Three coins in a fountain, three Cols in a room!
A young Col: in for a penny in for a pound!
Three Cols in a room?
Is there a possible collective noun for that?
A collateral of Cols, a collation of Cols, what about a colossus of Cols, or even a cluster of Cols? All too overwhelming for me to get my head around!
Last Friday, at the Footy Almanac season launch, I just so happened to be in a room with two other Colins, I could not believe it, THREE Colins in the one room!
I don’t think in my nearly 70 years on this planet have I ever been in a room with more than one Colin let alone three, but there we were, at the North Fitzroy Arms Hotel, three Colins having a wonderful time.
Colin is not a particularly common name, its origins according to Wikipedia are:
“Colin is an English-language masculine given name. … An anglicized form of the Gaelic name Cuilen, Cailean, modern Irish spelling Coileáin, meaning “whelp, cub”. The Old Irish word for “whelp,” is cuilén. The Scottish Gaelic name is recorded in the spelling Colin from as early as the 14th century.
Meaning:(1) short for Nicolas; (2) Gaelic cuilen “whelp”
Gender:masculine”
I don’t remember if mum was aware of the origins of the name Colin but many years later she told me she liked it and was having nothing to do with dad’s preference for my name. Dad wanted to name me Ross Gregory Ritchie after Ross Gregory a favourite cricketer of his at the time. Mum compromised a little and I was eventually named Colin Gregory Ritchie.
During my schooling and earlier years there were a few Colins about. Colin Schott, Colin Walker and Colin Talbot at school, Colin Parrott at scouts. And after I left school I worked with a Colin Wheeldon, but that is about the full extent of the Colins that have entered into my life as far as I can remember.
Surprisingly, not all that long ago, my daughter Jemma mentioned to me a friend of hers, or a friend of a friend, had named their newborn child Colin. Apparently they wanted something a little old-fashioned but not too fashionable, rather than of one of the many older names now becoming flogged to death such as Harry, Henry, Charlie, and so on.
Perhaps, Colin will become the next trendy, old fashioned name every couple will want to name their baby son, who knows?
Maybe sometime in the not too distant future, I may end up in another room somewhere, and there will not be one Colin, but possibly a handful of Colins, or even more.
That’d be rather nice.
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About Colin Ritchie
Retired teacher who enjoys following the Bombers, listening to music especially Bob Dylan, reading, and swimming.
Columns of Colins?
Love it Col. That gives me an idea !
A cavalcade of Colins coming soon.
Obviously, there’s Colins all over the place. I can think of plenty off hand – my Dad included’ and son David’s middle name Colin.
Then, of course, we have OLD KING COLE and his fiddlers 3.
For many years now, over here in good old SA we have had the COLINS CLASS SUBMARINES. A certain polly reckoned they were no better than canoes. Be that as it may.
Anyway, can hardly wait for Phil’s contribution.
Here’s a few more famous Colins – COLIN LANE from LANO AND WOODLEY.
COLIN JACOBSON (COL JOYE)
To add a little spice, here’s a little ditty I heard when i was in Primary School
Old King Cole had a forty foot pole
He showed it to the lady next door
She thought it was a snake
So she hit it with a rake
Now it’s only four foot four.
Hi, I’m a Coln Wheeldon but I don’t recall ever working with Colin Ritchie. I live in Tamworth, NSW and am surprised to know that there is another Colin Wheeldon in Australial.
I thought Colin was old english for a peasant but I prefer “whelp, cub”.
Anyway all the bet
Hi Colin Wheeldon, there must be at least 2 of you! I worked with a CW in Melbourne late 60s early 70s and would have to be nearly 50 years since I last saw him. Cheers CR