HOCKEY SONG

One of New Zealand hockey’s biggest fans has shown his love for the country’s sides by writing them a song ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Ted Normanton, who has dementia, said he had no trouble remembering tunes he’d written for the Black Sticks hockey teams. His latest work Dedication Song to our Black Sticks Teams is his second.

Normanton wrote his olympic games song Ode to the Black Sticks for the women’s side in 2015. This year’s song is in support of the women’s and men’s hockey teams as they head off to the games on the Gold Coast next month.

‘‘Poetry’s my thing - the words, the tunes,’’ Normanton said. ‘‘I remember them even though I’ve got dementia.’’

The lyricist made his way to musical fame when his first hockey song was picked up by The Crowd Goes Wild and passed on to the women’s Black Sticks team. Normanton said he received national praise, and couldn’t help but write another song that honoured the men’s team too.

‘‘My younger brother thinks this song is better.’’

Normanton has spent the past three months writing his latest song, which he has worked to the tune of There’s a Tavern in the town. ‘‘I spent a lot of time on it,’’ he said. ‘‘Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night if something comes to me.’’

Normanton said writing songs helped him, and he was very good at remembering music and its writers.

A couple of years ago he was in a New Plymouth show called Stiff and he can still act out his whole first part.

‘‘I can still remember that like it was yesterday.’’

Normanton has always liked hockey, which is why he keeps writing songs dedicated to the Black Sticks.

‘‘I played representative hockey,’’ he said. ‘‘I made a comeback at the age of 50-something.’’

Normanton performed the song for Stuff with full-time musician Peter Galvin on the ukulele.

The song talks about how the teams will play and finishes up singing about how representing New Zealand is a great honour.

‘‘Kia kaha, kia kaha, be strong. Whakarongo to this tino pai song, all kiwis will get with them in spirit. Come on Black Sticks teams, let’s do it.’’

PHOTO: GRANT MATTHEW/ STUFF Ted Normanton has written a song for the Black Sticks sides. When he performs it he sings and friend Peter Galvin, left, plays the ukulele.