Farewell to Eddie

NEWS Monday 12th September 2016, 1:00pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

As we announced yesterday, we have sadly lost our former team manager Eddie Prosser who died at the weekend. Eddie became team manager in the early days of the current Monarchs’ promotion in 1986 and served for three seasons.

Eddie and his wife Elsie formed a particular bond with our two top stars of the time, Les Collins and Doug Wyer, who stayed with them on their trips north. Eddie wrote a very humorous piece for the programme for Doug’s Farewell meeting early in 1989.

Brett Saunders was team captain in 1988, Eddie's last season as manager, and he said this morning "Eddie was a nice guy and we had many laughs."

Eddie had been a Monarchs’ fan for a long time and previously ran a support group (the SAS) for Sean Courtney. He was noted for his sense of humour and his famous laugh. He was still a regular amongst us into the Armadale era, using his work experience from his British Telecomm days to look after our phone system (which Ian Thomas once said “must have been used in the war”.)

It had been a few years since he attended, due to illness.

Doug Newlands knew Eddie well and he has sent the following tribute.

“When I came up with a hair brained scheme to buy out Tony Frankitti in late 1985 and thereafter formed the present Company, Edinburgh Speedway (1986) Ltd., John Campbell and I, as co-promoters needed to find a team manager who could take the "new" team forward and produce better results than had been experienced in the previous two seasons. It was John's idea to suggest Eddie Prosser, up until then a fervent supporter but with no team management experience to take on the role and to say that Eddie, bless him, was a little nervous about the prospect, was somewhat of an understatement! He did, however, finally agree and was a superb team manager having supreme man management skills which were undoubtedly helped by the fact that he worked for BT (no mobiles then!) which allowed him to keep in constant contact with all team members - easily!

“Having just signed Les Collins and Doug Wyer to bolster the squad, Eddie became their "ambassador" and for sure they were well kept up with all that was going on at (then) Powderhall.

“I will always treasure the memories of the six of us (Eddie and Elsie, John and Elaine and me and my then missus travelling to every away match together in, first the black Citroen 8 seater estate, followed by the Ronnie Anderson sign painted blue version, with many jokes and laughs along the way and never a cross word said

“Sadly, it is some time since Eddie was last seen at Armadale, but we kept in touch even if it was only a card at Christmas or an enquiry through Dick MacNicol. Eddie was a true supporter in every sense and will be a very great miss and my most sincere condolensces to Elsie and the family at this so very sad time”