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Rotary Blog 18th December
2006
The last meeting of 2006 featured a very
convivial wine-tasting led by "Bollinger" (aka Rtn David
Rankin). An excellent way to ease us into the season of mass
over-indulgence. My own hopeless attempts to identify the country,
grape, year, taste, texture and price of each wine may have
had something to do with the chicken curry I had had for
lunch, (but then again, maybe not!).
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The
bottles of wine, suitably disguised,
soon to be poured down the throats
of our discerning sommeliers |
"Bollinger",
our host for the evening,
forgets to pick up his glass! |
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"You
will fill mine up, won't you Bollinger?" |
Oh! yes, the nose has it! "A Rioja, drinkable,
2002, about six quid from Waitrose."
WRONG!! |
Members had arrived at the meeting with
sweaters, but left without them. Rtn John Brown collected 56 to take
to the Dellow Centre near Brick Lane on the edge of the city of
London. They will be distributed by the Providence Row charity to the
homeless and those sleeping rough on those streets that, for others,
are paved with gold.
Over the last four weekends, we have been privileged to host the jolly
red man with the big white beard, (no, not Peter Jones), at the
Haddenham Garden Centre. Nearly 300 children have visited the grotto. The joy
of this particular activity is seeing the expressions of
amazement and delight on the kids' faces. Santa, plus the tin shake at
the M40 services, has raised considerable amounts for our charities.
Well done everyone - it's been a good December.
We are now half way through the Rotary year, which I for one am
thoroughly enjoying. May I wish all club members, their families, our
friends in Rotary and beyond, a very happy and fruitful 2007.
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President
Santa before the match with
West Ham Utd |
...and
President Santa after the match with
West Ham Utd! |
Rtn President Roger Rickard
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| Rotary Blog 4th December
2006
THE GREAT TRAIN
ROBBERY, RE-LIVED
What a treat we had on Monday night going
back to 8th August 1963.
It was one of the great memorable events
in our lifetime told by John Woolley with much colourful detail. He was
then a young policeman based in Brill and gave us his first hand
experience of the event when the Glasgow to London mail train was
robbed.
Reminding us of the events of the
sixties, John took us through each stage of this well planned robbery
and his personnel feelings. He realised upon entering the Leatherslade
farm through first floor window, finding his way down to the ground
floor and subsequently the trap door leading to a basement cellar where
the empty mail bags had been left, that he had come across the hideout
of the train robbers.
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John Woolley in full flight during
his enthusiastic presentation
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John
behind the lectern with one
of those infamous mail sacks |
There were 120 mailbags, value then
£2.3m [now £33m]. 350k has been recovered, but what happened to the
rest? Despite suggestions from Rotarians, no further light has been shed
on the remaining £2m.
Although the Robbers attained celebrity
status, it would appear they all paid for their crime, many re-offending
after their release from gaol. The most known about, Ronald Biggs,
returned to England in 2001 to serve his sentence.
The robbery on the 8th August
1963 held the nations attention and John’s talk 43 years on from the
event held Rotarians in as much awe as then.
The grumpling trophy this week went to a
Rotarian who, it appears, had not realised that he had lost £60. It
must be one of our more wealthier members!
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David
Rankin, giving his vote of thanks to John Woolley
and presenting the Grumpling Trophy to Peter Barnes |
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