John Lodge
1952 - 2023

In this article, Charlie Ellis reflects on the man who introduced him to table tennis.
John Lodge
11th February 1952 - 11th October 2023.
On October 16th, the ELTTL received sad news (from his partner, Jill) about John Lodge of Corstorphine Table Tennis Club:
"John died in the early hours of Wednesday morning. He was calm and peaceful and was so brave and stoic right up to the end."
His life was commemorated at a reflective and moving ‘Service of Thanksgiving’ at Mortonhall Crematorium on October 25th. Though a dismal, dreich, dank day outside, the atmosphere inside was contemplative and gentle. John was, as Rev Dr Stewart Weaver put it, ‘a gentle man; a gentleman’.
Table tennis was among John’s varied interests. He previously played for Muirhouse TTC (based at the Civil Service club - since demolished) and often featured in the league averages. John was an astute, tricky opponent with a lot of spin in his game. He became a founder member of Corstorphine TTC in 2008 and was club secretary for a period. It was typical of John to take on such a role, quietly using his professional skills as an administrator to serve his club and the league. He may not have had a high profile within the ELTTL but such ‘stalwart’ figures are crucial to keeping the game going. In later years, he took up golf, playing on the slopes at Baberton. These sporting interests were just one aspect of John Lodge.
A native of South Africa, he had something of a peripatetic existence, attending schools in South Africa, England and Switzerland (where he learnt German). This typified, what his older brother Dennis described as, a somewhat “scattered family connected by memory”. Dennis talked touchingly about their early life as “boys together under the southern sun”. He related that it was during national service that John realised that “there was something seriously wrong with the South African system” and decided to move away. He first lived in London before Dennis encouraged him to come to Edinburgh. Though John initially found it a “chilly place” socially and climatically, he warmed to it. At the 1975 Festival he met Isobel with whom (and her daughter Sara) he would spend 41 years until his wife’s sudden death in 2016.
John had a career as a high ranking civil servant, based at New St. Andrews House (another building since demolished). There he worked closely with several senior figures including the Secretary of State for Scotland (for example, he worked for Willie Ross and in Bruce Millan's private office). This included central roles in the foot and mouth and avian flu epidemics. Taking early retirement, he was able to support Isobel in the creative activities she was involved in after a career as a social worker. They were also able to do plenty of travelling (looking back over email correspondence with John, almost every exchange involves a mention of travel: ‘Jill (my new partner) and I had a wonderful holiday in South Africa,’, ‘got back from Portugal late yesterday after 10 sunny days’. Travel allowed him to indulge his long-held interests in maps, geography and history. He was also a keen theatre-goer, gardener, and wine connoisseur.
Isobel died suddenly and unexpectedly in 2016. John (alongside Sara and her partner Guy) helped organise a superb memorial event (‘A Celebration of the Life of Isobel Lodge’) for her in Colinton. This was where they lived for many years, including a long period on Spylaw Bank Road. Through the Scottish Arts Club Charitable Trust, John (and Sara Lodge) helped to set up the Isobel Lodge Award for New Scottish Writing, which continues to run. Isobel was an avid writer and participant in the Scottish Arts Club Writer’s Group. Her daughter Sara has followed her mother’s literary interests and is a Senior lecturer in the School of English, University of St Andrews, with a particular specialism in the work of Edward Lear.
In her moving and beautifully crafted set of reflections on ‘Froggy’ (John’s childhood nickname), Sara talked of his unpretentious, unobtrusive character, “partially submerged”. John was prepared to quietly get on with things while others took the limelight. For instance, he was happy to be involved in Isobel’s pantomimes for the Colinton Garden Club - but in non-speaking roles or helping behind the scenes. In his life and work, he was organised and diligent. Looking out to those who had gathered to pay their respects, she talked of John’s “diverse well of friends” - it was these which best reflected his character.
She admitted that she was unable to share his sporting interests (“I’m bored to tears by sport”), but had taken on other aspects, such as his deep love and knowledge of wine. She also thanked John & Isobel for giving her the best in terms of education and “access to culture”. She ended by talking of John’s time spent with his grandchild Rosie, sketching with her and delighted when her creativity outshone his. “The simple things are very deep”.
Despite battling cancer and undergoing numerous bouts of treatment, he remained positive and with a desire to continue travelling. His final years alongside Jill brought a new happiness to his life. His final days were at a St. Columba's Hospice where he died early in the morning of the 11th of October.
…………….
Speaking personally, I have very warm memories of John. Through the Friends of Suntrap NTS group, my late Dad Richard met Isobel. Through her he became a golfing partner of John, playing regularly at Baberton & Luffness (in Aberlady). John was a relative novice but, with his natural hand-eye coordination, improved quickly. It was while playing with them at Baberton in 2009 that John mentioned he needed to finish by 5.30pm in order to make it to a table tennis match. My interest was piqued. I had played a little bit in my youth but had no knowledge of the ELTTL and its clubs (evidence of the somewhat hidden nature of table tennis in this country, largely played in church halls and other such places - away from the public gaze). John invited me to CTTC, where I got a very friendly welcome - from the likes of Dougie Smith, Tommy Sutherland Snr, and Kenny Fraser. That was in the old venue (Corstorphine Community Centre on Kirk Loan), now sadly a burnout shell following a catastrophic fire in October 2013.
I recall John's wickedly spiny serves and how these demonstrated the massive gulf between social ping pong and competitive table tennis. A lasting memory of John will be his cheeky grin after one of my attempts to return one of his sidespin serves ended up landing on the table - the table to our left! At first, I could only return about 1 in 10! It made me really want to learn how to counteract such spin and play proper table tennis; to loop, serve with spin etc. I was hooked! John encouraged me greatly in my early years in TT, as I began to learn some of the basics ('delighted you're planning to join the Club. We'll have you in the first team very shortly!'). His welcoming character was also something mentioned by CTTC players at the funeral, such as Jeff Clark and Fergus Harrison. John was also very understanding when I moved from CTTC to Murrayfield, looking to develop my game ('fully understand and commend you on taking positive action').
John’s table tennis and golf were restricted badly by his illnesses and treatments. ‘My op was on the 29th; had to go to the doc this morning - internal bleeding. SO, NO sport for probably a month or more’. At one stage (in 2013), he wasn’t able to use his right hand properly (‘I plan to play with my left until Christmas, then review’). Even playing with his wrong hand didn’t hold him back that much (‘at yesterday's Corstorphine TT handicap championship I reached the semi final - left hand only with a +6 handicap!’) . At another session at Corstorphine (at their new Napier University Base), he found it a test: ‘I hadn't played since 2015, enjoyed the first session, but the second practice brought me back to lower ground level!’. Pictures (courtesy of Alan Easton) show John in action in his final months. It’s moving to see him battling through severe discomfort to have ‘a hit’.
John also played a crucial role in connecting me with Bert Kerr, also a member of Baberton GC. Bert gave the ELTTL a large batch of archival material relating to Gambit TTC, the Edinburgh League and Kerr's international appearances. This material is proving crucial as I work towards filling in some of the gaps in the history of the game in Edinburgh and Scotland. There are many gaps in this history as much material has, over the years, not been retained.
I have much to thank John for.
I will remember him as a particularly warm and engaging character with a wide range of enthusiasms and interests, including TT.
Coincidently, my Dad had also worked with Sara in his work training new university lecturers (he hadn’t immediately cottoned on to the connection between Isobel & John, & Sara!). Her expertise in rhetoric dovetailing with my Dad’s expertise in the more practical/ technical aspects of public speaking (voice projection, how to lay out notes etc).
I have fond memories of John and my Dad coming round to mine for dinner in April 2018. Both were struggling a bit healthwise (my Dad died less than three months later - he was starting to show the effects of undiagnosed pancreatic cancer) but we had a lovely evening. John, characteristically, had brought some excellent red wine- my Dad thoroughly enjoyed it; it was perhaps wasted on me. Their shared connections with South Africa created a natural bond. Both retained a youthful enthusiasm in later life. I will think of John and Richard striding down the fairway, towards the setting sun.
A final note. All TT players should heed the words he emailed me prior to one of my first forays into competitive table tennis (funnily enough against Murrayfield) : ‘good luck and above all enjoy the games’.
by Charlie Ellis 26.10.23
Photos courtesy of Chris McCathie of Corstorphine TTC.
John Lodge
11th February 1952 - 11th October 2023.
On October 16th, the ELTTL received sad news (from his partner, Jill) about John Lodge of Corstorphine Table Tennis Club:
"John died in the early hours of Wednesday morning. He was calm and peaceful and was so brave and stoic right up to the end."
His life was commemorated at a reflective and moving ‘Service of Thanksgiving’ at Mortonhall Crematorium on October 25th. Though a dismal, dreich, dank day outside, the atmosphere inside was contemplative and gentle. John was, as Rev Dr Stewart Weaver put it, ‘a gentle man; a gentleman’.
Table tennis was among John’s varied interests. He previously played for Muirhouse TTC (based at the Civil Service club - since demolished) and often featured in the league averages. John was an astute, tricky opponent with a lot of spin in his game. He became a founder member of Corstorphine TTC in 2008 and was club secretary for a period. It was typical of John to take on such a role, quietly using his professional skills as an administrator to serve his club and the league. He may not have had a high profile within the ELTTL but such ‘stalwart’ figures are crucial to keeping the game going. In later years, he took up golf, playing on the slopes at Baberton. These sporting interests were just one aspect of John Lodge.
A native of South Africa, he had something of a peripatetic existence, attending schools in South Africa, England and Switzerland (where he learnt German). This typified, what his older brother Dennis described as, a somewhat “scattered family connected by memory”. Dennis talked touchingly about their early life as “boys together under the southern sun”. He related that it was during national service that John realised that “there was something seriously wrong with the South African system” and decided to move away. He first lived in London before Dennis encouraged him to come to Edinburgh. Though John initially found it a “chilly place” socially and climatically, he warmed to it. At the 1975 Festival he met Isobel with whom (and her daughter Sara) he would spend 41 years until his wife’s sudden death in 2016.
John had a career as a high ranking civil servant, based at New St. Andrews House (another building since demolished). There he worked closely with several senior figures including the Secretary of State for Scotland (for example, he worked for Willie Ross and in Bruce Millan's private office). This included central roles in the foot and mouth and avian flu epidemics. Taking early retirement, he was able to support Isobel in the creative activities she was involved in after a career as a social worker. They were also able to do plenty of travelling (looking back over email correspondence with John, almost every exchange involves a mention of travel: ‘Jill (my new partner) and I had a wonderful holiday in South Africa,’, ‘got back from Portugal late yesterday after 10 sunny days’. Travel allowed him to indulge his long-held interests in maps, geography and history. He was also a keen theatre-goer, gardener, and wine connoisseur.
Isobel died suddenly and unexpectedly in 2016. John (alongside Sara and her partner Guy) helped organise a superb memorial event (‘A Celebration of the Life of Isobel Lodge’) for her in Colinton. This was where they lived for many years, including a long period on Spylaw Bank Road. Through the Scottish Arts Club Charitable Trust, John (and Sara Lodge) helped to set up the Isobel Lodge Award for New Scottish Writing, which continues to run. Isobel was an avid writer and participant in the Scottish Arts Club Writer’s Group. Her daughter Sara has followed her mother’s literary interests and is a Senior lecturer in the School of English, University of St Andrews, with a particular specialism in the work of Edward Lear.
In her moving and beautifully crafted set of reflections on ‘Froggy’ (John’s childhood nickname), Sara talked of his unpretentious, unobtrusive character, “partially submerged”. John was prepared to quietly get on with things while others took the limelight. For instance, he was happy to be involved in Isobel’s pantomimes for the Colinton Garden Club - but in non-speaking roles or helping behind the scenes. In his life and work, he was organised and diligent. Looking out to those who had gathered to pay their respects, she talked of John’s “diverse well of friends” - it was these which best reflected his character.
She admitted that she was unable to share his sporting interests (“I’m bored to tears by sport”), but had taken on other aspects, such as his deep love and knowledge of wine. She also thanked John & Isobel for giving her the best in terms of education and “access to culture”. She ended by talking of John’s time spent with his grandchild Rosie, sketching with her and delighted when her creativity outshone his. “The simple things are very deep”.
Despite battling cancer and undergoing numerous bouts of treatment, he remained positive and with a desire to continue travelling. His final years alongside Jill brought a new happiness to his life. His final days were at a St. Columba's Hospice where he died early in the morning of the 11th of October.
…………….
Speaking personally, I have very warm memories of John. Through the Friends of Suntrap NTS group, my late Dad Richard met Isobel. Through her he became a golfing partner of John, playing regularly at Baberton & Luffness (in Aberlady). John was a relative novice but, with his natural hand-eye coordination, improved quickly. It was while playing with them at Baberton in 2009 that John mentioned he needed to finish by 5.30pm in order to make it to a table tennis match. My interest was piqued. I had played a little bit in my youth but had no knowledge of the ELTTL and its clubs (evidence of the somewhat hidden nature of table tennis in this country, largely played in church halls and other such places - away from the public gaze). John invited me to CTTC, where I got a very friendly welcome - from the likes of Dougie Smith, Tommy Sutherland Snr, and Kenny Fraser. That was in the old venue (Corstorphine Community Centre on Kirk Loan), now sadly a burnout shell following a catastrophic fire in October 2013.
I recall John's wickedly spiny serves and how these demonstrated the massive gulf between social ping pong and competitive table tennis. A lasting memory of John will be his cheeky grin after one of my attempts to return one of his sidespin serves ended up landing on the table - the table to our left! At first, I could only return about 1 in 10! It made me really want to learn how to counteract such spin and play proper table tennis; to loop, serve with spin etc. I was hooked! John encouraged me greatly in my early years in TT, as I began to learn some of the basics ('delighted you're planning to join the Club. We'll have you in the first team very shortly!'). His welcoming character was also something mentioned by CTTC players at the funeral, such as Jeff Clark and Fergus Harrison. John was also very understanding when I moved from CTTC to Murrayfield, looking to develop my game ('fully understand and commend you on taking positive action').
John’s table tennis and golf were restricted badly by his illnesses and treatments. ‘My op was on the 29th; had to go to the doc this morning - internal bleeding. SO, NO sport for probably a month or more’. At one stage (in 2013), he wasn’t able to use his right hand properly (‘I plan to play with my left until Christmas, then review’). Even playing with his wrong hand didn’t hold him back that much (‘at yesterday's Corstorphine TT handicap championship I reached the semi final - left hand only with a +6 handicap!’) . At another session at Corstorphine (at their new Napier University Base), he found it a test: ‘I hadn't played since 2015, enjoyed the first session, but the second practice brought me back to lower ground level!’. Pictures (courtesy of Alan Easton) show John in action in his final months. It’s moving to see him battling through severe discomfort to have ‘a hit’.
John also played a crucial role in connecting me with Bert Kerr, also a member of Baberton GC. Bert gave the ELTTL a large batch of archival material relating to Gambit TTC, the Edinburgh League and Kerr's international appearances. This material is proving crucial as I work towards filling in some of the gaps in the history of the game in Edinburgh and Scotland. There are many gaps in this history as much material has, over the years, not been retained.
I have much to thank John for.
I will remember him as a particularly warm and engaging character with a wide range of enthusiasms and interests, including TT.
Coincidently, my Dad had also worked with Sara in his work training new university lecturers (he hadn’t immediately cottoned on to the connection between Isobel & John, & Sara!). Her expertise in rhetoric dovetailing with my Dad’s expertise in the more practical/ technical aspects of public speaking (voice projection, how to lay out notes etc).
I have fond memories of John and my Dad coming round to mine for dinner in April 2018. Both were struggling a bit healthwise (my Dad died less than three months later - he was starting to show the effects of undiagnosed pancreatic cancer) but we had a lovely evening. John, characteristically, had brought some excellent red wine- my Dad thoroughly enjoyed it; it was perhaps wasted on me. Their shared connections with South Africa created a natural bond. Both retained a youthful enthusiasm in later life. I will think of John and Richard striding down the fairway, towards the setting sun.
A final note. All TT players should heed the words he emailed me prior to one of my first forays into competitive table tennis (funnily enough against Murrayfield) : ‘good luck and above all enjoy the games’.
by Charlie Ellis 26.10.23
Photos courtesy of Chris McCathie of Corstorphine TTC.