I chose my words carefully there. ‘Working with’ rather than ‘working for’ as Isobel is very much my ‘Work Mum’ and has been such an instrumental part of our business, and our lives for the past decade and a half, and there are many times when I’m working for Isobel - there are many times when she has reminded me of something very important that I’ve got distracted from finishing. I also say ‘working with US’ because she will help out anyone at the club and has done so many times and I’ve developed huge respect for her unfailing faith in human nature. On many occasions she has shown visitors around the clubhouse, gone to great lengths to re-unite someone with lost property, helped out the beer delivery, the food delivery, shown workers where to dump top-dressing, supplied endless coffees to builders, window cleaners, police officers, BT engineers and even on one occasion many years ago, opened up the kitchen and made bacon sandwiches for a visiting society that showed up unannounced! In 15 years she’s never been late, in fact most days Isobel arrives an hour before we open and by the time we arrive everything is super-organised, I can honestly say she’s never been cross or grumpy (which working with me is a miracle) and you all know how much she loves the challenge of a sale, as anyone who comes into the shop when we’ve got a sweep on will know - if we’ve only got half a dozen squares left on the sweep it would take a strong character to not walk out with all six bought! There can’t be many golf club shop members of staff throughout the country that have displayed such loyalty over such a time and Isobel must be the most educated non-golfer around knowing more about shaft frequency and inactive handicaps than anyone! So, thanks Isobel for your company, friendship and hard work through 15 years, for putting up with my eccentricities, for training all our assistants and work experience personnel and for being there for everyone who visits the club. Have a good holiday next week and hopefully the place won’t have self-imploded by the time you get back!
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