulfilling the above roles respectively. Our current officers have been encumbent in their roles for some time now, and it all seems to work very well...

Squire: Dave Lang

Dave has spent nearly a quater of a century among the ranks of Woodside Morris Men, in which time he has previously served as Squire, as well as Bagman. Although he enjoys dancing a wide range of Cotswold traditions, it is easy to tell where Dave's passions lie; he doesn't hark on about the finer attributes of the Bampton dances, but whenever he discusses their performance with you, the fire in his eye burns brightly. Dave has only danced with Woodside as a team, but learned his first Morris dance at Folk Camp to the tune of Portsmouth, which was the only tune the musician could play that fitted!!. Wife Ann sings with the Aeolian Singers and can often be heard adding a little depth, nay class, to the Woodside chorus.

Foreman: Dave Pearse

Dave has danced with Woodside across four decades, being visible in a number of pictures in the side's 1970s scrap-book; strangely though, he looks older then than he does now. A 'loverly little dancer', as an anonymous former member often describes him, Dave has been Foreman for longer than most can remember, taking up the role sometime in the 1980s. His superbly weighted 'Hmms' on practice night strike fear into the heart of all Woodside Men, and a comment of 'not bad' is seen as his highest mark of praise. Dave's wife Sue dances with the Harrow based women's Northwest Clog side Whitethorn.

Bagman: Tim Rabjohn

Tim has taken hold of the poisoned chalice that is the Woodside bag, and has done sterling work in getting the side organised, and bringing new respectability to the role. Tim is Woodside's Beer and Pub connoisseur (though there is a nasty rumour going around the team that he was once seen drinking lager!), and would likely be a pipe and slipper man if only pipe smoking wasn't so racey. Tim is Woodside's most 'comfy' member with partner Jean always ready to minister to his comfort requirements. Tim has a pathological fear of sparklers (the ones you get on draft beer pumps up north).

Treasurer and Lead Musician: Pete Flanagan

Pete Flanagan has not only the awesome task of taking over the music from Woodside's legendary musical maestro, Lank Broughton, but he's now also taken on the role of Treasurer. Pete has been playing for over twenty years and has experience with another, now defunct, Watford area team, Old Bull. Pete is married to Julie, and harbours an ambition to one day open a music shop in the Watford area, catering for all folk music needs. Pete is another member with Welsh roots; in fact, as far as Woodside are concerned, there is quite a Welsh tradition developing among Morris Dancers - and Musicians.