Bromley and District 41 Club Cluster Evening – 21st November 2011

Every year Bromley District 41 Club organise a cluster meeting and this year was no exception. An evening was organised at the Bromley Court Hotel, to which many of the local clubs were invited. It was an excellent evening, and I was pleased to have the opportunity to present a charter to Sidcup 41 Club. 

The guest speaker was Alan Coxon, who gave a very amusing talk on his experiences in the Metropolitan Police entitled “A policeman’s lot can be a happy one”. A good evening was enjoyed by all.

Bridge of Weir & Kilmacolm 41 Club 25th Anniversary Dinner – 19th November 2011

A long drive north to just past Glasgow, took Jill and I to Bridge of Weir & Kilmalcolm 41 Club to help them celebrate their 25^th Anniversary at the local golf club. It was a fantastic night and we were made to feel so welcome in a very nice venue and the food was excellent.

The attendees included many 41’ers, former Round Tablers, friends, former Circle and Tangent members along with a number of former members returning to see old friends.

 As well as the usual formal speeches, the guest speaker was Ms. Annabelle Goldie MSP, who had just retired as the Leader of the Conservatives in the Scottish Parliament.




There was a great interruption by the Tangent Club, well performed and rehearsed .  A great fun evening.

Whitchurch Round Table 50th Charter – 18th November 2011

It was a real pleasure to travel up to Whitchurch to help the Round Table in the town to celebrate their 50^th Charter. It was well supported by the local tables and it was excellent to see a good turnout from the local 41 Clubs. As you expect, there was a lot of banter throughout the evening, especially when the comedian came on.

Some of the members of Whitchurch 41 Club had prepared a short history of the club and it was a shame that due to time constraints this could not be heard, but it did not detract in any way from an excellent evening. It was good to see Ladies Circle and Tangent taking part in the interruption and raising funds for Children in Need as well.

Hastings 41 Club – 17th November 2011

A drive to the south coast took me to Hastings 41 Club for their Past Members Night. The venue and the food were excellent and there were many stories from the past. A really enjoyable night of fun and fellowship.

Lichfield 41 Club – 16th November 2011

A good turnout of the local clubs ensured a very enjoyable evening at Lichfield. The venue (the local golf club) was superb and the food excellent and everyone enjoyed the first part of the evening – a talk from the Assistant Professional, who had been on the Ladies Professional Tour.

The second part of the evening was a bit more serious – discussion on the future of 41 Club and how to attract those who had just left Round Table or were about to leave. A lively discussion was had with many points raised and many will be taken back to National Council.

A really enjoyable evening and it was nice to be able to take the opportunity to thank Lichfield for their hard work in organising the Dedication of the 41 Club Garden and also for their work on Remembrance Sunday, both of which were held at the National Arboretum.  

Rhyl 41 Club – 15th November 2011

A long drive north took me to Rhuddlan in North Wales. There I joined with Rhyl 41 Club in the tasting of fine wines from around the world, which included some from the Lebanon, some pudding wine and all finished off with some fine ports.

 A very good evening, which ended with fellowship around the bar. I look forward to joining them again on St. David’s Day.

Ottery St. Mary 41 Club – 14th November 2011

Along with various guests I had the pleasure of attending a superb social evening organised by Ottery St. Mary 41 Club.  The purpose of the evening was threefold – to have a good time – to enjoy the specialist beers for the beer tasting – and most importantly to present a commemorative engraved glass tankard and citation scroll to one of their members, who was celebrating 41 years in 41 Club. A thoroughly enjoyable evening.  

Cenotaph Parade and Service – 13th November 2011

Every year Round Table gives two of their allocation of tickets to each of the other Associations – 41 Club, Ladies Circle and Tangent. This year was no exception and I was honoured to represent the Association with Dave Campbell, our International Officer.

At the beginning you line up with the other service clubs alongside the service personnel who have represented this country around the world – a very humbling experience, but the most moving part of the day must be during the 2 Minutes Silence – it is so quiet – I work in London and know the level of noise that is generated around Trafalgar Square.

The weather was superb and certainly helped to bring the crowd out.  It was a great day and one to be experienced if you have the chance.

Tangent South East Regional Lunch – 12th November 2011

Along with approximately 200 Tangent members, Jill and I enjoyed a thoroughly entertaining Tangent Lunch in Southend-on Sea.





 The venue and the food were superb with the guest speakers being Mark Foster and Camilla Sacre Dallerup, both of whom had featured on Strictly Come Dancing, a programme I had to admit at not watching. Nevertheless, the duo entertained everyone with their dancing display and made it a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

Region 20 Dinner – 11th November 2011

The Region 20 Dinner was this year organised by Abingdon and District 41 Club and was held in the very historic Exeter College, Oxford. The dining room was magnificent and it was superb to eat and bask in several centuries of history – the college where J.R.R. Tolkien was a student and we gazed on the lawn where Inspector Morse expired!

Being the 11^th day of the 11^th month, we started the evening with The Last Post followed by 2 Minutes Silence. There then followed a great evening of fun and fellowship (the food was good as well) with the guest speaker being John Spence OBE.

It was a good evening and would thoroughly recommend attending a dinner at such a historic venue to anyone.

Ireland - 4th -6th November 2011

Jill and I travelled to Ireland to enjoy a wonderful weekend in Ireland, kindly hosted by Bangor 41 Club and in particular by National Councillor Phillip Ellis and his wife Sandra. It was a packed weekend and we were shown the oldest pub in Ireland (it said so on the door), a tour around Bangor and Belfast, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and also had time to take in the Titanic Exhibition. The evenings were taken up meeting the members of Bangor 41 Club and Region 3. On the Sunday morning I attended the Region 3 Half Yearly Meeting, where the issues affecting Ireland were discussed. A really enjoyable weekend and I look forward to attending meetings later in the year – diary permitting.

Locksbottom 41 Club Charter Night – 3rd November 2011

As President it is really nice to have the opportunity to attend the Charter of a new club and present the Charter Certificate. It was especially nice to attend the charter of Locksbottom 41 Club as the new chairman is Dave Campbell, who I have known for many years. It was a really enjoyable evening and was nicely finished with Gin Tasting. They have already produced an exciting, active programme and I wish them well for the future.

Birmingham Civic Day Lunch - – 3rd November 2011

With many distinguished guests, including the Mayor of Birmingham, I had the pleasure of joining many tablers and 41 club members at the City of Birmingham Civic Day Lunch. It was a really enjoyable lunch hearing about the many good things that are going on in the city and relaxing afterwards with a beer or two. 

Great South Run – 30th October 2011

Ten miles might not appear to be too far, but I assure you it seemed too long to me. The atmosphere was fantastic at the beginning with approximately 25,000 runners and walkers. All was going well until 8 miles, when we turned into the wind for the final leg along the seafront. My legs seized up and the last two miles was a serious struggle. I completed it though in 2hours 54 minutes, which was in my own personal target of 3 hours. My thanks must go to Jill and Martin and Maria Green who encouraged me to complete the course; especially to Maria who accompanied me for a mile and encouraged me round that last corner!

Norton Radstock 41 Club’s Ladies Night – 29th October 2011

Both Jill and I were invited to join Norton Radstock 41 Club at their joint Ladies Night with the local Round Table, Ladies Circle and Tangent. It was a good evening with lots of laughter and good food and after the speeches from each of the Chairmen, the evening ended with dancing to the music.

Chepstow and Offa’s Dyke 41 Club Charter – 28th October 2011

Chepstow and Offa’s Dyke 41 Club were celebrating their 35^th Charter and it was held at the famous St Pierre Hotel and Country Club and I must say that they looked after us very well – both the service and the food were excellent. It was a really enjoyable evening and was finished off with a really funny comedian. A very good night.

Northwich 41 Club – 27th October 2011

I had the pleasure of joining Northwich 41 Club for their International Evening. It really is a good format. There were five courses from all parts of the world, for example the starter was from Tunisia and the dessert from Sweden. All you had to do was to enjoy the food and answer 3 “simple” questions on the dish, which normally included what country you thought the food was from and the main ingredients. When the dish was cleared away you were asked several more questions about the country. A really good evening and one which any club could include in its programme.

Farnham 41 Club – 25th October 2011

Farnham 41 Club held an excellent social evening, which was also attended by several guests and several members from the local Round Table. It was a wine and food matching evening to which you were invited to taste and compare the wines, evaluate their quality and see how well they matched the food dish being served. Each wine was presented by a 41 club member and he outlined why he believed that his chosen wine went the best with the course in question. There was a chance at the end to discuss the wines and select the preferred choice. It was an excellent evening.

Inverness 41 Club – 22nd October 2011

 A long drive north took me to Inverness (a really beautiful part of the country) to join in the Area 13 41 Club AGM followed by a really enjoyable evening and dinner with Inverness 41 Club. There was lots of laughter and good banter (as well as whiskey, wine and beer) and I look forward to seeing the members again when I visit Stornaway on the Isle of Lewis.

White Rose Dinner – 21st October 2011

A really good evening was enjoyed by over 190 members of 41 Club and Round Table at the White Rose Dinner, which was celebrating its 50^th Anniversary. Members came from all over Yorkshire and wider afield (some clubs even came from Lancashire) to participate in the event. As you would expect, there was a great atmosphere that night, with the guest speaker Sir Rodney Walker – “Yorkshire Man of the Year” and Past Chairman of Wakefield Round Table. It was also good to see Round Table there to support the evening as well.