“Morning Morning Jamison Here !!!”- was a quote our special
group of friends got used to hearing from Dan back in the day and on one special occasion after an adventurous night out, the local authorities got to hear it as well.
I first remember Dan as the blonde fast right winger, that
played for both Loose Juniors and SPR and whose dad, Spud, was always on the line in his bright coloured shell suits supporting him. It wasn’t until we both went to Oldborough Manor that our friendship, along with a few other special friends, started to be forged and would go on to last over 30 years but should have been a lifetime. As a group of friends, we used to go for a kick about up South Park or the YMCA; there was also tennis over south park where we used to try and bunk in and avoid paying the man. There were also the mischiefs that boys of that age used to get up to. I’m sure the residents around Mayfair Avenue were delighted when we had grown up. Back to school life, with Waitey in the football team; we went on to form a good side which culminated in us getting to the Maidstone schools and Kent schools final in out last year at school; much to our disappointment we come up short on both occasions. At this time, Waitey had started to show an interest in girls and his poetry skills started to flow. Dan had made a nice poem about one of his girlfriends that lived at number 30, that I won’t be sharing on here, but it made us all laugh. We then all left school and started our clubbing days- which saw us travel to all the clubs in Kent and London and involved so many random yet unforgettable incidents. Waitey was always the life and soul of our group of friends and the night was never as good when he wasn’t around. He will always be missed when we all go out just like he was last Friday night. We also started to go on holidays, so called stag do’s and then also actual stag do’s together and one of the best pictures of Waitey was taken on our trip to Malia (let’s just say an elephant’s trunk wearing sunglasses). Again, he had us doubled up in stitches “oh Waitey lad you crack me up” was often said. The clubbing and playing adult football continued until we both found our lovely partners and started to settle down and the times our group of friends was spending together started to be less and less. So this is the time we all decided to start playing 6-a- side football together on a Sunday evening and that was the start of not only us seeing each other each week playing the game we love but it also meant we managed to start going out again as a group of friends with Waitey at the centre of the group: with his plumbing stories, his endless impressions (Frank spencer & Mick Jagger being my personal favourites) and his wicked sense of humour. It was at this time that Dan asked me to come and play vets football for Vinters FC which I took up and on occasions  before the
games I would go along and watch Dan manage the kids teams and his attitude and passion for coaching the kids was another credit to him. There is a lifetime of stories I could share about my lovely, caring, kind, hilarious brother Waitey but I need to end at some point as this is too hard to carry on. Dan was taken from us far too soon and has broken everyone’s hearts that had the pleasure to have known him. I’m sure he is continuing to do the things he loves cycling, skiing, cleaning cars and hopefully playing football with goals that have higher cross bars than we have, so he can score more goals
 
Waitey Lad, I love you like a brother and I will never
forget you. Thank you for being my friend, Oat Lad.
 
RIP Dan Waite gone but never forgotten.