I originally learned my Morris from Green Ginger of Hull in which I was a founder member. We started with Longsword (Goathland), then Frank Bull (ex-Foresters) taught us Cotswold.

The Green Oak concept was something that hatched in our digs when at college (High Melton). Dik Penycate and I were in the same accommodation and had various schemes on the go at all times, some pretty dangerous as I remember. The concept of a Morris team that would wow the Morris Ring was one such. The costume you wear is part of that scheming, it was carefully colour coordinated for some pretty obscure reasons that might bore or even embarrass this far down the line. We developed the concept and began practising in the gallery at a place, now demolished, called 'Jaffa Gallery' run by a weird Jewish couple in Waterdale. Later we recruited several others and started practices at the 'Yorkist' (now Thomas Cook Travel Agents on St Sepulchre Gate) by this time it was around 1971. We were really fed up with the High Melton Morris men which was a college side and lacked real ambition beyond free beer. The name 'Green Oak' was born on a weekend camping trip at Goathland when I was sitting carving a piece of wood infected by a green fungus and Dik remarked that I should get off my arse and come and cut some sticks instead of carving a little green oak Morris man. My wife remarked that it was a good name for the team, so 'Green Oak' it was - yeah, it's true you're named after a fungal infection.

The Yorkist rehearsals were short lived and we needed a place to practice. Liz and I had been involved in a French exchange in Easter 1973, fortunately one of the parents involved was a member of the Reform Club in Bentley so we got a free practice space complete with a bar and snooker room! It was there we met Eric, a fifteen year old butcher's apprentice. We dragooned him into the team and it was he who gave his name to the beast which you now possess. The dragon replaces a more abortive dragon made of egg cartons and the like. Your Eric was born on May 1st 1975 just before I went to DRI to greet my new son Gavin born on the same day.

The initial sorties by the team also included country dancing displays in which the wives took part in order to bolster our meagre repertoire. One of those early dancers can still be seen on BBC TV each night advertising the BBC web services. Others included myself, Dik Penycate, Mick Morley, his mate Colin, I think his name was, Colin Bloor, Rick Aldridge and George Mabon. We weren't very good but we were ambitious.

We used to take meticulous care over the floor patterns of figures because of their significance. It all sounds a bit naff now but believe me the overall effect of the side was pretty amazing. Ivor Allsop remarked when he was Squire of the Ring that, 'on a good day you'll not see better'. The Ring initially refused our application. We worked so hard to ensure that they begged us to join we never applied a second time.  I received the staff at Manchester RM in 1977 (I think that was the year.)

The first set of kit too weeks to assemble just the right fabrics and colours. They should be, russet, citrine, olive and black, the latter being hats and boots. These are the colours ascribed to the earth sphere, Malkuth in the Qabalah. Certain of us were well into the Age of Aquarius back then. Take a look at your Ring staff a little more carefully too, it's one ended and seems to have an acorn on the end, there again it is pretty phallic too. You're the proud owner of one of the earliest Morris sides to be constructed on occult lines. Compare with current day 'Wolfshead and Vixen' and you might see some similarities.

Cheswold was made up from ex-High Melton and other people I'd pissed off. I was a fairly dogmatic and inflexible prick in those days (I hope I've mellowed since - some people might tell you I haven't changed. However, I now teach an all female sword team and encourage mixed Morris and my specialist subject is lost Morris traditions - boy, are there some weird things out there, and no one dancing them!) Cheswold actually had a similar ethos to Green Oak in the early days, I think they wanted to outdo us, we simply raised our game, having been the only side in town we did take them seriously though perhaps they thought not at the time. I don't remember Danum Morris, my fading memory seems to recall it might have been a working title for one or the other side but I'm not sure.