Birthday treat for wor Jack

May 29 2005 By Sarah Robertson, Sunday Sun

When football legend Jackie Charlton flew on holiday to Vancouver, Canada, he thought he would just be relaxing with old friends.

But the Ashington-born former player, who was a World Cup winner with England in 1966, paid a visit to the Scottish Cultural Centre in the city and got the shock of his life when he walked into his surprise 70th birthday party.

More than 700 people, who flew in from around the world, sang happy birthday to the former Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Ireland manager, who was also greeted by a piper and band.

Jackie and wife Patricia were then treated to dinner of Scots pie and mushy peas.

Best friend Harry Christie spent three months organising the secret bash and revealed it was a covert operation to keep it under wraps.

Inverness-born Harry, who now lives in Vancouver and is president of their Moray, Nairn and Banff Association, sent Jackie an invite to come and holiday with him and his wife Betty.

The four went on a seven-day cruise to Alaska on board the luxury liner Radiance of the Seas.

But when they came back Jackie thought he was just going to look around the city centre until Harry sprang his surprise.

The 71-year-old, who has been best friends with the former Leeds United defender for 43 years, said: "Jack and I met for the very first time when as a young man. I was learning to play football at Lilles Hall in Shropshire, where he was an instructor.

"Actually, I had broken my leg. What impressed me about Jack from the very beginning was that he always acted like a gentleman.

"But he is also a down-to-earth, shrewd, no-nonsense individual. He never discusses his private life but has been married happily for many years.

"He's still very popular. You can bet that his phone, even now, will ring and somebody at the other end in some part of the world will be asking him how he would deal with a specific situation.

"People simply go on remembering him. For instance, he and I were up Mount St Helen's in Washington State, USA, when a party of tourists spotted him, abandoned their tourist guide and ran over to talk to him.

"And it isn't only the older generation either. He got the same treatment when we were in Paris from young people."