WE HAD nearly a full turnout of about 30 members, together with their wives and partners for our last meeting of the year on December 17.

Following a rant of the week by Clive Allen about the loss of telecommunications in Harvington, President Brian Melville announced that today’s entertainment would be provided by the Club’s committee members.

There then followed an eclectic mix of videos, slide shows, personal reflections, fascinating insights, anecdotes, songs, mickey-taking, name that tune and jokes by the Brians which occupied us for the best part of an hour and a half. The general consensus was that Messrs Melville, Allen, Dutton, Ireland, Burrows, Underwood, Swarbrick and Donough “had done good”.

We then enjoyed a very nice buffet lunch and caught up with all the local news, moans, scandal and convivial gossip before heading off home for a quiet snooze after all the excitement.

We have now completed our first year at the Boathouse and we thanked Dave the Steward with a gift for his assistance and support. And it has been a good year, with 45 different speakers, trips out, lunches, several new members and good companionship and much laughter.

We all look forward to enjoying Christmas and meeting up again on Thursday, January 7. On that day our speaker will be Phil Collins with a history of Punch and Judy followed on January 14 with fellow member David Way’s confession on getting it wrong. Do feel free to join our happy band.

CHRIS DONOUGH