From The Archive
Created | Updated Jun 4, 2008
The Post has been lucky to attract many contributors over the years and, thankfully, all their articles are lovingly preserved in our extensive archives. This series aims to introduce you to some of them.
Personality Number Two: Ormondroyd
Sporting For Life
I first met Ormondroyd around h2g2 in early October 1999. He was already an accomplished writer, having been a journalist for a very well-known music publication, but was very new to using a computer and working online. We soon became firm friends. I helped him create his home space (home page as it was then) and it wasn't long before I'd twisted his arm to write for The Post.
Ormy's first ever piece combined his quirky sense of humour with the love of his life - football. In Swing Low Swede Chariot he covered events at a match in the third round of the FA cup when lowly Hereford United took on the might of Leicester City. Not content with introducing vegetables, he then went on to present us with pants In the Knicker Time.
A natural progression from these articles was the formation of the biggest football site on h2g2. Originally called Ormondroyd's Virtual Supporters' Club and created in January 2000, The Virtual Supporters' Club is still going strong today.
Ormondroyd's interest in sport extended beyond the football field, however, and in July, 2001 we were treated to a masterful piece on that great legend of tennis
Martina Navratilova
Divertissimo
As mentioned in the introduction, Ormy is very informed on the subject of popular music, so it came as no surprise that he'd write an article bewailing the state of live music in the UK. His Bottom of the Pops not only included a poll1, but also spawned another h2g2 institute, The Music Website Jukebox..., now rehoused and fallen into disuse sadly.
Both Ormondroyd and The Post were really getting into the swing of the h2g2.com site when... it disappeared in January 2001. Being the resourceful researchers we were we soon set up a 'home from home' and it was during this period that Ormy kept us entertained with his own lyrics to well-known songs. When we finally returned in March, 2001, The Post couldn't resist sharing them with the rest of the community, so
Sing While You're Waiting! spread to
Sing While You're Waiting! Part 2 and
Sing While You're Waiting! Part 3! You may well notice, from the feedback to these ditties, that dissent and anarchy on h2g2 are not a new concept. Many h2gers were unhappy with the strictures introduced by the Beeb and posted accordingly.
With only a smattering of smileys at this time, one was sorely missing and heavily campaigned for. We like to think that Ormy's impassioned lyric Give Us Tea! contributed to the appearance of 
.
Ormondroyd returned to his roots as a music journalist when The Post rolled out a special edition for the 25th anniversary of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. What better than Disaster Area - A Review to celebrate this auspicious occasion?
Being of a somewhat grumpy disposition at times, it should come as no surprise to hear that Ormondroyd was the founding father of
P.U.D.D.I.N.G.2. It was with glee, therefore, that we featured their anthem in Sing along with P.U.D.D.I.N.G..
They say that everything comes full circle, so what better way to finish this section than to visit again The Republican Single's Love Song. Amused by finding online dating agencies targetted at lonely Republicans, Ormy just couldn't resist having a little fun at their expense.
A Sense of Community
It should be fairly obvious by now that Ormy was an integral part of early (and more recent) h2g2 life. I first met him at the h2g2 London Meet in December 1999. The following year I was delighted when he came over to the infamous Dutch Meet, even being mistaken for a bodyguard whilst walking through the red light district of Amsterdam. So it was only a matter of time before he reported from a meet closer to home - The Late Summer Radish.
The community was treated to an airing of a different kind when
P.U.D.D.I.N.G. was featured on
BBC Radio Five Live. Read all about it in P.U.D.D.I.N.G. Hits the Airwaves!. Oddly enough, the protagonist's website seems to have sunk without a trace - but P.U.D.D.I.N.G. marches on...
A sense of a different kind of community reaches us in The Far Right and Human Rights, written in January 2003 after a BNP member won a very close contest to become Calderdale Borough Councillor for Mixenden in Halifax, West Yorkshire. It is as relevant today as it was then.
Diary, Weeks and Notes
Fairly early on in our dealings, Ormy offered to take on a regular column. As we published weekly, this was to be quite a commitment, but he rose to the challenge admirably. It took a little while for us to find the best title and format, however.
The first incarnation was as Diary of a Researcher which then transmogrified into Week In, Week Out, still very much in the form of diary entries. But the column really took off when the format changed to a more informative, opinionated and stylish commentary on politics, current news and the absurd events of everyday life.
Postings to Notes From a Small Planet often attracted debate. In Notes - November 2000 topics ranged from the floods in York, the sexiness (or otherwise) of Margaret Thatcher, Bill Gates and acne. By
Notes 42 the subjects had moved on to Harry Potter, moderate drinking and European directives as reported by the Daily Mail. This popular run finally came to an end in October 2002. The Notes - Final Issue looked at Brazilian president-elect, Luiz da Silva, prostitution in Scotland and the fall from grace of Angus Deayton. With a cheery wave Ormondroyd left the 'Regulars' section of The Post, but not h2g2, and still finds time to send an occasional item through - the delightful
Sweet And Sour Turkey - A Christmas Story for example. Nice one Ormy!
