Page 21 - QARANC Vol 20 No 2 2022

NORTHERN IRELAND BRANCH
Worth the wait: NI Branch celebrates bicentenary amid stunning views
On 12 May the Branch’s long awaited get together in person happened. 23 QA Association members, friends and family met for afternoon tea in the observatory at the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast, a full two years after it was first booked to commemorate Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday.
It was really a case of better late than never. The choice of venue was superb, with amazing views over Belfast and almost 360-degree visibility from the 23rd floor. The tea itself was delicious, lots of dainty sandwiches and sublime pastries, not to mention a tipple or two.
Our Chair Maj (Retd) Nuala Green had carefully crafted trinkets for us to take home in the form of a fob with the Grand Central emblem and our colours
of grey, scarlet and white. She had gone to so much trouble sourcing tiny silver teacup and saucer, teapot and medicine pot to add to this treasured forever fob.
Conversation flowed almost as fast as the tea as friends caught up with each other ’s news following long absences due to lockdown and everyone left the venue very happy indeed. Great afternoon, fabulous company and once again many, many memories of us together as our fabulous branch!
As ever, our members never fail to represent the wonderful QARANC in whatever they do. We are very fortunate to have our member Catherine Ball resident in Dublin and once again she laid the QARANC Association wreath
at the very moving WWI ceremony at Islandbridge Irish National War Memorial in Dublin on 9 July alongside Lt Col (Rtd) Joan Thompson.
This annual celebration has been a key part of our calendar in recent years and allows NI Branch representatives to be part of and show compassion and a strong sense of remembering. We thank Catherine for representing again this year. The photo shows her meeting Wendy Geary at the ceremony. She is an ex QARANC member and 100 years old!
Linda Reed, Nuala Green, Kerry McFadden-Newman
The Gazette QARANC Association 21
Catherine Ball meeting 100 year old QA Wendy Geary