Goldstone Rapper
Rediffusion PlayerofYear
Very sad to hear this. A true Albion great. Ron Pavey RIP.
Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊
Ron Pavey, a true Albion legend
- Thread starter Harty
- Start date
BensGrandad
New member
bhaexpress
New member
What a shame, always been a part of this club since I started watching, RIP.
cheshunt seagull
Well-known member
- Jul 5, 2003
- 2,590
The term 'a true servant' is probably over-used in football but it certainly applies to him. I will always remember his half-time announcements during which his distinctive voice was affectionately parodied in the North Stand. Makes me angry that the actions of Lewes Council, Baker and their ilk have prevented him from seeing Falmer.
RIP
RIP
Sir Norman Gull
Where's my poncho?
Sincere condolences to his family-as previously mentioned always remember how smartly turned out he was in blazer and tie.
Jam The Man
Well-known member
Defo worth a minute's silence/applause IMO on Saturday...
Lord Bracknell
On fire
Pavey a major player in Sussex football
From the Argus archive, first published Saturday 26th Jan 2002.
The reins of power have never been very far away from Ron Pavey who has been one of the most influential figures in Sussex football since the early 1960s.
Appropriate recognition of his services came in 1997 when the FA presented him with a 50-year award. This took into account his time as a player and then working at administrative level in the county in the course of which he helped found the Sussex Sunday League and figured in a variety of roles with the Albion ending up as chief executive.
Now, aged 67, you might think Ron would wish to slip quietly out of harness. But, being hale and hearty, he enjoys retirement which gives him more time in a second term as chairman of the Sussex FA. There are no signs that his days in football are even approaching a close and for that the county should be grateful.
With playing days long behind him, Ron turned to bowls and achieved no small degree of success. That gives a clue to his character - whatever you do is worth doing well - might well be his motto. Further, he is the very personification of the adage that life is not a sprint but a marathon.
Years ago when Ron gained his first Sussex cap I referred to him as never being a greyhound. Nor did he pretend to be the quickest of the all-conquering Whitehawk side of the Sixties, but what a dependable man to have on the team always giving 100 per cent and prepared to lay down his life for the cause.
Whitehawk born and bred, and mighty proud of it, Ron shares with past members of the club a remarkable community sense, now sadly, a thing of the past. One for all, all for one, was the Hawks' cry and, to be fair, there were other clubs in Sussex imbued with a similar spirit. But Whitehawk were something special.
Never one to hog the limelight, Ron summed-up those happy days: "I was lucky to catch the tail-end of the Harry Sargent side. Robin Cox was captain and I was vice-captain in 1961-62, the same year I got my county colours. That season Billy Ford scored 95 goals which I don't think will ever be equalled in senior football.
"He was an amazing player. He'd turn up for a 3 o'clock kick-off at 2.45 with boots slung over his shoulder and the first thing he'd do in the dressing room was roll a cigarette and then stroll onto the field. You could rely on it that he'd have scored twice in the first five minutes and then knock in another couple in the last five.
"A lot of the goals came from Harry Tharme crosses and I often helped supply the ball to Harry. I had joined the club in 1955 when I was in the RAF and Howard Johnson, the local MP used his influence to get me home at weekends in order to play. Can you imagine that happening now?"
Ron offered the following explanation for Whitehawk being different. "It was more about then and now. Apart from Robin Cox, who lived somewhere else in Brighton, we all lived on the estate. There was loyalty. After all, we'd all been to the same school. Nobody was paid to play, nobody wanted to leave and we ran three teams."
School days over, Ron played for Vernon Athletic and, persuaded by Alex South and Henry Wood, joined the 5th Boys Brigade. Kids like Ron were joiners, they had to be involved in some sort of activity for there was no television to distract impressionable young minds.
"At school I was better at cricket than football and I played for Brighton Boys, but never at soccer. At Whitehawk junior school the schoolmaster who taught cricket was Jack Kibblewhite and when I went on to the county FA council in 1963 the first man to greet me was Mr Kibblewhite who ran the youth side."
Aged 15 he went to work at Allen West as a trainee draughtsman and following RAF service took a job as a progress planner at Miles Aviation and also worked at Laurie Callaghan's bookies office in Rottingdean. By now Ron was playing Sunday football which was frowned on by the FA.
"The Sussex Sunday League got off the ground as a result of a meeting in March, 1960 at the house of Tom Foster who had run a similar league in West London. Nine of us turned up and eight formed the committee under Tom's chairmanship. He was a brilliant organiser and we started with 26 teams.
Five years later I was the paid secretary of the league. It had grown that much and I represented the league on the county FA council and became chairman of the council for the first time in 1976 and again in 1999. Now the structure has changed so that all county associations are limited companies."
Perhaps Ron's most powerful input at the Goldstone was as commercial manager. He was despatched by vice-chairman Harry Bloom to study an innovative fund-raising scheme at Plymouth Argyle and returned to launch various competitions culminating in the Seagull Lottery.
At full bore the lottery had 1,000 agents and something like £1m poured into Albion's coffers to fuel the gravy train that carried thousands of supporters along the First Division promotion trail and the FA Cup final.
"We began as minus one pound to £1m," said Ron who tends to play down his part in the success story that gripped Sussex. He worked all the hours God made and knew the hazards of coming face to face with the public.
He was even bitten by a nutter who, unsurprisingly, turned out to be a Cardiff City fan when the referee called off a Goldstone game just an hour before kick-off. Ron was 60 and working part time when, attempting to shut the gate, was amazed and hurt to have a Cardiff fan sinking teeth into his hand.
From the Argus archive, first published Saturday 26th Jan 2002.
The reins of power have never been very far away from Ron Pavey who has been one of the most influential figures in Sussex football since the early 1960s.
Appropriate recognition of his services came in 1997 when the FA presented him with a 50-year award. This took into account his time as a player and then working at administrative level in the county in the course of which he helped found the Sussex Sunday League and figured in a variety of roles with the Albion ending up as chief executive.
Now, aged 67, you might think Ron would wish to slip quietly out of harness. But, being hale and hearty, he enjoys retirement which gives him more time in a second term as chairman of the Sussex FA. There are no signs that his days in football are even approaching a close and for that the county should be grateful.
With playing days long behind him, Ron turned to bowls and achieved no small degree of success. That gives a clue to his character - whatever you do is worth doing well - might well be his motto. Further, he is the very personification of the adage that life is not a sprint but a marathon.
Years ago when Ron gained his first Sussex cap I referred to him as never being a greyhound. Nor did he pretend to be the quickest of the all-conquering Whitehawk side of the Sixties, but what a dependable man to have on the team always giving 100 per cent and prepared to lay down his life for the cause.
Whitehawk born and bred, and mighty proud of it, Ron shares with past members of the club a remarkable community sense, now sadly, a thing of the past. One for all, all for one, was the Hawks' cry and, to be fair, there were other clubs in Sussex imbued with a similar spirit. But Whitehawk were something special.
Never one to hog the limelight, Ron summed-up those happy days: "I was lucky to catch the tail-end of the Harry Sargent side. Robin Cox was captain and I was vice-captain in 1961-62, the same year I got my county colours. That season Billy Ford scored 95 goals which I don't think will ever be equalled in senior football.
"He was an amazing player. He'd turn up for a 3 o'clock kick-off at 2.45 with boots slung over his shoulder and the first thing he'd do in the dressing room was roll a cigarette and then stroll onto the field. You could rely on it that he'd have scored twice in the first five minutes and then knock in another couple in the last five.
"A lot of the goals came from Harry Tharme crosses and I often helped supply the ball to Harry. I had joined the club in 1955 when I was in the RAF and Howard Johnson, the local MP used his influence to get me home at weekends in order to play. Can you imagine that happening now?"
Ron offered the following explanation for Whitehawk being different. "It was more about then and now. Apart from Robin Cox, who lived somewhere else in Brighton, we all lived on the estate. There was loyalty. After all, we'd all been to the same school. Nobody was paid to play, nobody wanted to leave and we ran three teams."
School days over, Ron played for Vernon Athletic and, persuaded by Alex South and Henry Wood, joined the 5th Boys Brigade. Kids like Ron were joiners, they had to be involved in some sort of activity for there was no television to distract impressionable young minds.
"At school I was better at cricket than football and I played for Brighton Boys, but never at soccer. At Whitehawk junior school the schoolmaster who taught cricket was Jack Kibblewhite and when I went on to the county FA council in 1963 the first man to greet me was Mr Kibblewhite who ran the youth side."
Aged 15 he went to work at Allen West as a trainee draughtsman and following RAF service took a job as a progress planner at Miles Aviation and also worked at Laurie Callaghan's bookies office in Rottingdean. By now Ron was playing Sunday football which was frowned on by the FA.
"The Sussex Sunday League got off the ground as a result of a meeting in March, 1960 at the house of Tom Foster who had run a similar league in West London. Nine of us turned up and eight formed the committee under Tom's chairmanship. He was a brilliant organiser and we started with 26 teams.
Five years later I was the paid secretary of the league. It had grown that much and I represented the league on the county FA council and became chairman of the council for the first time in 1976 and again in 1999. Now the structure has changed so that all county associations are limited companies."
Perhaps Ron's most powerful input at the Goldstone was as commercial manager. He was despatched by vice-chairman Harry Bloom to study an innovative fund-raising scheme at Plymouth Argyle and returned to launch various competitions culminating in the Seagull Lottery.
At full bore the lottery had 1,000 agents and something like £1m poured into Albion's coffers to fuel the gravy train that carried thousands of supporters along the First Division promotion trail and the FA Cup final.
"We began as minus one pound to £1m," said Ron who tends to play down his part in the success story that gripped Sussex. He worked all the hours God made and knew the hazards of coming face to face with the public.
He was even bitten by a nutter who, unsurprisingly, turned out to be a Cardiff City fan when the referee called off a Goldstone game just an hour before kick-off. Ron was 60 and working part time when, attempting to shut the gate, was amazed and hurt to have a Cardiff fan sinking teeth into his hand.
- Thread starter
- #29
Yes, we had Ron as a guest down at Cheltenham last year, he did look ill, and clearly was, but he hadn't lost that old spark of his.
D
Deleted User X18H
Guest
I grew up in Hangleton and my Dad used to drink with Ron at The Manor and occasionally the Downsmen and The Bowls Club!! Top Bloke sorted us out super Cup Final Tickets. RIP - Hope the club do a minute's Silence on Saturday.
Last edited:
Barry Izbak
U.T.A.
This is dreadful news. Ron Pavey was a top bloke and I'm very sad to hear he has passed away. As mentioned by others above he genuinely made you feel welcome, as a fan, almost a "member" of the club, before the days when being a member meant filling a form in or parting with a tenner.
How he would be able to remember everyone, many by name, is beyond me. But he would always be visible at games, or walking through the much missed "Seagull Specials", taking time to talk to people, in a quiet, concerned and interested way, sharing their excited anticipation on the way, and their joy or disappointment on the way home.
In 97/98/99 when I couldn't face Gillingham and had taken up watching County League, you would often see Ron Pavey everywhere from Pagham to Rye & Iden United and Redhill to Whitehawk. He wasn't there for a free prawn sandwich, he was there because he loved his football and particulary Sussex football. He often said hello to me and we reminisced about the "good old days" at the Albion, because he recognised me as an Albion fan, albeit lapsed. Our chats were only brief because there was always someone else who wanted to say hello (to him) and he would always have time for everyone.
Ron Pavey deserves a very special mention in the history of the Albion. He was a very special bloke.
R.I.P. Ron
How he would be able to remember everyone, many by name, is beyond me. But he would always be visible at games, or walking through the much missed "Seagull Specials", taking time to talk to people, in a quiet, concerned and interested way, sharing their excited anticipation on the way, and their joy or disappointment on the way home.
In 97/98/99 when I couldn't face Gillingham and had taken up watching County League, you would often see Ron Pavey everywhere from Pagham to Rye & Iden United and Redhill to Whitehawk. He wasn't there for a free prawn sandwich, he was there because he loved his football and particulary Sussex football. He often said hello to me and we reminisced about the "good old days" at the Albion, because he recognised me as an Albion fan, albeit lapsed. Our chats were only brief because there was always someone else who wanted to say hello (to him) and he would always have time for everyone.
Ron Pavey deserves a very special mention in the history of the Albion. He was a very special bloke.
R.I.P. Ron
Last edited:
This is so sad. What a man and how he puts to shame some of the so called supporters of Football. Another one who will not see Falmer. My age too.
RIP
RIP
Cadiz Seagull
Grey bearded old man
Very sad news. Ron did an awful lot for the Albion and for Sussex football generally.
What a shame he won't be at Falmer but at least he knew it was going to happen and saw the start of building.
But he will be there in spirit.
R.I.P.
What a shame he won't be at Falmer but at least he knew it was going to happen and saw the start of building.
But he will be there in spirit.
R.I.P.
NMH
Banned
One who figured in the Albion (and Goldstone) rich tapestry.
All the best
All the best
I used to deliver the Sunday Papers to Ron's house in Hangleton in the early 90's. Think he had about 10 different papers, and his wife would always come out in her dressing gown to save me from putting each one through the letter box.
He and his wife were always polite and happy to talk about the Albion
He and his wife were always polite and happy to talk about the Albion
Knotty
Well-known member
His was an enormous and honourable contribution to the club's history.
It was a crime that the totally dishonourable Stanley/Archer/Bellotti were too stupid to see what an asset to the club Ron was. (I remember Ron introducing me to Bellotti and the look on his face said it all!)
As many have said, he always had time for everyone and nothing was too much trouble. How that changed when DB took over!
There was a thread the other day about naming the stands at Falmer; there are, of course a number of worthy candidates but, I for one, would not complain if there were to be a Ron Pavey Stand.
RIP and thank you Ron.
It was a crime that the totally dishonourable Stanley/Archer/Bellotti were too stupid to see what an asset to the club Ron was. (I remember Ron introducing me to Bellotti and the look on his face said it all!)
As many have said, he always had time for everyone and nothing was too much trouble. How that changed when DB took over!
There was a thread the other day about naming the stands at Falmer; there are, of course a number of worthy candidates but, I for one, would not complain if there were to be a Ron Pavey Stand.
RIP and thank you Ron.
Fred Oliver - Legend
Well-known member
now that's a good call, RIP old chap.
RIP Ron, my fondest memories of the guy were many a sunday afternoon playing cricket with him for Noel Bennets 11, think he also played for Henfield.
Should also say that he even got Mark Lawrenceson to turn out for a couple og games aswell, very weird sitting in the same dressing room getting ready.