Pedr is special one (From Western Telegraph)

Pedr is special one

7:30pm Wednesday 8th February 2012 in Sport

When Pedr McMullen was presented with a special award for his work as chairman of the Welsh Referees’ Society for the past five years it was appropriate that making the presentation at the Athletic Club in Neyland was Danny Thomas.

Danny, 70, is president of the Pembrokeshire Refer-ees’ Society and also there was another of Pedr’s old refereeing colleagues, Graham Shepherd, 73.

The three had the chance to reminisce about their significant contribution with the whistle, not only in this county but also all over South Wales in a period of spanning 20 years, with Pedr now the youngster at 64.

In their time they became known as the ‘Three Amigos’ officiating at Welsh League level and travelling to games together as referee and two assistant refs, from Carmarthen to Cardiff, and Merthyr Tydfil to Maesteg.

All three enjoyed their football but also liked to stay behind after matches, chatting to players and club officials.

Indeed, there was one occasion when they were the last three to leave the club, walking out with the secretary and steward.

It was usually the case that ‘Shep’ drove and it is rumoured that he often took a nap in the corner, as the other two enjoyed a few pints, prior to the long journeys home.

Stories about the intrepid trio are legendary and one such tale revolves around the fact that whenever Pedr took his car it had an idiosyncrasy whereby when he changed from third to fourth gear it somehow turned the radio off.

If the football results were on he was actively discouraged by the other two from changing gear.

They once were on a ‘visit’ to a club and in a conversation with a club official discovered that in his day job he was a toilet roll salesman.

They must have impressed him because when they arrived back in Pembroke the car was filled from top to bottom with very soft toilet roles. That would have taken some explaining had police stopped them.

Another Saturday evening they were chatting at the Eastgate Hotel in Pembroke, when Pedr, Danny and ‘Shep’ held court alongside a lot of local sports people who were there. Danny was complaining bitterly about some tomatoes that Pedr had given him from his greenhouse. The grouse was about the fact that Danny had placed the tomatoes on a window sill to ripen and they were still yellow after almost a fortnight there. Pedr explained that they were in fact a yellow variety of tomato and could have been eaten straight away.

Joining the trio at the presentation were Brian Hawkins, secretary of the Manderwood Pembroke-shire Football League, John Gow, West Wales Referees’ officer, John Davies, treasurer of West Wales Referees’ Association, and Gareth Williams, the new secretary of the West Wales’ FA, along with all the officials of the Pembrokeshire Referees’ Society