From The Archive
Created | Updated Jul 3, 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 Four: Demon Drawer
Farewells
I first encountered Demon Drawer through talking a load of balls. I helped run a ten pin bowling league and hosted a web site for it and, at the time, my h2g2 page included plenty of references to bowling. Demon Drawer dropped by and it wasn't long before I knew that he partook in the other kind of bowls and was a well-rated player - hence the name he uses.
DD first put finger to keyboard for The Post in February, 2000 when he wrote Goodbye Charlie Brown in memory of Charles Schulz along with an accompanying poem. Obits seem to have featured quite heavily in the first few years. A great revue of the Kings of the Road, looking at the TT races on The Isle Of Man, was all too soon followed by Death of a Legend and The Funeral of Joey Dunlop.
DD's interest in politics was all too apparent and he wrote a moving farewell to an opponent of apartheid in Donald Woods... a Personal View. This article appeared in August, 2001 and three weeks later DD joined many h2g2 writers to express his sorrow at the events of 9/11 in Thoughts From a UK Perspective. The following year came Hanse Cronje, another obit to a fallen sporting legend.
Politics and Troubles
During his early time on h2g2, DD lived in Northern Ireland so it was inevitable that he'd have something to say about the politics of the place. In Tradition or Respect he examined the Orange Order and the effect it has on the population every July when
the marches start. This was closely followed by a report on the continuing problems in Diary of the 'Troubles'.
By 2003 DD was living in Scotland and had become active in one of the political parties. He took a week out from work and h2g2 to help campaign and returned to tell us all about it in A week in Politics. As he had been one of the candidates in the Virtual Prez Elections of 2000, and magnanimous in defeat he probably felt quite at home. He even decided to stand himself in 2005 and started a Diary of a Parliamentary Candidate but time got the better of him and this was the only report we received.
Showtime
March, 2000 saw the introduction of the first h2g2 Academy Awards, affectionately known as 'The Petas' which even hosted its own Award Ceremony. This popular series was timed to coincide with 'The
Oscars' and enjoyed a five-year run until it came to a halt in 2005 when The 5th h2g2 Academy Awards - The Peta's were cut short by matters beyond our control.
DD has always been a writer for The Edited Guide and took a keen interest in everyone else who contributed. He kept us up-to-date with The Top Twenty and
even The Mark Moxon Years: Top 30 Contributors of Solo Entries, both in 2002. I think he gave up counting soon after this!
Thoughts and Words
Valentines Day, 2002, witnessed the start of a very popular series which was spawned from another very popular series. The first 45 Words started its run soon after the appearance of the h2g2 Life cartoon in honour of The Paper Post and its 100th edition. With a diverse range of subjects, a wander through the 45 Words Archive is well worth the time spent.
For a year DD explored the weird and wonderful origins and meanings of words. In the early days of h2g2, there was a feature every day on the front page called The h2g2 Word of the Day. Time constraints meant it was later discontinued, but DD was at hand to plug the gap and in April, 2003, began the first of his Word of the Week series with a look back at napiform. Perusing The Word of the Week
Archive I see some very obscure words indeed. It would be great to resurrect this feature of The Post if anyone would like to volunteer...
In 2004, DD treated us to some of his Tangental Thoughts with subjects ranging from drug-free sport, Diction, The Winnability of War and Sport or War - a look back to the Olympics that year.
Then, as with most early Post writers, time and circumstances caught up with DD and his contributions ceased to arrive at The Post Office. I think he still drops by h2g2 now and again so if you see him on your travels say 'hi' from The Post Team and Shazz.
