HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!
Friday 13 December 2019. We concluded this year’s Events Programme with our popular Christmas Luncheon attended by 41 members and their partners. The luncheon was followed by the Annual Charity Fund ‘Grand Raffle’ to which members had so generously donated. There was also an impromptu auction for a bottle of Drambuie. Altogether an excess of £300 was raised toward the Charity Fund. Pam Snow was presented by a bouquet created by Margaret Newell, to mark her departure for the Mainland. [Thanks to Carole, Heather and Joy for a splendid effort in selling all those tickets!]
MERRY CHRISTMAS & ALL BEST WISHES FOR 2020
November’s Luncheon saw a couple of changes to the advertised speaker and David Pratt stood in at very short notice to give a talk on the energy crisis facing the world and offer a solution using nuclear fusion using water as the fuel. Very thought provoking!
RESUMPTION OF EVENTS
The ‘Winter Season’ of events started with the September talk by Keith Harris entitled: ‘My Fly Navy’ covering his career in the Royal Navy and his flying experiences flying a wide variety of aircraft, including from aircraft carriers.
The October talk was by our chairman, Peter Hedley, on the history of the Panama Canal and an update on of the enlarged capacity of the Canal.
November 10th was this year’s Remembrance Day and the Merchant Mariners had a presence at several venue on the Island.
Elizabeth Brindle carried our ensign and Simon Brindle laid our wreath at the Cowes war memorial.
GARDEN PARTY 2019
Once again we were blessed with fine weather for our annual Garden Party, which, once again, was held at Forelands House in Bembridge, thanks to the generosity of Mrs Sybil Snelling. after a very successful and well supported raffle the final amount added to our Charity Fund was £456.60.
We are coming to the end of our monthly luncheons and it will soon be summer with the usual break.
The AGM/McGinnity-Burman awards took place on 29th March and we were pleased that Georgie Hibberd was able to present cheques of £750 to each of the Sea Cadet Units on the Island: TS Osborne from Cowes and TS Royal George from Ryde.
Our President, Alan Tulloch was also part of the presentation of the funds raised by the hard work and generosity of the members of the Merchant Mariners of Wight.
Our last luncheon before the summer break is on 24th May at the usual time of 1230 for 1300 at the New Holmwood Hotel, Cowes. Our speaker will be MMW member Mike Samuelson with his ‘Reflections on the Falklands Campaign’. As Mike played an active part in the campaign it should be a very enthralling talk.
THE NEXT BIG EVENT is the Merchant Mariners of Wight Annual Garden Party. This will take place on 21st June and once again will be held at Forelands House, Bembridge, courtesy of Mrs Sybil Snelling. MEMBERS ARE REMINDED to send their reservations for this event as soon as they receive them to enable catering arrangements to be finalised.
31st May
The talk on 24th by Mike Samuelson was as good as we expected. It was fascinating to hear a personal account of what went on behind the scenes of the Falkland conflict. Mike was very modest about his part in the campaign but we got the impression he was quite close the centre of things.