If anyone has a more complete history of the Lion City Hash, please let me know.

How It All Started
- Or -
What Else Is There To Do On A Friday Evening

All this Friday frivolity started to be hatched way back in 1982 when I was a member of both the Seletar Hash and the Singapore Harriettes. There were informal discussions about a Seletar Harriettes, and some of the Girls on Wednesday wanted a second run in the week. These ideas slowly came together, along with new hashers arriving telling of extraordinary tales overseas of the new phenomenon of mixed hashes!

We called a meeting in September of that year of interested people, and came up with a theme based on the Petaling Hash (the new Saturday mixed hash in K.L.) along with circle traditions of the Medan Hashes (men's and family hash). The name was bounced around over many beers and the Friday run day was decided over a Thursday evening. Thus, ending up with us having a go at starting a Lion City Hash on Friday 26th November 1982.

I was foolish enough to volunteer to set the inaugural run with fellow G.M. Veronica Nally, which I did in my old stomping ground from Sime Road roundabout. We very nearly did not start as only 18 people (including the initial 6 on the interim committee!) paid up in advance out of 80 interested - hashers do not change! As it turned out we had 70 hashers on that run and never looked back.

So having decided it was going to fly, we then set about registering the club, which took until August 1983 - but we ran every week anyway during that time. The Registrar of Societies could not understand why we needed a fourth club in Singapore! Also, the Lion City logo had to be changed by Bill Gartshore to be different from the official government logo.

I was dumb enough to be G.M. until 1984 when Jeff Bradford took over, but I did it again in 1985, handing on to Peter Robinson fairly quickly! Jeff was to repeat later as well! Some of us never learn!! John Morrison lent a military touch to the job after that. Susan Blakeway was a great fellow G.M. from 1983 till 1985 with her no nonsense, give them hell, Brummie way of running the circle, followed by the ever charming Mary Toh (as she was known in those days). But then the infamous Frankie Hills came along and changed all that, with her own great unique style!!

I left Singapore in 1989, but have run during my occasional visits, and see that Lion City Hash is still as good as ever - keep it up. All the best from Islamabad Hash in Pakistan. See you all at the Phuket Interhash.

ON! ON!

Mike (4-Skin) Cockman
Founding Grand Master

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