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of red and black impeccably decorated with a Corps theme. Looking out into the room with 120 members and guests seated for Dinner was a sight to behold and makes you realise that all the hard work and effort that goes into organising these gatherings is so worthwhile and appreciated by all who attend.
Unfortunately, the SMAA Lt Col Sean Semple was unable to be with us on this occasion, however it was a pleasure to welcome the Regimental Secretary Steve Collinson along with his lovely wife Jane. There was a warm Northern welcome too for the Corps Sergeant Major WO1 Dan Brown joining us for the first time, together with his delightful partner Kim Brenan. I was delighted too that a number of serving members made the effort to be with us for the Dinner. It is so important that we do everything possible to promote and sustain contact between serving and retired members as they are the future of our Association and we all belong to the same Corps family. Capt (MAA) Scott Pollock and SSgt (SSI) Paul Douglas are stationed in Catterick and are committed to promoting engagement between serving and retired members and they made the journey south down the A1 to be with us along with WO1 (SMI) Chris Walsh, WO2 (QMSI) Ben Sargent and SSgt (SSI) Chris Mayhew. From the North West Branch across the Pennines we also welcomed SSgt (SSI) Kane Mortimer accompanied by his lovely wife Gabrielle Howard-Mortimer. It should be noted that the presence of the serving contingent lowered the average age in the room considerably. I should also mention those members who brought along family members and those who supported our event from other Branches across the country, some of whom had travelled some distance to join our gathering including the Probs 94 cohort led by the one and only Chic Wilkinson.
For pre-Dinner entertainment, I was pleased to introduce one of our own retired members Colin Dorning MBE, an accomplished member of the Magic Circle, who captivated the audience with an incredible trick before going on to tour the tables during Dinner performing astonishing and amazing close up magic tricks and sleight of hand. Dinner was preceded by Pete Harburn delivering Grace in his unique Yorkshire manner and then the hum of conversation, laughter and good spirit filled the room as we enjoyed a superb three course dinner, piping hot, cooked to perfection and served impeccably by the excellent hotel staff. The complimentary wine flowed and the private bar was kept busy all evening with tales and stories from years gone by becoming increasingly embellished and exaggerated. The fun quiz became a little more competitive when people heard there would be a prize for the first table
to complete it correctly. Fortunately, I had enough prizes to go round every table that claimed to be the first to submit their answers, all nine of them. After Dinner the Loyal Toasts were observed, with the only hiccup of the evening occurring when the Wi-Fi failed just as the Corps March was due to be played. Dave Warburton quickly came to the rescue by starting to sing (badly) at which point everyone joined in while the traditional headstands could be seen around the room with both serving and retired legs waving in time with the Corps March being sung. The look on the faces of the hotel staff was one to behold. I don’t think any of them had seen anything like it (at least not since last year). There was great suspense as two Star Prize draws were made with Cathy Tarmey winning the complimentary hotel stay and Scott Pollock’s presence being rewarded by winning the £250 Travel Voucher. This was followed by the presentation of the Crazy Golf trophies by Geoff Chapman after which Steve Collinson enlightened us with a comprehensive and informative update on current Corps business and important matters.
The success of the evening was evidenced by the fact that so many people were reluctant to leave and still engaged in warm and good-humoured conversation long into the night. The feedback from everyone was absolutely positive and complimentary on every aspect of the whole weekend and so many people told me that they thought this gathering had been one of, if not the, best yet. This is testimony to the hard work of the
Committee and everyone who assists and contributes in making the North East Branch so special.
In summary, the North East Branch remains in an exceptionally good place with a dedicated, committed and energetic committee and a steadfast and loyal membership. The committee aims for continuous improvement in the way it operates with the welfare and wellbeing of Branch members at the forefront of its endeavours. We are blessed with a number of stalwart members who willingly offer assistance and support to the committee when required, for which we will always be grateful. Events and gatherings are always extremely well supported and our efforts to grow the Branch ‘family’ continue to reap rewards. With all due modesty I think it is fair to say that our Annual Branch Reunion gatherings are setting the standard in terms of quality, content and attendance. The ubiquitous problem of garnering support and involvement from the serving members in Branch gatherings rumbles on but this year we were well supported by the Catterick/Harrogate contingent and, with the help and coordination of HQ, we have also succeeded in bringing on board some new members following completion of their service. Hopefully it will be these fine people who one day will be standing in our shoes maintaining contact between past and present Association members, fostering esprit de corps, comradeship and welfare of our Corps Association members, thereby preserving our honourable military traditions.
Chic Wilkinson wearing the Probs 94 Hat with Tom Prentice