Region 21 Golf – 27th May 2011

My first outing of golf for almost a year and didn’t it show. An event jointly organised by Ray Jones (the National Councillor for Region 21) and Andy “Hollis” Holyoake (Chippenham 41 Club) took us to the Cumberwell Park Golf Course hear Chippenham, where everyone enjoyed an excellent afternoon of golf (with the course in superb condition) and excellent fun and fellowship in the bar afterwards.

 Despite my efforts to bring my team down to my level, together with “Hollis” (a member of my National Executive when I was Round Table President) and David Fife (Clevedon 41 Club) we managed to come second. Congratulations must go to Chippenham 41 Club who won the event and will go on to represent the Region in the National Golf Finals in September. I just hope my golf improves by then.

Calpe 41 Club 5th Charter Anniversary Dinner – 26th May 2011

Both Jill and I had the pleasure of joining Calpe 41 Club in celebrating their 5^th Charter Anniversary Dinner, which they combined with last years Ladies Night. The evening went very well; the food, venue and the singer were excellent and the dancing went on well into the night.  An excellent evening and if you ever visit this area of Spain, you will be assured of a warm welcome.

German 41 Club AGM – 20th & 21st May 2011

A large contingent including Tablers from the Isle of Wight, enjoyed the hospitality at the German AGM in Coburg. Although a bit smaller than our own AGM’s, they  put on a superb weekend with good venues and good food. It was nice to meet the Presidents of the other Association’s and hopefully we can all work together to take 41 Club International forward.

Great Britain & Ireland Past Presidents’ Weekend – 13th & 14th May 2011

The Past Presidents (together with widows of Past Presidents) meet every two years and this year the event was organised by Drew and Moira Cochran and was held in North Berwick.

Several of the Past Presidents meet up to renew old acquaintances and as well as enjoying the local food and visiting the local area, it is also a chance to quiz the “New President” about what is going on in 41 Club and Round Table.

A really enjoyable weekend and I look forward to the next one.

RT Area 23 Severnvale 60th Charter Dinner – 12th May

A really enjoyable evening was had at the Round Table Area 23 60th Charter Dinner. Many tables from the Area were there to support the new Area Executive, who were introduced to the meeting, and to witness the handing over of the Chairman’s Jewel. Also at the meeting was the new National President of Round Table – John Payne – and we both brought greetings from our respective Associations – under “friendly fire” from sugar cubes. The evening was completed by the comedian and more beer.

It was very good to see the evening well supported by the local 41 Club’s and they have promised to continue that support over the coming year.

Rothwell & Distict 41 Club’s Annual General Meeting 10th May

Accompanied by Immediate Past International Officer, Andy Waite, we both enjoyed the evening with Rothwell & District 41 Club at their AGM. It was a good fun evening with lots of laughter too. Another club which have a full list of officers and it was a pleasure to induct a new member  John Paley as well.

Round Table Conference – 5th-7th May

 

An excellent Conference was held at the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool, thoroughly enjoyed by approximately 600 delegates.

The weekend was started with a visit to an excellent show on the Thursday evening – Funny Girls.

The International Lunch and Banner Exchange were held in a local Chinese Restaurant on the Friday lunchtime and were really enjoyable .



The day was completed with the Fancy Dress Party. The theme being “Skool Disco” which went on to the early morning.

The Annual General Meeting was held on the Saturday. Over 200 delegates were present and enjoyed a day of the usual serious debates and good humour and after a full day John Payne was installed as the new National President, with good wishes from 41 Club. The Presidents Banquet is now held on the Saturday Evening and the final exchange of Jewels took place then.

A busy and very enjoyable weekend and congratulations to all those who took part in the organisation.

Godalming 41 Club’s Annual General Meeting – 28th April

Invited by the Secretary, Jim Laity, who I have known for several years, I joined Godalming 41 Club for their Annual General Meeting which had been delayed due to holidays.


It was a really enjoyable evening with lively debate on the accounts and membership, with a new member inducted as well. Another well organised club which ranks amongst their officers (as well as the traditional ones) a Speaker Secretary, Ladies Night Organiser, Sports Officer and an Editor.

A good club to visit and I am looking forward to joining them at their golf day, diary permitting.

41 Club Joint Meeting with the French – 22nd April

The first meeting organised by the Association’s new International Officer – Dave Campbell – took place on-board the Cross Channel Ferry between Dover and Calais.


The Joint Meeting between Region 25 (Kent) and the French Region 1 (Nord Pas de Calais Picardie) had been superbly organised by Dave (as the outgoing Councillor) and his French counterpart, Stephane Andriolo.

The idea for the first of such a meeting was very simple – the British caught the ferry to Calais, the French then got on and we had a joint meeting as we sailed back to Dover; the British then disembarked and the French then enjoyed a meal whist sailing back to Calais. With approximately 100 members from both countries in attendance, it was a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the fellowship of 41 Club from both countries.

Hopefully it will be the start of an annual joint meeting of the Regions/Club and might even encourage some Clubs to “twin”.

Stafford 41 Club’s Annual General Meeting and 50th Charter Celebrations – 20th April

Accompanied by the Association’s new National Communications Officer – Ray Hill – we joined Stafford 41 Club for their Annual General Meeting with which they also combined their 50th Charter Celebrations. We had a really good evening, were made very welcome and were very well looked after.


Stafford 41 Club were a lot of fun and we had a good laugh throughout the night, with a few serious moments. They are also a very well organised club and rank amongst their officers a Regalia Officer and an International Relations Officer.

The highlight was the presentation of the Service Award to David Orme, who has been of tremendous service to the club, having served as both Secretary and Treasurer of the Club for the last 25 years.

Burgess Hill and Hassocks 41 Club’s St George’s Day Dinner – 19th April

A warm Tuesday evening saw me being invited to join with Burgess Hill and Hassocks  41 Club at their St George’s Day Dinner. A really enjoyable evening, with super food and a very funny comedian. The evening was finished off with the singing of favourite songs, including “There’ll Always Be An England”, “Land Of Hope and Glory” and “Jerusalem”. A really good evening of fun and fellowship and, with over 80 there, testimony to its popularity which has grown over the years.

East Grinstead Annual General Meeting – 18th April

I was straight into my first event as President on the Monday after Conference, when I attended my own club’s Annual General Meeting. An enjoyable evening (meal of ham, egg and chips all round and a frozen summer pudding as dessert) attended by about 20 of our members, including some that we had not seen for a long time and a prospective new member. There was the usual discussion about annual subscriptions, places we had visited and what we had done during the year, but we all enjoyed the evening and I left being somehow voted in as vice-chairman.

Forfar & District 50th Anniversary Dinner - 25th March

A really enjoyable evening was organised by Forfar and District 41 Club in celebration of their 50th Anniversary Dinner. The event was held at the local golf club and Allan Thomson, the National Councillor for Region 2, and I both enjoyed an evening of fun and fellowship in which the members were able to meet up with old friends and swap stories of their time in Table. The food, venue and staff were excellent and we were very well looked after.

The highlight of the evening was a presentation to Alan Garrick in recognition of his long term support of the club (he has been a member continuously for 41 years) and he was appointed as the club’s first “Life Honorary President”.

1741 Club Charity Night – Wednesday 23rd March

A really enjoyable charity games night was organised by 1741 Club at their normal meeting place – The Town Club, Enfield.

There they organised an evening of “pig racing”, which not only involved members of the club, but also the local Round Tables and locals/visitors to the club.

The plan was quite simple. Two pieces of wood, which had been divided into six lanes, screwed together. Organise the tote, race the battery driven pigs, pay out the winners and the balance was kept for charity. Everyone had a good time and to watch it was extremely funny and to top it off they raised £195.00 for Round Table Children's Wish

Sutton and Cheam Round Table Reunion Dinner - 25th February 2011

A really enjoyable evening was had by all. Sutton and Cheam 41 Club combined forces to organise the Sutton and Cheam Round Table Reunion Dinner, both Tables have unfortuantely now closed.

It was an evening to enjoy the fun and fellowship they all had in Round Table, recounting the history of the clubs and finishing off with a few jokes.

The dinner was well attended by current 41'ers and former tables and hofefully will be a constant fixture in their diaries.

Gibralter Burns Night 21st January 2011

I attended a very enjoyable Charity Burns Night along with Round Table President John Kilsh, Past Round Table President Peter Manley a large contingent of Tables from Airdrie Round Table and several other Round Tables and 41 Club members. A large sum for raised for local charities friendships renewed.
Jill came over with me and was taken out with Tangent and Circle members and was excellently entertained.
We stayed for a couple of days and were taken out for a tour of the island, had dinner at the RT Chairman's Restaurant and spent time with old friends Paul Origio Past National 41 Club Presdient of Giralter and his wife Belinda.
I would recommend anyone thinking of going to go, a superb weekend was had by all.

Southend-on-Sea, Martin Young Cluster Meeting 10th January 2011

Along with Dave Campbell , National Councillor for Region 25, I had the pleasure of attending The 2011 Martin Young Cluster Meeting, organised by Southend-on-Sea 41 Club.

It was an excellent evening, in a superb venue with good food. As well as many 41 Club Members it was good to see the event was suppported by the local Round Table; with the Aims and Objects of Round Table read by "the 5 new boys" who were all inducted into Southend-on-Sea in November 2010;  hopefully they will go on and join 41 Club in time !

After the meal and formalities, we all enjoyed hearing from Guest Speaker, Brian Curtois, who entertained us all with his stories from when he was a political commentator.

Whitchurch RT and 41 Club Christmas Dinner 16th December 2010

Along with Ray Hill, National Councillor for Region 11, I had the pleasure of joining Whitchurch 41 Club at their Joint Christmas Dinner with Whitchuch Round Table.

It was a really enjoyable evening, the highlight for me was being able to present Dave Bentley, Past Club President and their current Secretary with a  Service Award. It came as a complete suprise to him and it was nice to be able to formally recognise all the hard work he puts into the smooth running of the Club.

Shirley late Knights Ladies Night 6th November 2010

Jill and I joined Shirley Late Knights to support Jon Meadows, Club chairman at his Ladies Night. A thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by all, with dancing until the early hours. Thank you to everyone who made us both feel so welcome.

Wimbledon 41 Club Gaugin Visit Friday 5th November 2010

Jill and I joined Wimbledon 41 Club  for an evening of culture at the Tate Modern to see an exhibition of the works of Gaugin.

The evening started off with a talk from one of the guides, followed by a tour of the gallery which included many of his main works and some that had not been on display before.


A good evening was rounded up with a pizza and wine and plenty of chat.

Shirley Late Knights Charter 4th November 2010

Along with the Associations International Officer and a contingent from Malta, I enjoyed a Reunion and Celebration evening in Solihull, which was held to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the formation of Shirley Kate Knights and the 55th Anniversary of the Chartering of Shirley Round Table,



It was an informal evening, short on ceremony and an excellent evening in which to catch up with old friends. The Guest speaker was David Gunson ( past Air Traffic Controller) who entertained us for about an hour.

A good evening.

Area 13 41 Club AGM Wick Saturday 23rd October 2010

A long trip north to Wick for a meeting of Area 13 41 Club where we were joined by members from as far away as Stornaway and Inverness.


A really good evening was had by all, with too much good food and whiskey. Despite this, it was good to see that the club has increased its numbers, set out a programme of where/when to meet and to top it all they are looking into the possibility if forming a new 41 Club in Wick.

Newton Abbot Charter Dinner 17th September 2010

I spent a very enjoyable evening at Newton Abbbot for their Charter Dinner. It is a tradition that they invite the Vice President to speak about the current position in Round Table and 41 Club after which it was good to hear the many humorous stories from their RT days , you could see they obviously had fun.



There were many there that I knew from my days in Round Table and it was good to see those present that attended when I visited Newton Abbot when I was Round Table President and spoke at the Round Table 5oth Charter.

Isle of Wight RT 5th Charter 9th October 2010

On a beautiful sunny weekend, Jill and I had the pleasure of supporting Isle of Wight Round Table on the night of their 5th Charter

A superb meal was followed by dancing and playing the Roulette and Blackjack tables until 1.00 in the morning.

The Isle of Wight now has two tables one of which is one of newest tables in the country (Isle of Wight 1277) and also one of the oldest (Ryde 16). They were joined by Coburg 151 RT from Germany, who came across to help celebrate the twinning of the clubs and publicise the Old Tablers Germany meeting in 2011 which is to be held in Coburg. I have details if any one is interested, we both hope to attend.

In all a good night of fun and fellowship, and also monies were raised to support the R.N.L.I. – National President RTBI John Kilshaw’s charity, to include an auction of tabler’s Jewels or anything they had left unattended on the table !!

Leicestershire 41 Clubs Cluster Meeting 17th September 2010

I had the great pleasure in joining in and supporting Leicestershire 41 Clubs first ever Leicester Cluster meeting hosted by Leicester De Montfort 41 Club at Leicestershire Golf Club.

President Malcolm was there, with guest speaker John Spence. The evening went very well and it was good to see so many enjoy the fun and fellowship on the evening and I am sure it was good for them, to meet up with old friends and catch up on times past.

Seaford and Newhaven Round Table Golf Day 8th October 2010

A beautifully warm sunny afternoon saw me joining guests and members of Seaford Round Table (hosts) and Seaford 41 Club for an afternoon’s Golf at Seaford Head Golf Club for the Seaford and Newhaven Round Table Charity Golf Day.

The golf course was in excellent condition being an undulating, downland course with magnificent views of the Sea and the South Downs especially those from the 14th Hole onwards which had panoramic views of the famous Seven Sisters towards Beachy Head with an exhilarating shot to finish the round; the tee is nearly 300 ft up on Seaford Head cliffs with a drive down to sea level.

Woking 41 Club Gourmet Night October 5th 2010

I had the pleasure of attending Woking 41 Club’s Gourmet/Charity Evening and a cheque was presented on the Night for The Ocean Youth Trust.



The superb evening comprised of a specially prepared 5 course meal with accompanying wine and port tastings with expert commentary on their origins together with tasting notes.
Woking are a very Active 41 club and are fortunate to have an active Round Table in their town and it was good to see the close liaison between the two with an active joint programme.

Yellow Belly Ball 25th September 2010

Along with Malcolm and Yvonne, Drew and Moira Cochran, Allan and Sally Pattinson , Donald and Doreen Watson, Jill and I joined in at the Region 9 Lincolnshire Yellow Bell Ball. Together with almost 100 others, we enjoyed a superb meal and evening of dancing at the Assembly Halls in Boston and also learnt many of the reasons of the term Lincolnshire Yellow Belly, the favourite of which was that many yeas ago the Lincolnshire Regiment included a tunic with a yellow front. It also happened to coincide with Lincolnshire Day. A good night was had by all with a large contingent coming up from Welling to enjoy the hospitality.

1741 Donkey Derby 12st September 2010

A warm and sunny Sunday aftenoon took me to the Muswell Hill

Festival and Donkey Derby.

There I helped 1741 Club, together with Hornsey RT and other

Tablers (together with various family members) to run the Donkey

Derby and Donkey rides . It was good fun and very funny to watch. The afternoon was spent with some very stuborn donkeys which were more interested in eating grass.

All this was part of raising monies for the London Centre for Children with Cerebal Palsy. The day was attended by several thousand people who all enjoyed the attractions which included circus skills, food courts, bouncy castles, inflatables and many other stalls.

Hopefully a lot of money was raised and it certianly raised the profile of RT and 41 Club in the local community.

Bexley 191 RT Re-Charter 11th September 2010

It is a long time since I have been invited to the re-chartering of a Round Table, but I joined with several members of the local 41 Clubs who had sponsored and supported the re-chartering of Bexley Round Table No 191 in South East London.

Over 100 enjpyed a memorable evening when 11 new members were inducted into Round Table by RTBI National President John Kilshaw. It was particularly good when you consider that the age range of the new Tablers was 18 - 22 and you could only wish them well for the future. It was good to see that the old regalia had not been lost and it was presented to the new Chairman.

Another highlight of the eveningwas listening to Milwall legend Tony Cascarino who was the guest speaker, who entertained everyone with his football stories.

As this was a "new" table (and particulary young) the evening was "themed" along those lines with "pass the parcel" (with a small bottle of whiskey as the prize); and a meal with a main course of fish fingers/chicken nuggetts, chips and alphabetti spaghetti.

Hopefully, this is the start of a bright new future for the organisation, but not withstanding this, it was good to weelcome the new members in, in true table style.

Bristol 41 Club 7th September 2010

After driving to Bristol, I had the pleasure of enjoying the evening with Bristol 41 Club. As well as meeeting the members and enjoying the hospitality of the Bristol Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, the highlight of the evening was listenig to the speaker, The Lord Lieutenant of Bristol, Mrs Mary Prior. She talked about the history and her life as Lord Lieutenant, as well as sharing many amusing anecdotes from various Lord Lieutenants over the years.

My thanks to Chairman Steve Davies for a very pleasant and enjoyable evening.

Wimbledon 41 Club Presidents Summer Party 8th August 2010

Jill and I were invited to join in at Wimbledon 41 Club President’s Summer Party. The afternoon was hosted by President Graham Hunter (who prepared most of the food) assisted by his wife Sharon ( and many others). Considering it had rained the day before, Graham was very lucky with the weather and we all thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.

The Club has recently twined with Paris 41 Club and it was good to see two Club members had come over and joined Wimbledon for the afternoon.

A great afternoon in which to relax in the company of old friends.

Region 15th Golf Day 3rd August 2010

A really enjoyable days golf was had by all at Olton Golf Club. The weather was glorious, the facilities and the food in the clubhouse excellent and the club could only be congratulated on the condition of the course, especially the greens.

There was a 41 Club National Executive team comprising of myself, Richard Matthews, Barry Durman with Peter Willkie from Tamworth 41 Club joining us. Peter had the honour of winning nearest the pin.

Even though we thought we had played well, winners on the day were Tamworth 41 Club, who will go on to represent the Region in the National Golf Finals.

Congratulations to Barry for organising the day,