It is with great sadness that the club learned of the death of one of their stalwart members of the club, Terry Doust, who passed away on the 18th August 2019.

The Doust family have been associated with OWHC from 1959, when Terry started playing, through to the present day. Wife Brenda played in the original OW Mixed team and ran our annual dinners for a number of years. Son Jeff followed in the family footsteps and is current Vice Chair of the club. Jeff and Jane's children, Jack and Sophie currently play in the OW Junior teams and hopefully will be the 3rd generation of Dousts to represent the club. The family also have a strong association with Holcombe, with Terry's daughter Lisa Parker, husband Sean and children Louis and Ella all playing there.

Terry is best summed up by this epitaph from long time playing colleague and friend, Ian Pentecost:

"I was fortunate enough to start my first eleven days alongside the great Terry Doust. At his age then he should have been at the end of his first team days, but such was his skill, speed and commitment we played 10 years together; he was a star player in a very good team even towards the end of that period. Those were the days of grass pitches and heavy wooden sticks, but Terry could stop and control immediately any pass that arrived somewhere near him, no matter how fast it came or how much it kicked off the surface. He regularly produced magic moments to change the course of matches. No game was lost until the final whistle when you had Terry Doust, and you might feel you’d won anyway after his good-humoured post match discussions the umpires. As well as a brilliant player, he was fearless and fiercely competitive, but always a gentleman and an ambassador for the club in the bar after the game. He was a fine cricketer too. Several years ago, when Frindsbury were in the South Thames League, their ageing President told me that Terry was the best cover fielder he had ever seen. ‘T’ gave me nothing but encouragement and support in my early days, and he did the same for countless others, whether as a player, indoor manager, first team manager, ladies’ coach or supporter. He was a great wit and piss-taker too, as anyone will know who spent more than a few minutes with him in the bar! For me the club will not be the same without him. Terry was an incredibly important person in the history of our club, and we would not be where we are now if he had, as he could easily have done, left to play for any of the top clubs in the country. I wish my friend, with whom I enjoyed so much fun and laugher, all the peace in the world. It is a very sad day."

Funeral arrangements are as follows:
Funeral at Garden of England Crematorium, Sheppey Way, Bobbing, Nr Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8GZ on Wednesday 11th Sept 2019 at 2pm.
The wake will then be held at Gillingham Golf Club, Woodlands Road, Gillingham, ME7 2AP.

Brenda Doust has requested family flowers only and donations to Old Williamsonian Hockey Club. Cheques c/o the funeral directors, John Weir, 127 Watling Street, Gillingham, ME7 2YY. Alternatively, bank transfers to Old Williamsonian Hockey Club, Account Number 77034120, Sort Code 60-21-02, reference TERRYDOUST.

The family will then determine a suitable memory of Terry at the hockey club, with the donations received.