Remembering Big Dave at Netley parkrun

Normally, my Saturday morning begins amongst the trees on Southampton Common, and involves a chat with my parkrun friends and a wander around the Old Cemetery. This Saturday was different. We headed in the opposite direction, towards Netley. The last time we went to Netley parkrun, was Christmas 2018. Before that it was January 2017, for Big Dave Hawkins’ two hundred and fiftieth run. This Saturday, the Netley parkrunners would run for Big Dave, but sadly, not with him.

We arrived at the gates of Royal Victoria Country Park hardly able to believe we wouldn’t be greeted by a Big Dave grin. Netley was his favourite parkrun. He ran 387 of his 455 parkruns there and was instrumental in setting up the Netley event, finishing third at their first ever parkrun on 17 March 2012, in 18:49. The walk across the dry brown grass towards the chapel was a sombre affair, despite the beautiful mackerel sky, the glorious view and the smell of the sea.

The last thing we expected to bump into was a giant dinosaur. Unbeknown to us, Jurassic Encounter, who host outdoor events with animatronic dinosaurs from the Jurassic, Triassic and Cretaceous periods, were running an event at Victoria Country Park between 21 August and 4 September. At least our dino friend put the smiles back on our faces, which was exactly what Big Dave would have wanted.

A few steps later, we found more dinosaurs in the little enclave of the fairy garden. As we had arrived extra early, and I hadn’t had a chance to see the fairy garden properly, I left Commando to chat to the setup crew and went to explore. The dinosaurs may have made me smile, but the beautifully carved tree in the fairy garden was what drew me in.

On our last visit to Netley parkrun, the fallen cedar tree that is the centrepiece of the garden was still being carved. This was my first chance to see it completed. The tree was planted when Queen Victoria was on the throne and Netley Military Hospital was sparkling and new. It grew to be a magnificent sentinel, and for over one hundred and forty years, it looked out over Southampton Water. In 2018, it was found to be diseased and in danger of falling. Rather than simply cut it down, Hampshire County Council and Victoria Country Park worked together with chainsaw sculptor, Chris Bain, and the students of Fair Ways Schools, to turn it into a thing of beauty and magic. You can find more information about the process here.

The stump of the tree has been turned into a fairy castle with a dragon and all sorts of hidden creatures. The longer you look at it, the more detail you see. Other parts of the tree have been carved into a picnic bench with a guardian wizard and seats shaped like a grasshopper, dragonfly and snake. Even without the dinosaurs, it makes a great family picnic spot.

When I finally emerged from the fairy garden, I found Commando talking to Big Dave’s youngest son, who was helping with the parkrun set up. Together, we walked across the park towards the chapel, where runners were beginning to gather. Netley parkrun doesn’t normally attract huge numbers of runners like Southampton does, but we knew some of Dave’s friends would be joining us to celebrate his life. There were a few mumbled worries about running out of finish tokens if too many people turned up.

Despite the sad occasion, it was good to catch up with old friends in the shadow of the hospital chapel. Obviously, Dave was the main topic of conversation. Almost everyone I spoke to had a story of his generosity and kindness. He was always there to help and encourage, whether it was something as simple as a new PB, a problem, or a personal loss.

Hedge End runner, Michael Head, one of Big Dave’s friends and part of his team of pacers, gave a moving speech about Dave’s life and many achievements. This was followed by a minute of applause for Dave. Throughout, my mind was awash with images of the chilly January morning in 2017, when we came to celebrate his two hundred and fiftieth run. As usual, I’d gone along to take photos and cheer, and I could picture him, with three celebratory balloons and a giant grin, despite the frosty morning. I remember seeing those balloons bobbing about as the runners went along the shore. They made him easy to spot, although his height and huge smile made him hard to miss, anyway. By the time Michael had finished talking, my eyes were leaking. I wasn’t the only one.

Once the runners set off, I planned to walk along the causeway to the military cemetery. Kim’s daughter, Nicole, wasn’t running either, so we set off across the field together. I thought she might enjoy the serenity of the cemetery too. As we walked, I told her about the piper, who plays there on remembrance day. Being married to a Scotsman who is also a soldier, I thought she might find it interesting.

As it was, we never made it to the causeway, or the cemetery. When we reached the far corner of the field, we found Nicole’s husband, Mark, sitting on a low wooden fence looking sorry for himself. He’d turned an ankle running the woodland part of the course, and despite trying to run it off, had had to concede defeat. Thankfully, Mark’s injury didn’t look too bad. He couldn’t complete the parkrun, but after hobbling across the park and standing in the sea for a while, he felt a little better.

The irony of a wounded soldier in this place built for wounded soldiers struck me as slightly comical. Looking out to sea, I noticed the spires and domes across the water. It was the first time I’d had a clear view of Fawley since the demolition of the tall chimney on 31 October last year. Fawley Power Station opened in 1971 and the chimney, topped by the renowned Fawley Flame, has been a feature of the landscape ever since. It always looked like part of a futuristic city, and it was strange to see it without its tallest, most prominent feature. It was a metaphor for the day, and I began to wonder if Big Dave, who spent his life organising things for other people, hadn’t had a hand in the morning. Were the giant dinosaurs, the fairy garden, the irony and the missing chimney his way of reminding me that life goes on and there is humour and laughter to be found, even in the saddest of circumstances?

Walking back towards the finish funnel, I stopped to admire the poppy sculpture in front of the chapel. The seven foot galvanised steel sculpture, created by Colin Phillips from Ashhurst, was unveiled in 2014 to commemorate the centenary of the beginning of the first world war. It disappeared for a while, when the chapel was being renovated, but, much to my relief, it has returned, although not in the original place. Behind the poppy, I could see a steady stream of runners crossing the finish line.

It wasn’t long before Commando finished his run. We hung around for a while to chat with friends, but didn’t stop for coffee. Kim and Rob had a far longer journey home than usual, and Mark needed to get some ice on his ankle. At least it looked as if the finish tokens had held out. Netley parkrun averages around two hundred runners each week. Although all the other local parkruns were holding memorial events for Big Dave, three-hundred-and-eighty-four runners had chosen Netley as the best place to remember him. I’m glad we were amongst them.

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