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Sea-Xplanation

New entry

She Mussel Bitch

New entry

Countries

Snatchatory Date

Steep Hill Chase New

Sadaam Hussein,

(The Fuck Sadaam Hussein Run)

In January 1991 Carolina Trash Hash’s Run 348 was declared the ‘Fuck Sadaam Hussein Run'.  The pack dressed in Arabic costume, ate pork and belched towards Baghdad.

St Kitts

St Kitts is a delightful Caribbean island with a lively hash. St Kitts H3 was founded in 1994 by Percy ‘Turbo’ Hanlay out of Antigua.  With packs of 70 it is perhaps surprising that they still only run monthly.

St Lucia

A small mountainous Caribbean island with a pretty flag and possibly a hash.

St Vincent and the Grenadines

A St Vincent H3 is listed on the Global Website which has them dating from 1988, but it is uncertain if they are still active.

Santa Hash

The Santa Hash is an annual charity event organised by the South China Morning Post and RTHK Radio 3 and which brings all the Hong Kong hashes gets together. It was originally called Send A New Toy Appeal (S.A.N.T.A.) and the hashers donated toys that were then delivered to the charity. Later this changed to Operation Santa and instead of donating toys cash was raised to help local organisations.

New entry July 2009

Saudi Arabia

     Saudi was once a great centre of hashing, partly because there was nothing else to do.  Runs in the desert allowed Harriettes to escape the strict dress code and there was enough home brew to help gee things along.  Riyadh H3 was established 1979 and the pack grew so rapidly that a second kennel, Sulaimaniya ‘Geriatric’ H3 followed in September 1980.  The Third Herd Hash then took the vacant Friday spot.

     Hashing spread to Jeddah in 1981 with the founding of  Jeddah H3 and Saudi hashers made a big impression at early InterHashes with their dish-dashes and plastic camels.  

     At the time the East coast was little more than desert but in the eighties the government decided to industrialise the region and in 1984 Walsh and Clayton (ex Jeddah) started the Jubail Hash. Under the ‘Irish Mafia’ guidance of ‘Midas’ and ‘Camel Chips’ Jubail enjoyed ‘memorable good times’ and membership expanded into the fifties.  After hashers were caught driving illegal brew in a stolen car the kennel invested in a hash beer wagon.  As industry moved in, the hash continued to grow. Dhahran H3 was started thanks to George and Karen Minervini, formally of somewhere in Asia.  Khobar came along in 1988 in ‘Monopoly Village’ and despite being based in an area of highways and rubbish tips were soon getting packs of 40.A Ras Tanura H3 had been started in 1989 under Roger Wing but probably only managed one run.  A year later ‘Pommy Barstard’ and ‘Fluid Druid’ got the kennel re-established and the pair served as long term RA and GM.

     The terrorist attacks of May 2003 particularly hit the Riyadh hashes, with many people pulling out of the country.  Those who remained faced increased problems. Heightened security made it difficult to get into some compounds, while more road checks presented problems moving ‘grape juice’ around.  Worse hit was the Megabomb hash with a core of their runners living on a compound that was badly hit by the blasts and that kennel folded.  Other hashes struggled on and with Saudi appearing to have got things under control hash numbers are recovering.

Source: Crispy Bush, Pimski, 1998 Gulf Inter Hash Programme

Scar With Two T’s

Peter ‘Scar With Two Ts’ Nygaard is a dairy farmer and something of a Hash wildman.  Scar began his distinguished career with Pattaya Dirt Road Hash while holidaying for 12 months in Thailand. He was named by Pattaya and returns at frequent intervals when the cows are dry.  His claims to fame include sitting naked in circles and recruiting nubile young Thai Bodyguards to act as escorts on the Hash train to Chiang Mai.

Scotland Updated

Hashing was  brought to Scotland by a combination of oil workers and the military  and has given the Hash characters such as Scotland The Penguin, Froggy and Hard Case, to name but a few. 

An Aberdeen hash is rumoured to have existed for a run or two around 1978, but that is unconfirmed.  Officially therefore hashing dates to the formation of Edinburgh H3 by Lt-Colonel Willie Couper in February 1981.

Jakarta InterHash had a considerable impact on hashing in Edinburgh, their representatives coming back far more world-wise and aware of what hashing really was about.  In the years that followed Edinburgh cultivated a reputation as the wildest hash in the UK, dating partly to their behaviour at the 1983 UK Nash Hash.

They are also great hosts, as demonstrated with the 2^nd Commonwealth Games Hash in 1986 and the 1989 Nash Hash.  The latter included a 3-hour run on Bannockburn, the site of a great (and rare) Scottish victory over the English.  

Today Edinburgh stages long runs in all weathers with half the pack disappearing into any pub they pass.  By 1984 the large size of the pack led to the kennel refusing to accept any new runners.  Some members were meeting to jog on other evenings and, in April 1984, this led to the forming of New Town H3. This part of the city was indeed new, but only in 1767 when it was founded.  TNT was quickly attracting packs of 70-80 on a cold night, while their position on the edge of the city gave them easy access to the countryside during summer.  Charlie ‘The Brewer’ Tucker is a local legend, completing 1000 out of a possible 1111 hash runs.

       Glasgow H3 is the other great Scottish hash, being founded in September 1985 after four unofficial trial runs.  Tennant Lager became the sponsor and Nelson Mandela was voted GM in his absence. A little later the ‘Mr. Happy’ symbol was adopted as the club badge.  At the time Cainey Hill H3 in Fife were very active but they seemd to have folded.

Aberdeen H3 was started, or possibly restarted, by John ‘Michelin Man’ McInnes and Robin ‘Oink’ Duff.  Another early legend was Ronnie Robb, who was on the first run and still going strong in the mid eighties. They are a Monday (summer) and Sunday (winter) hash.  There are half a dozen smaller kennels including Dunfermline, Stirling, Falkirk and Hamilton.  Elgin clams to be the most northerly hash in the UK and is close to two RAF bases.  It is also serious whiskey country

SCB

An abbreviation for ‘short-cutting bastard’, shouted at those seen to be taking a short cut to get to the front of the pack.  Although shouted with mock contempt and aggression, short cutting is in fact an honourable act and the cry is usually a sign of envy – a kind of ‘why didn’t I think of that’ response.  Indeed real Hashers consider short cutting an art and is also known as running with your brain and not your feet. 

Selangor Club Updated

The Selangor Club was founded in 1884 and from humble beginnings grew to be the center of KL ex-pat life. It was granted a Royal Charter in 1984.  It was also known as ‘The Dog’ or ‘The Spotted Dog’. There are two versions of this story.  It was possibly named after a Dalmatian that belonged to the wife of the chief of police, or it was a more derogatory term, alluding to the club’s racially mixed clientele. For a detailed history see  the Royal Selangor Club or Royal Selangor H3 websites.

The original home of Mother Hash in Kula Lumpur was one of numerous buildings within the complex, referred to as the Chambers or the Annex. The Chambers had about 16 rooms and its own  mess and bar. This was the most open of KL’s  gathering points, and therefore popular with the younger and more junior member of the community, many of whom boarded here at some point.  In addition it was always busy at lunch times, as it was convenient for those working in the city.  

The idea of organising a paper chase in KL was probably first discussed over lunch at the annex and once the hash started up it became the usual practise to return here after the run.  It was at this point that the building started to increasing be referred to as 'The Hash House'. However, once drinks started being served at the finish the runners were just as likely to head for a local restaurant.  

After independence the Hash House became the offices of the Water Board until the building was demolished around 1974 to make way for a new road.  The outer buildings, once the stables and servants quarters remain and there are hopes of rebuilding a replica of the Hash House as a home for the Hash Museum and Library. The main building now has a 'Hash Bar and Billards Room'. There is only one known photograph of the old annex  building.

With thanks to Thomas M

This Quote from East is East by George Mikes describes a visit to the club in the 1950's

Tracing after Mr Maugham’s own footsteps, I went to The Dog – the famous Selangor Club. It is very pleasant place. Its Indian porter is one of the most magnificent figures I have ever seen. Food is good; drinks are cheap; conversation is as spirited as in any London club (which is qualified praise); and the hospitality of members is lavish.

Sea-Xplanation

Per ‘Sea-Xplanation’ Krist is a Dane whose mother hash is Aalborg, with whom he first hashed around 1991. He made a major contribution to international hashing when he complied and distributed a regular list of up-coming hash events, which was very popular in the days before the major hash websites got up and running.  He later took over editorship of the European Hash Newsletter from Higgins.

Today Sea-Xplanation lives in the Swedish city of Malmo, but commutes back to his homeland to run with Copenhagen H3.

Semen Cow

Semen Cow was a Harriette with Pikes Peak who reached the 100 metre backstroke final at the Olympics.

Serbia (and Kosovo)

Founded in 1980, Belgrade H3 was quickly attracting packs of thirty or more hashers and was a popular destination for visitors from the west.  In those ‘bad old days’ everybody chipped in and the 300th run was staged with help from the US Marines, the British Embassy Club and the Diplomatic Club.  

The troubles brought a temporary halt to hashing in Yugoslavia and thanks to the presence of the UN it was Kosovo based Pristina H3 ‘The Explosive Hash’ that brought hashing back to the now much reduced Yugoslavia.  This kennel was founded by ‘Oxy Moron’ via Tirana in 1999 and meets every Sunday at the Grand Hotel.  In 2004 Pristina joined Skopjec and Tirana Hashes for a ‘mini Balkans’ event.  

It was October 2004 before Richard ‘Awol’ Cooper, John ‘Overdrive’ Miller and Biljana ‘Bluetit’ Vukloic started a new kennel in Belgrade.  Known as Belgrade East European Revival H3 (BEER) they are struggling along with packs numbering around ten.

Senegal Updated

This large nation on the west coast of Africa was a French colony, perhaps explaining the lack of hashing.  Dakar H3 however has clocked up 1300 plus runs since being founded by Charlie Offredi and Roger Bowie in 1983. There was a heavy embassy contribution and the group claimed to field  Dakar's best softball team! Today they attract packs of around 30.

Seven Hills Run

The Seven Hills Run is staged by Kampala H3 on the first weekend in March.  It is a 17km trail taking in all the major high points surrounding the city.

Seychelles

The Seychelles are a collection of Indian Ocean islands, popular with tourists. There is some suggestion that a hash was started here around 2005 but little has been heard from them.

Shandy

A mixture of beer and a soft drink. Traditionally this would be ginger ale, although these days it is more likely to be lemonade.  It has a bit of a ‘girlie’ ‘poofter’ stigma to it but is in fact an ideal drink when really thirty i.e. at the end of a run.

     Mother hashers were quite keen on it, making it the original hash drink

Sheepshagger

Sheepshagger is a former East Grinstead hasher who moved to Wales, where he founded the Mountain Sheep H3 to run in the Brecon Beacons.  He was trail master at the Cardiff InterHash and served as UK On-Sec.

Shiggy

Technically it is simply mud or any other brown and or messy substance that sticks to your shoes or legs or Hash apparel.  However, in Hash terms it means a lot more, perhaps not as central to the Hash philosophy as beer, but extremely important nonetheless.  

Why?  

Well, because Hashing has its home in South East Asia where there is a wet rice culture and a rainy season. A good run therefore is often considered to be one in which everybody emerges from the trail covered, at least up to their knees, in shiggy. As everybody who is anybody in this part of the world has house staff to do the cleaning this is not considered a problem.  

It was the heavy rains that swept down on the Saturday night at 1980 InterHash in KL that really highlighted the concept of shiggy to the international community. The notion that Hash packs should be immersed in shiggy was taken up with enthusiasm by East Grinstead and Edinburgh, for whom finding shiggy trails and having shiggy fights (i.e. throwing mud/shiggy at each other) became part of the local hash culture.

Additional thoughts from Whorator

     Shiggy at its worst, or best depending on your point of view, is considered by those who have had the great good fortune to have Hashed in rural South East Asia, to be the contents of the rice field closest to the farm house.  For it is over this field that Farmer Nok from Nakhon Nowhere builds his outhouse and it is into this field that the family of Farmer Nok from Nakhon Nowhere empty their bowels, their bladders and their  kitchen and laundry waste causing even the kampong dogs not to swim in this toxic goo.  A green to red slime of fungus grows over the surface of the fluid field and should never be disturbed by Hashers, except by Hares who wish the pack should share the benefit of the malodorous contents underneath.  So, the worst kind of shiggy is the contents of the rice field closest to the farm house. The more benign kind of shiggy is the oozing goo on the walking tracks leading to and from the farm house.  Both genres cause Hashers come home covered in shiggy.

Sheepshagger

A Kiwi and former Hong Kong hasher whose leaving party resulted in  the Lamma Hilton Incident. see Lamma Hilton Incident.

Shaggy-shaggy

A hash cry in some circles when somebody fumbles over or completely messes up a charge. Not a common cry.

She Mussel Bitch

She Mussel Bitch has 20 years of hashing with Austin H3, Texas, and has been a hash world traveler since Phuket. She was a key organizer of InterAmericas hash when it was in staged in Austin in 2001.

Short Cut

David ‘Short Cut’ Scourse arrived in KL in 1957 and because he worked with Cecil Lee, an introduction to hashing was inevitable.  By 1959 Short Cut’ had become On-Sec of Mother Hash.  

At the time numbers were down to single figures and Short Cut’s turn in office saw the launching of a recruitment drive which possibly saved hashing from extinction.     

      That alone would have established his position as a hash legend, but remarkably he was still short cutting in England 30 years later, a hash career which at 2,500 plus runs might well rank as a world record.

Shoe ceremony

An Angeles City H3 custom  where, at the start of a run, or to slow down the pack on their A to B runs, all the men throw a shoe into the middle and one is picked out by blind folded female volunteer. Details beyond that are vague.

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is the setting for ‘Blood Diamonds’ and in recent years has been a pretty good symbol of the brutal side of Africa.  

There was a Mokanji/Mobimbi Hash in the mining areas to the south of the country in the '70's.  ‘Under Jabber-Jabber's leadership through the 1990's, and leading up to the time when the war in Sierra Leone reached its peak, we never missed a Hash, even though the numbers were sometimes down to 10 or 12.  

 Mokanji/Mobimbi closed in 1997 but restarted briefly in the middle of 1998 when it ‘went into tactical withdrawal following major rebel incursions into Freetown’.        

Once the country settled down, veterans of Mokanji started Freetown H3 and they now attract 40 or more runners on Mondays and the last Sunday of the month. Sunday runs give the opportunity to get out of Freetown ‘the runs are usually up in the hills or down near the beaches along the Peninsular Road’. The Monday runs following a Sunday hash are usually live hare runs ‘for those who can still move’.  

The pack consists of Brits, ‘either living here or just passing through’, Lebanese, UN workers and a growing number of locals.  Recently the business community has been picking up, adding to the mixture.

Singapore Updated

When Ian Cumming was posted to Singapore in 1962 he contacted Chris Verity, the only other ex-Mother hasher in town, and they discussed starting a hash. They sought advice, and indeed possibly permission, from Mother Hash. The reply was basically ‘good luck and get on with it’.

Letters of invitation, ‘run, sausage and mash and discussion on forming a club’ went out, a small pack gathered at Cummings’ house and thus  Singapore H3 was founded. It was an historic moment for this was the first hash outside of Malaysia (ignoring  the short lived Bordighera Hash).  

The kennel have met every Monday since, except for two occasions when the authorities placed the island under curfew.

     In the early days there was no circle, but Singapore became noted as a singing hash with John O’Rourke, Peter Flanagan and Harry Howell helping to set the tone. It was a wild group who, going to the first InterHash, drank the train dry of beer and had to send runners off at every station for fresh supplies.  

Numbers stayed around 20, rose in the mid sixties and peaked in the late seventies at 210 members.  Singapore was a strictly men only kennel, expect for special runs.  Tuesday lunches were legendary and it was here that the famous hash circulars were composed.  Trips across the border to Johore Baru featured regularly in the early years, until traffic made this impractical.

Singapore H3 was to prove influential in propagating Hash, with Brunei, Sydney, Hong Kong, Surrey, New York, Dallas and Vancouver being just some of the kennels which can trace their roots back to the island.

     A second Singapore hash, Seletar H3  started in 1980, taking the Tuesday nightspot.  This was largely made up of locals who had experience of hashing in Malaysia and were a notably lively group. A bunch of hash widows soon joined the action, founding the Singapore Harriettes. Their first run on October 17^th 1973 (making them the third oldest female hash in the world.) attracted 12 runners and they rapidly expanded.  At first they were strictly ladies only, men only allowed by invitation and committee approval, but those days have passed. The women talked about starting a second run (a Harriet kennel linked to Seletar) but instead founded Lion City as a mixed hash. An early motto of the group was 'Lion City runs are easy but the down-downs are hard'.

      Hashing continues to expand and Singapore broke new ground in 1989 when James Tay, Evan ‘Barf Ball’ Jones and Victor Esbensen founded the world’s first Bike hash. 

Today there are ten hashers on an island about the same size as a large English county.  Perhaps the most important run on the Singapore calendar is the annual Gispert Memorial Run from the Kranji War Cemetery on the Monday closest to the anniversary of his tragic death on February 11th.

Sir

Upon reaching 1000 runs with the one club - a not insignificant achievement - some Australian Hashers are granted a knighthood. This means that blokes you have known for ten years as ‘Dickhead’ and ‘Tight Arse’ suddenly became ‘Sir Dickhead’ and ‘Sir Tight Arse’.  See Sir Prince Valiant and Sir Rabbit of the Gold Coast Hash for examples.

Sirloin

‘Sirloin’ started hashing in Wellington in 1981.  He was originally called ‘Mr Meat’ but when a previous Mr Meat was discovered was renamed.  He moved to Dunedin in 1982 where he started the Dunedin H3, which soon had 40 to 50 turning up each Monday night.  ‘Sirloin’ was voted NZ GM in 1999 and held the post until 2001.

Ski Hash

A few kennels around the world stage ski hashes. In some countries they are really just an excuse to meet up in the week and go out on the downhill slopes - more party than hash.

However Oslo H3 has a serious cross country ski hash once a year. In  2010 the event returned to Sjusjoen for the 10^th straight year.

SofiaH3 also has a regular event started by Sister Michael and SantiagoH3 has been staging a ski hash since 2009. This is unusual, as it is a trail staged on the downhill slopes with the pack chasing a hare identified in the crowd by their distinctive hat!

Skippy

Huw ‘Skippy’ Williams started hashing in Papua New Guinea in 1987.  Having survived his first posting he resurfaced in Africa, running in Malawi, Swaziland and then Tanzania.  It was on the Dar hash that he met his wife, ‘Ostrich’ and their wedding with hash cabaret took place in Wales in 2002.  

     Posted to South Africa he has run regularly with Jo’Burg H3, where his willingness to lay trials has helped keep the struggling kennel going.  Skippy’s hobbies include scuba diving, his dogs and collecting houses.

Slam Dunk

Nancy ‘Slam Dunk’ Davies was founder of Orlando H3 and a high profile figure at America InterHash, where she was voted ‘Miss InterHash’ 1989 and 1991.  She was also briefly detained by the police in 1989, leading to her also being known as ‘Slammer Dunk’.

Slobbo

Zeke 'Slobbo' Haffman was founder of the Taipei Hash where he had a long reign as keeper of the Hash faith.  Slobbo also wrote one of the best Hasheets produced anywhere in Hashdom .

SLO-Cop-You-Later

When Karen Ray was appointed to Arroyo Grande Council her political opponents immediately attacked her life style, with a great deal of attention focused on the fact that she was a member of the San Luis Obispo Hash House Harriers.  Hashing was described in the local press as a mixture of athleticism, drinking, public nudity, cross dressing and hedonism (Editor - many of us might deny the first charge and not know the meaning of the 4^th!) Hash names came to attention, Ray herself being claled SLO-Cop-You-Later. There is little doubt that some of the claims might have caused non-hashers a few concerns, including of course the American fear of drinking in public while the hash website, showing ‘a photo of a man with his testicles placed on a passed out man’s head could not have helped.

Slovak Republic

The idea of forming Bratislava H3 was conceived on Prague’s 200^th run.  With help from London and Warsaw hashers they were up and running by August 1994 with Grin as the first GM.  They are party animals and their website notes that all runs ‘now officially stroll from pub to pub’.  Bratislava Hash passed 250 strolls late in 2003.

Slovenia

Ljubljana H3 was founded by Walter 'Gwana' Woods in September 2001. He played a major part in keeping the hash going and unfortunately the kennel went into recess on his departure.

Smartarse

Smartarse claimed a hash record by completing 195 consecutive runs with the FUKFM Hash.  As this is a monthly run it means never missing a run in around 12 years!  However, he was almost absent on the very first run, as it was on the same day as the birth of one of his children.

Smiley

Ibrahim ‘Smiley’ Ibrahim clocked up 400 plus runs with Cairo H3 before sadly dying in May 2002.

On on Smiley

Snatchatory Date

Mark ‘Snatchatory Date’ Smykowski was killed while on active duty in Iraq in 2006.  Onon Snatchatory.

Snow Hash

Annual event held by the Beirut Hash when they visit the snow covered mountains famous for being home of the last few surviving Cedar Trees. (These having been chopped down since ancient times when the Egyptians prized the wood for boat building and rafters in temples.)

It is a three day weekend with basic food and accommodation (ie cheap) and a reputation for great runs through the snow and brilliant partying. You can also take the opportunity to ski (both cross country and downhill) but there is no ski  hash.

Solomon Islands

Re-writing hash history!!!!!

There is very little information available on Honiara H3 and according to the few websites  that mention them, they have been running every Monday since 1973 with a Full Moon hash being added in 1996. The Hash Genealogy dates  them to 1973, founded by Brian Leach out of Perth.

However in July 2010,  an interview with Chichester joint-founder Rob Canman Low questioned  this understanding.

In 1957, having finished studying at Aberdeen University and then serving his National Service on submarines, Rob joined the colonial service and was posted to the Solomon Islands. A major oil palm project was opening up, with great areas of jungle being swept away to make room for plantations. Many of the people involved in the project were brought out from Malaysia – which of course makes sense - and it seems they brought hashing with them.

According to Rob, he returned from leave in September 1964 intending to play rugby but instead joined the new hash group - Honiara H3. The group was already well established and Rob guesses that they had probably been running from the end of 1963. He remembers that one of the founders was an ex-Malaysian called Joe Mulholland, who was manager of C.D.C.

This is of course extremely significant. If accurate – and there is no reason whatsoever to doubt Rob’s memory - then Honiara would be (if I have done my calculations correctly) the 4^th  or 5^th oldest surviving hash in the world . More significantly they would be 4 years older than the first Australian hashes and therefore the first hash outside of Malaysia-Singapore-Borneo region (excluding of course Bordighera).

Rob remembers running with the hash until he left the island in 1977. This creates a problem. While a short lived hash might well have come, gone and been forgotten, it is hard to explain how the 1973 date came to be accepted  if the hash had continued without a break. I would welcome any thought and information. Shakesprick

Thoughts from Flying Bogger

My take is that there's a 15-year gap between the re-formation of KLH3 in 1946 and the formation of Singapore H3 in 1962, with up to now only one known offshoot, Bordighera H3.  Given that so many of these early hashers were transferred here and there in the British colonies and possessions, could it be that other kennels were formed during those 15 years, possibly outside Malaya, and are now lost to history?  Your discovery indicates that there was at least one -- we know so little!

Somalia

There is, as you would expect, no hashing in Somalia at present.  However, the Mogadishu H3 was once a lively kennel which remained active until 1988.  Some care had to be taken with landmines, but the hash, being a large group, generally felt safe and made good use of the excellent beaches for barbeques.  The embassies were particularly helpful, bringing in German beer and making the British Embassy Social Club available for the on-on.  

     The first sign of problems came when the pack had to start hiring guards to look after the parked cars.  After that things deteriorated rapidly.  Ex-pats began pulling out and during the last few days a group actually got mugged while jogging inside an embassy compound!

Song check

A check, often marked with an S in the circle, where the pack are excepted/encouraged to sing a song.

Song Master

See Hash Music

South Africa

Since the collapse of apartheid South Africa has taken an active hash role in the region, with Durban hosting African InterHash in 2001 and Cape Town in 2005.  In addition many African hashes have gained a South African contingent from a growing number of ex-pats working around the continent. 

     Hashing has a long history in South Africa, with Durban being founded by Peter Dominey (ex KL) in September 1971.  They are the oldest kennel on the continent, and when they celebrated their 1000^th run and 10^th anniversary in 1991 ‘Torch’ Bennett was guest of honour.  

As Durban evolved into a family run, a hard core of men founded North Durban in September 1981.  The new kennel had a close affinity with the local rugby club and used that bar after their Tuesday night runs.  They started with just nine runners and ‘Mad’ Mike Potter is still there two decades later.

     Cape Town is the third oldest hash in Africa, dating from December 1980.  They trace their roots to Durban, the founder being Bob ‘Band-On-Bob’ Browning.  A second Wednesday hash started in 1987.  

Jo‘burg H3 was founded in January 1981 by Estienne ‘Again’ Amdt. Magic once described them as ‘the smallest hash in the biggest city’ and indeed the kennel eventually collapsed. Local hashers now had to make the hour drive to Pretoria and join the Jacaranda H3.  This kennel had been founded by Ian ‘Lurch’ Wall in 1987. Jacaranda Hash acquired both beer and t shirt sponsorship for their first run which attracted a pack of around 20. SkaapSteker was a key organiser in the early days, setting or hosting the 25^th, 50^th and 100^thruns.                                                     

Pretoria, with its steady stream of diplomats, is still a lively kennel with over 1000 runs to its credit and their pre-African InterHash runs in Soweto have become notable events on the African hash calendar.  

However the journey from Jo’burg was always going to be a problem, particularly considering the dangers on South African roads.  For example Jacaranda Hash records were lost in a car hijacking and the Jo’burg kennel reformed in November 2003.  Runs were usually in the Sandton Fourways area but by 2007 the pack was often down to low single figures and in 2008 Skippy sent around an email announcing the kennel had closed.

South Korea

Seoul H3 is one of the great kennels, and was founded in1972 by Ian Young (ex Hong Kong).  They remain a men-only hash, with a couple of mixed runs each year.

In the old days there was a close link between the hash and some of the Itaewon nightclubs, where Hashers were often known by name.  Those days might have passed, but other traditions remain and hashers are still expected to turn up in the ‘team colours’ of orange vest or t-shirts. Seoul trails can be demanding, taking in the countryside, hills and suburbs of the city, while Korean weather can range from extremely hot, to deep snow. There is also a fierce June-August rainy season that can bring down numbers.

     Hashing spread out from Seoul and around the peninsula with Bunson starting up in 1979 and the island of Koje seeing the light in 1981. The majority of regional hashes choose, either through desire or small numbers, to be mixed hashes.  During the nineties the hash remained largely an ex-pat event, with a few Korean wives, perhaps because many Koreans struggle with a circle conducted in English. The ex-pats tend to be a varied crowd, coming from occupations such as shipping, rail projects or perhaps a teaching background.

A couple of groups including Kunsan Wolfpack H3 and 38^th Parrell H3 have died out and in recent years the biggest hash expansion has been from additional kennels springing up around Seoul.  These new kennels tended to be mixed and included Southside H3 and the wonderfully named Mixed All Seoul Hash (MASH – get it?) ‘Daddy Long Legs’ was a central figure and the kennel peaked around 2002, when they were getting packs of up to 60 for their monthly Sunday runs with barbeque. As the old hands left the MASH hash declined and folded.

    Surprisingly there was no Harriet kennel until the Seoul PMS started in February 2000. For a guide to all the Korean hashes visit gotothehash.net/korea.html.

 Updated with thanks to Moby Dick

Spain

Spaniards really seem to have better things to do than hash – take for example Barcelona.  This city of 1.6 million people has one hash, which only meets once a month and then closes down for July and August because it is ‘too hot’ and everybody wants to be on the beach. Whimps! In fact the present Barcelona (Gaudi) H3 only started in October 1997, although there was an earlier kennel founded by ‘Singapore Chris’      

     Madrid is more active with a weekly run (Sundays) and TFIF gatherings once a month.  They date from May 1984, when they were founded by ‘Father’ Ken Humprey of KL.  Their 250^th run doubled as the first Iberian Nash Hash.  

      Malaga has Boqueron H3 ‘a young hash with a core of Asian vets’ and the Costa del Sol, a popular spot for retired or second home real-estate owners, has the Mijas or Burro H3 meeting every Sunday. This kennel was founded by Frankie “Flakie” Jolley of Pattaya Dirt Road Hash fame and features reasonable sized packs and a pleasing approach to beer stops (which seem to be compulsory).  The name Burro, by the way, comes from the local donkey taxis.

     Mallorca H3 was founded in 1985 and their 100^th run in 1987 attracted 60 visitors.  However a country of sport loving people should be doing better.

Sparks

Ole ‘Sparks’ Vigerstol learnt his hashing in Jakarta in the 1970’s and then moved to Australia where he continued Hashing with the Sydney Posh Hash.  He was chairman of the 1984 Sydney InterHash committee and later founded Rhode Island H3. 

In recent years he seems to have dropped out of sight, perhaps worn out by having to mismanage Captain Knockers at InterHash

Spermmaid

Lisbert ‘Spermmaid’ Kvistgad has been a central figure of the Jakarta hash scene since 1982 and a stalwart at the Jakarta Pussy Hash where she became a popular and highly effective Grand Mattress

Spiderman

A common hash name.  There were, for example, 5 of them at Goa InterHash in 2002.

Spiderman

With over 840 runs, Michael ‘Spiderman’ Perera is number 2 on the Colombo all time run list and has a healthy 160 plus runs with the Harriettes.

Spiritual Adviser

See Religious Advisor.

Sponsors

Firms, or occasionally individuals, often sponsor the hash in the mistaken belief that we will be sober enough to remember their generosity and be grateful.  For that reason sponsors often like to provide t-shirts with their emblem on them .  This will remind Hashers who paid for the beer and  in return Hashers will act as walking billboards on future runs.  

     Sponsorship is more usual for the big anniversary events, but some hashes have a kennel sponsor that signs up for a year, in which case it is inevitably a brewery (I can’t think why!). A problem with this is that a hash sponsored by one brewery might not be able to use a venue that does business with another.  Hashes can also be notably ungrateful to sponsors, most famously at the Fosters sponsored Sydney InterHash, where some Aussie hashers made a point off wearing T-shits from a rival brewery. 

     In recent times sponsors of large events such as InterHash have tended to dictate terms to the event mismanagers, which is sadly part of the commercialisation of the Hash

Spotted Dog

See Selangor Club

Spyder

Peter ‘Spyder’ Harris has been an important figure in Australian hashing.  His CV includes being secretary of Nash Hash, editor of the Aussie Hash Trash and creator of the 2nd and 3rd Aussie hash directories.

Squid

 ‘Squit’ Buttenshaw was 16 (too young to buy a round of drinks for the down-downs) when he founded and became GM of Otter Valley H3.

Sri Lanka

Colombo H3 was founded by Franklin 'Darjeeling' Pate, Michael Hill and Clive Burgess in April 1980, attracting 40 runners, many of who returned despite a marathon first trail. It is an all-male Monday night hash, proud of getting out into the beautiful Sri Lankan countryside. The few women runners who were hashing when the all male rule was imposed around 1984 continued to run as an honourable men, although very few of them are still active.  

     JFK and Spiderman lead the run total while the 2008 InterHash Down Down Champion, RTC, has held the position of GM. 

Colombo Hash House Harriettes is actually a mixed hash, founded on 20 June 1984 and running every Wednesday.  The combined Harriers and Harriettes website is among the best on the web. 

Standing Ovation

Mats ‘Standing Ovation’ Strandberg is one of the most distinguished of the Stockholm hashers.  He leant his hashing in Karachi in 1985, had a long spell sober then hashed again in Maputo in 1991.  

    On leaving Africa for his native Sweden he became a regular with Stockholm H3 and pops up at most major events around the world.  His most noted world tour was a 3 week, 38 runs in 6 countries safari following the 1998 InterHash.  

    When not hashing, Standing is a trotting fan (you will know what that means if you are Swedish).

Steamshoes

Ross ‘Steamshoes’ Johnston has been a hasher since 1981 and has the distinction of clocking up 1000 runs with two different kennels.  He first reached this landmark with Melbourne H3 and just ten weeks later completed his 1000^th run with Royal Peninsula H3.  

Nominated by Tug

Stewart, Peter

Peter Stewart was a party animal and Papua New Guinea legend during the seventies, when he would regularly drive 120 miles to join the runs.

Stray Dog

Larry ‘ Stray Dog’ McDowell, now retired from the US Army, runs with Birmingham H3 (Alabama) His hash career started in Okinawa and he then relocated to Europe, where he was GM of EuroHash III.  

He has founded hashes wherever he goes, including Namsan H3 in Seoul, Mannheim H3 in Germany and numerous hashes in the USA.    

     ‘Stray Dog’ is perhaps best known as founder and editor of Global Trash Magazine and was founder and webmaster of the World Hash Home Page www.gthhh.com.  He also became the fifth editor of InterHASHional News and worked as author or editor in numerous other hash publications as well as introducing hashing to the uninitiated via magazine articles, radio and TV.

Sudan

Khartoum is a strange place and home to the desert meeting point of the Blue and White Nile.  Many an ex-pat has spent a spell running with the old Khartoum H3 which clocked up close to 1000 runs before closing down.  

Years of turmoil and war followed and the present government, which came to power in 1989 via a military coup, has hardly earned Sudan a glowing reputation amongst the international community.  

The hash however was revived in February 2003 by ‘Bush Puss’, ‘Feike’, and ‘HappyJappy’. It claims, with some justification, to be the hottest hash in the world.

There is also a strict dress code – no shorts or bare shoulders for anybody - but despite this the KH3 still gets packs of 30-40 for a run.  However, what else is there to do in Khartoum these days?  

     Juba in the south suffered terribly during the war but the UN is now there in large numbers trying to get the transport system working again and Ron Isaacson was able to start a hash in January 2006.

Superturd

Nick ‘Superturd’ Boudville was an early member of Penang H3, where he was GM in 1972 and reached 1000 runs in 1988.

Suriname

Suriname is the smallest independent country in South America and was once a Dutch colony. It is possible that there is, or has been, a hash here at some point but it is difficult to find information.

Sweden

      The Stockholm Absolute H3 was founded by Bertil ‘Nosslo’ Olsson, Gosta ‘Two Pricks’ Karlsson and Jan ‘Stamps’ Ferguson-Karlsson in August 1986.  In fact the Termite family had probably organized a couple of runs at an early date, but they left Sweden before the kennel could get established. Today the Absolute Hash runs every other Saturday, with packs of around 20-30.  Runs tend to be from people’s homes, which often pushes the hash into the suburbs.  In the summer of 1994 some of the Harriettes thought that the Absolute Hash was getting a bit too family-oriented and founded the Underground Hash that runs every Wednesday from a pub close to a subway station. Numbers on this hash can vary, and a few years ago a wet cold winter's evening can see packs down to 3 or 4. However at the moment hashing is booming in Stockholm and  the Underground is averaging over 20 for each run.

The Full Moon Berserkers H3 was founded by hash legend John ‘Malibog’ Denny.  Although claiming independence status, it is not unknown for a Berserkers Hash to be combined with a Wednesday or Saturday run.  There is a close overlap between all three hashes, most Wednesday hashers also run on Saturdays, although the reverse is not true.  The most ‘typical’ Stockholm hasher is a Swedish ex-pat returning home with hash experience, the second largest identifiable group being British residents.  Relatively few Stockholm hashers came along as hash virgins.             

        It is quite a close group, with a core membership, including Clever Dick, The Termite family, Standing Ovation, Mad Swede and Casaplonker who have been hashing together from ‘the early days’. There is a fair bit of after-hour’s socializing with hash teams entering many of the city’s running events, including the Stockholm Marathon. The hash has also put together a korfball team, and are groupies of the local bagpipe group.  A hard core can be found at the Ox on Friday evenings. Inverness H3 meets very occasionally. Inverness in this case is an outer suburb of Stockholm, possibly named Inverness because Scottish solders were stationed here several centuries ago. The Stockholm lads who formed the kennel just liked the name! A Stockholm Bash was founded by Termite in 2007 and goes by the name ‘The Wheel Stockholm Bash’. Trails are about 25 k and they meet reasonably regularly.

Elsewhere hashes tend to come and go. Kalmar H3 was the invention of VD Viking and dependant on visitors from Stockholm for a good turnout. It seems to be dormant at the moment. Vasteras, a town about 100 kilometers west of Stockholm was the venue for the occasional Stockholm run, the pack enjoying the hospitality and cooking of  Jan ‘Mad Swede’ Andersson and then staying over for the night. Since Mad Swede moved here permanently these occasional runs have developed into the Westra Aros Gurka H3 and runs now take place monthly.  Numbers are dependent on getting a continent coming up from Stockholm. Blentarps is a completely independent kennel and was founded by Karin ‘Hotlips’ Hoffmann after she returned from Malaysia. Ludvika H3, in the wilderness of Dalarna was founded in June 2000 by Jan ‘Super Swede’ Karlström who gathered together a small group of returning ex-pats. Ludvika are now on 80 runs with an average pack of around 24. Super Swede, Bjarne ‘Half-Pint’ Carlqvist, Decima ‘Tsunami’ Frisk, Sten ‘Iceman’ Bohlin and Göran Frisk all completed over 60 0f the first 80 runs 

The most significant hash event in recent times has been the re-established of a kennel in the second city and Gotenburg H3 (descended from Mölndal H3) are now doing well. The founding father and GM is Penisboy who learnt hashing in his native Ethiopia. Gothenburg hosted the first Swedish Nash Hash in May 2007.

Pictures from top - Stockholm Underground Pack, a typical Stockholm City Run

Sweeper

Somebody ‘sweeping up’ behind the pack to make sure nobody gets lost.  Most likely to be a hare but could just be a volunteer.  Some Harriet groups have official sweepers who do the job every run (See Hash Cocks).

Switzerland

Hashing has a firm base in Switzerland, where there are 9 listed hashes, a Nash Hash that has been going on for more than a decade and some good websites, including Lik'umm's famous Swiss website.

The Swiss countryside is beautiful and hashes often wander across borders into France or Italy (carry ID on such occasions). In addition hashes often branch into cycling in summer and skiing in winter. Although beer rules in summer, hot spiced wine on winter hashes or honey grappa are popular when it gets cold.

     Having said so many positive things, it should be noted that even Swiss hashers have been heard to comment on the rather high average age of the packs, and the rather boring behaviour on a many a run. This is certainly not hashing on the wild side!  

    Switzerland has several medium size cities, most of which have a kennel.  However many of these only meet monthly or twice a month.  Bern H3 is the oldest of the Swiss kennels and wasounded by Peter 'Tar Baby' Baumstark and Patricia 'Hornbreaker' McBrierty in June 1987.  Zurich H3 came along in 1990 thanks to Sara 'White Trash/Rolling Stone' Gisin-Moss and David Wilson.  Lucerne H3 was founded on 30 July1992 by Peter Fry, Alois Baggenstos and Armin 'Arm & Leg'  Rüegg, formerly of Hong Kong Hash.

    Lehman Geneva H3 run the first Sunday in the month.  They were founded by Margaret 'Iron Lady' Pianti in 1993 as a family hash that runs round the Geneva and Lake Leman area.  Some of the other hashes such as the BerZuBa Triangle H3 only meet occasionally for special events.

Syria

Welcome to one third of the axis of evil, and one of the friendliest countries you could ever wish to visit.

Damascus H3 runs on Friday afternoon In winter and Friday evening in summer and has been On On since 1983 when it was founded by Bob ‘Shithead’ Shead.  

Hashers gather at the Al Jalaa Hotel for an easy exit from town and usually head into the countryside.  A 30 to 60 minutes drive can take you up into the surrounding hills for some excellent running territory.  Beware it can get cold here in winter.  Packs average 20-25.

The Halab Hash House Harriers of Aleppo was started in 1994-95 by the efforts of some devoted hashers such as Jhon ‘The Big Bird’ Peacock, and have run ever since – although with some ups and downs. At the moment they are attracting between 30 and 40 hashers. The pack gathers at the ICARDA sports club to drive to the hash site and there are occasional bar-B-Q's, parties or camps.

Updated July 2009 with special thanks to ‘I am Mad LB’

Symington, Colin

A pre-war hasher.