THE George pub in St Briavels in the 1970s and 80s was the venue for a most extraordinary collection of interesting characters.

At opening time, 6.00pm, a diverse group of locals and incomers would meet, including broadcaster Wynford Vaughan Thomas, musical conductor Vernon ‘Tod’ Handley, political activist and journalist Philip Toynbee, television programme director John Lloyd, under the gentle supervision of genial pub host Arthur Dixon.

This six o’clock club often continued well into the late evening, with spirited conversations involving the knowledgeable and garrulous members, topics ranging from the reason for Harold Wilson’s sudden resignation as prime minister to the composition of the British Lions party to tour South Africa, and other political, sporting or other less serious matters.

The leading participant in these conversations was John Morgan, of Swansea, London and latterly of the tiny settlement of Mork, just outside St Briavels on the road to Wales.

I recorded in this column a few weeks ago the demise of pubs in the Forest. But it wasn’t just pubs.

I remember with great affection the old Close Turf Club, on the Bream road out of St Briavels. Now sadly closed, it had a great snooker table where I used to play John.

He was a better player than me, but I played him once when he had recently been at a celebrity event where the world champion snooker player ‘Hurricane’ Higgins was present. John challenged him to a game.

Higgins was perhaps not functioning at his best, John beat him, and I beat John for the only time in his next match. I think that makes me the world champion.

John was a reporter in BBC television’s quirky early evening news programme ‘Tonight’, and subsequently one of the founders of Harlech television.

He was a prolific journalist, opera librettist and television personality. In his early career he knew Dylan Thomas.

Although never an outstanding rugby player, he followed the game with great understanding, and compiled the only book I’m aware of that covers Welsh national and club rugby with a sympathetic view of Forest rugby.

‘Side-steps’ is a diary of the 1984-5 rugby season, co-authored with the great Welsh wing threequarter Gerald Davies, which as well as covering domestic Welsh and international rugby also celebrates Forest rugby.

John managed to find an appropriate quote from classical literature to introduce each chapter.

The book is written in diary form, and the authors wandered around Forest rugby grounds to research local rugby. Their focus of attention was a Berry Hill match in the national cup.

The club’s front row, including the formidable Brian Harris, could match any pack at the country at the time, but they were playing away against Bath, so they came away with an honourable defeat. John, with Gerald Davies, also recorded Lydney and Bream rugby matches.

I had been out of the country for a few years when I caught up with John again. I asked him how he was. I heard that he had been ill.

He told me that he was having a lung out the following day, in exactly the same tone as he would say that he was having a tooth out.

He had lung cancer, and died soon after. He had a national reputation, but he was a real local personality.