IN MEMORY OF JO VOISEY

I have just heard of the passing of an ex colleague and friend, Jo Voisey.

Apparently she suffered complications after a recent operation and didn't recover.

I haven't seen Jo for many years and in unfortunate incidents like these, one looks back at fond memories that only seem like yesterday. Jo was one of , what I call, the old guard. I first met her in 1994 when the centre was in its infancy and the monthly meetings were held at the Bristol House in Weston , usually attended by no more than 10 on a good day. Anyway, through her I met her then boyfriend Mike Freye, who is still today one of my closest friends. Jo was very active in the Centre. She attended many rallies across the country, as well as local run outs, meetings and of course her involvement in both our Scrumpy 2 and 3 rallies. However, her greatest contribution to the club is still evident today as she was the designer of the Scrumpy man logo.
As I've mentioned before, the recollections of the past come to the fore. One I do have in mind is the first ill fated venture by the then VOC to Luxembourg for a rally with the Dutch and Danes. I could write a book on the exploits of this trip: from 80 bikes getting lost, due to insufficient information, to being escorted out of one Belgian town by the police for bringing the place to a standstill, as we didn't have a clue where we going and the only person who spoke French couldn't be found - she was with the other half of the group that got split at some traffic lights and went in a different direction. As result of this incident, Joe's then boyfriend Mike decided we could get to the rally site at Diekirch in Luxembourg quicker on our own. With that me, Deb, Joe, Dave and Annie followed him onto the motorway. Unfortunately, for those who know Mike, he did his normal routine of shooting off on his Yamaha Genesis into the horizon. That wasn't too bad, except when we came to a junction we didn't know where we were or where he'd gone. As a result, we then waited sheepishly for the rest of the group to turn up and rejoined them on their own quest for survival. After a while, Jo decided that she was going to shoot off and find Mike - how, I couldn't fathom out and no amount of persuasion would shift her. With that, off she went on her (then seen better days) 535. After a while Mike found us but hearing that Jo was out there looking for him, buggered off looking for her. As you would expect, when she found us later she then did the same and this in turn went on all the way through Belgium until we got to the famous town of Bastogne, where we had Jo but no Mike. I can vividly remember she and I having a very heated discussion while we slowly passed through the town on our bikes with me commenting that I would not be very happy bunny if she buggered off again. Reluctantly she stayed and we eventually reached the campsite. Mike turned up an hour later and, as to be expected, his arrival was not graced with a floral tribute. If it was, it would have been Jo inserting it where the sun doesn't shine. But as with all these situations, the arguments soon passed and a great time was had by all.
Jo, bless her cotton socks, could be a nightmare at times but then we all can be. However, she was a friend and I know that she will be fondly remembered by those who knew her.
 

Ian Mereweather
Centre 17 Rep 1996 -99