Meeting 11 November 2003
We lunched on November 11th at the RAC Club; there were eleven of us. That, I think, is the most we have had and it is a hopeful sign for the future. Particularly gratifying was the presence of three visitors from the United Kingdom. They were Craig, Hunter and Paul Bevis. Among the Sydney residents were Moor, Gardiner, Cherry, Woods, Walker-Powell, Venner, Downer and Brown. Cameron Craig was out here visiting family and this is his second time he has attended the Luncheon Table. John Hunter (1951 – 1958, Smith) is a friend of Barry Woods. John started his career with the Admiralty subsequently the Ministry of Defence from which he retired in 1996. He is now a Magistrate in Portsmouth. It is 35 years since his last Australian visit; we hope that it will not be his last. Paul Bevis is another returning member. He was last here with his father, Michael. Paul is out here for the football World Cup. Football is a generic word with which visitors need to take care. To an Australian speaker it means the code of football that he supports. That could be one of three: Rugby Union, Rugby League or Australian Rules (similar to Gaelic Football). The only certain thing is that it does not refer to Association Football; that is Soccer.
Cherry announced that he is shortly off to the Andes and the Amazon. We wonder if it will it be the Moon next time? The drought is only slowly releasing its grip. The winter rains, which are caused by the northward movement of the Southern Ocean’s wild weather pattern, did not reach as far North as normal, although that was better than last year, when they missed the mainland altogether.
I am attaching a picture of us in session.
The next 4 meetings are on Tuesday February 17th, May 18th, August 10th and November 9th 2004. Those of you with flexible travel plans please make a note; we love to see you. Gap year students, backpackers and the like should not be deterred by the thought of an unsought expense; I am sure we can work something out.
As a postscript, we applaud England’s fine World Cup win, notwithstanding that our resident members are Wallaby supporters to a man. Improved competition is the real winner. We can only hope that this result will create sufficient public support for team sports and better sporting facilities in England for all team sports (including cricket).
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