It is with great sadness that the Club records the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. 

 

The Club extends its sincere  condolences to all members of the Royal Family at this time of loss and grief.

 

The Club acknowledges with gratitude the life of  service and dedication that Her Majesty gave to the country during her long reign.

 

After due consideration, it has been agreed that the West Country Lunch and AGM  should still take place tomorrow, 10th September, where a formal tribute will be made.

 

God Save the King.

For those attending this year's West Country Lunch and AGM this Saturday (10th September), OHs and their guests can meet in the bar at the Victoria Hotel which will be open from mid-day. Lunch will be served in the dining room at 1.00pm.  The business of the AGM will be conducted whilst coffee is served at the end of the meal.

 

The Club's AGM is being held on the same day as the West Country Lunch, 10th September, at the Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth. If you have not already booked your ticket for the lunch please do so now by contacting the Treasurer, David Richardson at: jdavidhrichardson4@gmail.com. Early booking is appreciated so that the Club can give accurate numbers to the the hotel.

 

Payment (£25.00) should be made on line to the following account quoting 'OH Lunch and your surname':-

Lloyds Bank

Old Honitonians Annual Subscription Account

Acccount No. 01622398

Sort Code 30 90 49

 

OHs are reminded that they have until 31st July to notify the Club Secretary if they wish to stand for election for the position of President or Club Secretary at this year's AGM.

The Club's AGM will again take place at the West Country Lunch on 10th September 2022 at the Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth.

 

One of the main pieces of business will be the election of a new Club President and other officers of the Club. To date the following members have offered to serve in the following positions:

 

Club President - Seb Warner

Hon. Secretary - David Woollatt

Treasurer - David Richardson

Magazine Editor and Archivist - Emily Banting

 

Any other member who wishes to be considered for any of these posts should notify the Club Secretary, Tim Birmingham, by email at OHclub@thebirminghams.com by no later than 31st July. In the event that there is more than one candidate for any of the positions, a vote will be taken at the AGM. 

 

OHs are urged to come to the West Country Lunch and be a part of the AGM as the Club enters a new and exciting era.

 

This year's West Country Lunch and the Club's Annual General Meeting will once again be held at The Victoria Hotel, Sidmouth on Saturday 10th September.

 

Menu choices for the lunch are :

Starter: Broccoli and Stilton soup OR Smoked Salmon Rilette

Main: Roast Loin of Beef OR Hake with a Romesco sauce

Dessert: Back Forest Torte OR Lemon Meringue cheesecake

 

Bookings for the lunch can now be made by contacting David Richardson at: jdavidhrichardson4@gmail.com. The price remains the same as last year at £25.00 per head.

 

Details for the Annual General Meeting will follow shortly

 

Back in May the Club reported on the humanitarian mission that two OH's, Patrick Musters (St. 66-70) and Richard Anderson (M67-71), undertook to deliver essential and much needed supplies to a Romanian orphanage close to the border with war torn Ukraine.

 

Those OHs who attended the Drinks Party on Board HQS Wellington in May were able to hear first hand from Patrick the finer details of their trip.  Whilst the current political situation in the UK has somewhat overtaken the news headlines, the war in Ukraine nevertheless continues and the need for aid and support remains.

 

OHs gave very generously to help fund Patrick and Richard's mission and there still remains approximately £1,000.00 'in the pot' which is available to any other OH who may be considering carrying out a similar trip. Any OH who is considering doing so should contact either Patrick (phamusters@aol.com)  or Richard (richardanderson@alsgroup.co.uk) for advice and guidance.

 

The surplus funds cannot be held indefinitely and if they are not utilised in another trip by the the end of July then they will be distributed to a UK based Ukrainian organisation whose purpose is to help the settlement of Ukrainian refugees in the UK. 

21st May 2022 marks the 40th anniversary of the sinking of HMS Ardent in Falkland Sound during the Falkland Conflict.  Amongst those killed in action was Lt. Cdr Royal Navy Richard William Banfield OH (V.65-69). The Club pays tribute to Richard and those other members of the crew who lost their lives 40 years ago today for their bravery and sacrifice.

Congratulations must surely go to OHs Patrick Musters (St.66-70) and Richard Anderson (M.67-71) who have just returned from a gruelling 6 day,  3,500 mile drive from UK and across Europe to Suceava in Romania to deliver much need supplies for an orphanage on the border with war torn Ukraine.

 

Thanks to the generosity of friends, family and OHs, the pair managed to raise over £3,000.00 within a matter of days of planning the trip allowing them to add to the supplies that had already been donated and providing funds for the actual journey itself.

 

Below is an extract from the log that the pair kept of their trip:

 

"We had decided to get in and out of Romania as quickly as possible and planned to do it in one day but this plan quickly fell apart. The roads are terrible and with over 200 miles to get to our ‘hub’ we were only managing 30 miles in an hour. We were also given lots of warnings about the dangers in Romania as aid wagons are a real target for local thieves. Apparently they watch your movements and phone them ahead so they are ready to hijack the vehicles.  We were told not to stop for anyone, not to pick up hitch hikers or picnic!  We did try and neutralise the van as much as possible and as normal on foreign trips, to hide all our belongings. Not easy in a van!

We reached the ‘hub’ quite late and unpacked as quickly as possible in order to have a fast turnaround.  They were extremely grateful and offered us a meal but we were keen to get started and out of Romania. It quickly became dark and then it started raining and as if it could not get any worse the van suddenly lost all power! We pulled over and made some frantic calls including Simon Sherrington, our car service man, who gave us some good advice so we waited a while and tried to restart the van which burst into life.  We knew we would not make it out of Romania so we phoned ahead to a hotel at the very top of the Carpathian mountains , which happened to be shut, and they agreed to give us a bed for the night.  We had an hour and a half climbing the mountain pass, not knowing if the van would stop again. Not a great time!"

 

A tremendous and valuable achievement by two OHs Well done Patrick and Richard!

A number of OHs may be aware that Derek Blooman has recently been a patient in Dorset County Hospital. The Club is pleased to announce however, that he has now been discharged and is a resident at Pinhay House, Lyme Regis, Dorset, DT7 3RQ.

 

Derek's brother, Michael, has written saying: "Derek would love to receive letters from all his friends which would help to cheer him up. He is settling in and he has a magnificent view from his window over the Undercliffs to the sea, very similar to the view he had from his study at Allhallows School. Letters are best as the staff have to carry a cordless phone to him with some delay. He reads his books and he has a TV. He much enjoys replying and sending letters or cards to people." 

 

The Club sends Derek its very best wishes.

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