On 24 July 1971 Andrew Jeremy Symmons was born in the Shrubbery, High Wycombe. His father was asleep at home when the phone rang with the news. Having been by Diana's side all night he was advised by nurses to go home as the baby wasn't ready to make an appearance for some time. Trevor celebrated becoming a father immediately with his favourite tipple - a cup of tea -before telling the family and heading to meet his son for the first time. Trevor was a devoted father from the very first day.
In 1973 the young family visited South Africa for the first time together and a year later, on February 15th 1974, expanded with the arrival of Jonathan Paul. The family was complete - and with Trevor's sister Pam having a daughter in January of the same year, the two 'littles' and Andrew became the youngest of a tight knit family who spent a lot of time together.
Throughout the 70's and early 80's Trevor continued to work long hours as a probation officer, based at the High Wycombe law courts. Diana kept the home and ensured the boys got ready for school / nursery, but Trevor always came home for lunch to watch 'Words and Pictures' and dinner time was always a family occasion.
The weekends followed a routine of Di doing the 'big shop' at Sainsburys / Waitrose / Bejams whilst Trevor entertained the boys. This always revolved around sport. If it wasn't football then it was cricket, or any other ball game (except rugby - Trevor thought that was a rough sport). Trevor's love of sport rubbed off easily on his children and, in April 1980, he thought they were old enough to take in their first professional game of football - Oxford vs Blackpool. This was the start of years of watching lower league football as Trevor and the boys trailed around the local teams (e.g. Reading, Oxford, Aldershot, Fulham, Brentford etc) watching Dad's beloved Burnley play away. It became a journey of tragic proportions as the family went 14(!) years without seeing a Burnley win (eventually, and with impeccable timing, the Symmons were present at the Divison 3 play off final of 1994 to see Burnley defeat Stockport and win promotion). In the meantime Andrew and Jonathan quickly realised that Burnley were not the team to pin their colours too and so the family also went to watch Arsenal and Ipswich games, which tended to have more successful conclusions.
In the summer months, cricket dominated Trevor's attention and Test Match Special on the radio was a common sound in the house. Trips to watch Sunday League games or to see Dad's beloved Yorkshire were the order of the day.
The sporting life of the family also extended to Trevor and the boys wrestling on a Saturday afternoon in the front room, whilst ITV showed tag time with stars such as Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks. And, when the boys were old, there was table tennis and snooker on the table in the dining room.
Sunday mornings were spent at Wesley Methodist Church, with Trevor and Di becoming regular members of the congregation. The boys however were allowed, at the age of 11, to start playing Sunday morning football and Trevor always made time to see the games. Sunday afternoons were often spent with family, either at Trevor's mother in Leighton Buzzard or with Pam, Pete and Clare in Farnham Common. Extended family holidays to the Isle of Wight became the norm in the early 1980s, which was the most exotic destination for the family (South Africa excluded). Much to his children's dismay, Trevor proclaimed each time they boarded the Lymington ferry to Yarmouth, that they were going abroad!
Very often there were visitors from South Africa and elsewhere, as Diana's family extended to many parts of the world. Trevor was always there to meet them at the airport, bring them home to Green Leys and with Diana show them the local scenery they had grown to love, as well as the sights of Oxford, Windsor and London.
