Judge

Judge's Page
		I have always been interested in the Old West. As a kid I never missed watching the old Randolph Scott and Audie Murphy westerns on TV and read Western novels and historical material. As a teenager I had a Daisy BB pistol and a buscadero rig, and practised fast draw in the back yard, but at that time western re-enacting didn't exist as it does now so that was as far as the dream went. While on holiday in Devon in 1995 Alice and I went to the Shire Horse Centre near Plymouth, to see the horses. To our amazement and delight the place was crowded with western re-enactors of all types - Cowboys, Indians, Mountain men and all - it was the week of the biggest annual roundup of the UK westerners. That did it - we chatted to a few people and discovered our secret ambition was not so far-fetched after all. We joined a western show team and started working on our western re-enacting roles.
The name "Judge" was not deliberate - I originally had the idea of calling myself Waco but another Westerner had got there first. The best names are not chosen anyway, they are often nicknames given by other westerners, that stick. One evening in the bar, I was wearing a black frock-coat and white shirt, and for some reason or another looked particularly stern. (Probably Alice had been shopping again) One of the group remarked "what's up, you look like a hanging judge", and from then on that was the name everyone used. Following on from that night the Judge character emerged, complete now with gavel and law books. I also likes to portray the cynical seen-it-all lawman, or the scruffy just-off-the-trail cowboy from time to time though.

In July 2002, at the Crealy Park roundup, I was proud and honoured to be made a member of the Texas Rangers Frontier Battalion UK Here I am with Captain Mike, receiving badge and papers.
From 2001 to 2006 I was a regular at Deadwood, the Western town in Sussex, where I was a Town Marshal, and could often be seen taking part in the shootouts.
	I also enjoyed taking part in shows with other local show teams, such as the Sante Fe Gunfighters seen here at Wild Park in Brighton.......and I still usually ended up getting shot!
Since 2006 Alice and I have been a members of Laredo Western Club, and no longer travel around the country with other show teams. I spend every other weekend at Laredo Western Town, fixing up our building there. Laredo also have a Show Team, probably the best in the UK, and I enjoy taking part. I still get shot though!

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