Well! Where has the last nine months gone?

Stan is two-thirds of the way through what has been a remarkable testimonial. There have been highs as well as lows. The lowest point happened when Stan thought he was going to have to leave his beloved Hull Kingston Rovers. However, over the last couple of days he has signed a new one-year contract.

The high point has been, for me, his autobiography which to-date has sold nearly 3000 copies. Requests from all over the Country and indeed the world are been received daily. This has just confirmed what we already knew, he is a legend.

There is still one or two events planned before the end of the year which some of you may want to attend. Details of these can be found in the events section. One not to be missed will be the finale dinner on Friday 28th November at the Royal Hotel. Stan hopes to have a trick or two up his sleeve.

Stanley Gene is a great ambassador for rugby league in England and also in his home of PNG. In what will be his swansong in the world-cup next month i want to wish him well and look forward to seeing him again, with the world cup, in November.

Finally, it would be remiss of me not to thank everyone who has contributed to Stan's testimonial and made it one to remember. There are too many people to thank individually but you know who you are. I must, however, give a special mention to the testimonial committee comprising of Frank and Jean Morton, Jo Hudgell, Ian Cutler and Keith Lyons. Each of them has contributed to make all the events and functions go like clockwork.

Best wishes,
Mike Smith