ARBORFIELD
- Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd July 2007 inclusive.
The following report contributed by Trevor STUBBERFIELD (52A)
Photographs are by the contributor, unless otherwise attributed.
Saturday. The 44th
AOBA Reunion Dinner.
We gathered at 19.30hrs for dinner at 20.00hrs. A sneak peep at the dining room revealed a
very smart layout of half of the area.
Music to eat by was to be supplied by the Stephen Nye
Quintet. I’m not quite sure as to
which category the music could be classified under. Olde Englishe seemed to sum it up, peaceful and
unobtrusive. On previous occasions we
have had a complete pipe band marching up and down the room. Now that was noisy and intrusive.
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The following are
photos, including two tables,
contributed by Alan Algy Morton 51B the first
being Intake 51B
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The second is of
Intake 52A with a 52B jeep and a retired camera man.
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Also a photo of
part of the dining room and a selection of diners.
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The dinner went very smoothly, very efficient service given
by all the staff, front of house and behind the scenes. When the gathering was asked to show their
appreciation of the staff, the applause was prolonged and genuine.
The speeches began and The Chairman of the AOBA pointed
out that anybody who had an objection to the increase in the annual
subscription, could have voted against it, had they gone to the AGM, held in
the afternoon, which was sparsely attended.
Colonel Richard Bennett MVO,
The Regimental Colonel of the Corps of REME, was introduced and spoke
of the role of corps as it is today.
The current conflicts were brought sharply into focus when he
announced that in the afternoon, news had come through of the death in Afghanistan
of a young REME L/CPL. Later,
newspapers revealed his name as L/CPL Timothy Flowers. A sad loss to our corps and a reminder of
the dangers our servicemen and women face today.
The speaker representing the intakes celebrating their
Golden Year was J Gardner of Intake 57A.
Unfortunately a group of moronic diners, right from the
start, felt that their inane and vacuous remarks were more important than the
speaker’s words. This is not the first
time it has happened and one wonders why they bother to attend the dinner. It’s not just a discourtesy to the speaker
but also to the gathering of Old Boys who like to hear and see the lamp
swung. Request to shut up fell on
deaf ears, they seemed to have no shame.
Unfortunately the speaker forgot the golden rule. Let
thy speech be short, comprehending much in a few words. He went on for a good thirty minutes past
the allotted end of the dinner, cutting into the time that the staff would
have to clear up before going home. A
tired audience started to disperse, a bit like the Titanic really. When the crew and passengers have taken to
the life-boats it’s no time to keep re-arranging the deckchairs, it’s time
for the Captain to join them. With the
speeches over the gathering dispersed, some repairing to the bar to continue
swinging the lamp whilst others, like myself, were in need of a good nights
sleep before the journey home in the morning.
Published: 5th August 2007
  Sunday, Farewell.
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