99th Annual Dinner November 2008
22 November 2008
The 99th Annual Dinner held in the Oldfield Hall at King Charles 1 School
Approximately 100 Members and guests met as usual on the evening of the day following Founders' Day in the Oldfield Hall at King Charles I School, Kidderminster, for the Association's Annual Dinner.
This year there was an innovative change to the Menu ... choices of roast beef, poached salmon and a vegetarian dish for the main course, and a choice of chocolate gateau as well as the traditional apple pie for sweet ...
... and an innovative change to our report ... the rare addition of a picture of the Top Table! Seated left to right are: Martin Humphries, Secretary, Old Carolians; David Morgan, Director of Music, St Mary's Church; Geoff Thorpe, President, Hartlebury Old Elizabethans; Cllr Marcus Hart, Kidderminster Town Mayor; Colin Lloyd, President, Old Carolians; Cllr Stephen Williams, Chairman, Wyre Forest District Council; Maurice Evans, President, Old Foleyans; Tim Gulliver, Head Teacher, King Charles I School; and Peter Picken, Treasurer, Old Carolians.
After the meal (which many thought was particularly good this year), our principle guest, Cllr Stephen Williams, Chairman, Wyre Forest District Council, proposed a toast to the School and the Association after delivering an entertaining speech comparing and contrasting his two great interests in life, Health and Safety (!) and politics.
Head Teacher Tim Gulliver, responded on behalf of the School. His speech consisting of the usual mix of the year's achievements at the School, academically, artistic and sporting as well as the many challenges being faced, and long and involved jokes. As ever, though, it was informative and entertaining and went down well.
This year's President, Colin Lloyd (seen below apparently posing for his statue), responded on behalf of the Association. His relaxed style was appreciated by those present, along with thoughts of how each successive President manages to dig out fresh anecdotes each year, many of which bring the house down! As you would expect, Colin was no exception!
The President's contemporary, Chris Page, fresh from playing second fiddle in the Bruch Violin Concerto during the Wyre Forest Symphony Orchestra's world tour of Kidderminster, performed the required Presidential character-assassination skillfully, efficiently and hilariously. In fact, his speech appeared to turn into an unrehearsed double act between himself and the President before his proposing the Toast to the President! A great end to a great evening!
Of course, this wasn't quite the end. After the formalities there was time to socialise and to meet friends old and new, including the Association's guests, School Head Girl, Nicola Price, and Head Boy, Matthew Lander.
And, by an amazing coincidence, Past President John Booth discovered that he and Nicola are third-cousins! You never know who you might bump into at an Old Carolians Annual Dinner!
And those present started to go home at about 11:30, looking forward to next year's very special Dinner - the Old Carolians 100th Annual Dinner, at Kidderminster Town Hall on Saturday 21st November, 2009. More details nearer the event, but put the date in your diary now!
Those Members attending were: Allbut, John; Bailey, Bill; Bamfield, John; Bason, Davina; Bateman, Foley; Bedford, Beryl; Bennett, James; Benton, Andy; Beresford, Arnold; Bishop, Naomi; Bishop, Tony; Blencowe, Colin; Blount, Ray; Booth, David; Booth, John; Bowkett, Keith; Bradley, Trevor; Broadfield, Norman; Brookes, Tony; Bull Thomas; Bunn, Anthony; Charteris, Robert; Christopher, David; Clarke, Brian; Coley, Geoff; Cook, John; Cooper, Brian; Doolittle, Bill; Easton, Martin; Eaton, Bob; Elcock, Allan; Garbett, Ken; Gittins, Brian; Godbehear, Mike; Groves, Duncan; Handley, Peter; Harrison, Paul; Hayes, Geoff; Hobson, John; Hobson, Martin; Hobson, Roger; Hodgkinson, H; Howell, Edwin; Howell, Graham; Hughes, John; Humphries, Martin; Isaacs, John; Ives, Andrew; James, David; Jeffries, Bob; Kemp, J S; Kerrigan, Joe; Kidd, Tony; Langdon, Michael; Lloyd, Colin; Longmore, John; Massey, Mike; Mathews, Geoff; Mayfield, Jeremy; Meadows, John; Meredith, Hugh; Miller, Arthur; Mole, Anthony; Morgan, David; Morris, Stuart; Motteram, Brian; Moule, Andrew; Nott, John; Oliver, Derrick; Page, Christopher; Payton, Garth; Peacock, Norman; Perrin, Roger; Picken, Peter; Pitt, Nicholas; Sandall, Ian; Sandall, Royce; Shepperd, Stuart; Simons, David; Slater, David; Slater, David Campbell; Spilsbury, J; Spilsbury, R; Teale, Clive; Thomas, David; Vaughan, Peter; Wall, Doug; Webster, John; Wilson, M J; Wood, A R; and Yarnold, Pat.
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