ARBORFIELD
OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION 49th REUNION.
ALREWAS - Friday
1st June to Sunday 3rd June 2012 inclusive.
‘The Arborfield
Phoenix’
The following report contributed by Trevor STUBBERFIELD (52A)
Photographic
contributions as attributed.
Photos included in this report remain the Copyright
© of Gordon Bonner 49B (GB), Max WARWICK 49B
(MW) and Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A (TS) and
should not be copied without the express permission of the owners.
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Free Sunday
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A time for farewells and ‘see you next year’. It will be followed by thoughts and
discussions on how the reunion weekend turned out. Losing Arborfield was a major blow and
decisions had to be made on how and where reunions would be held in the
future, vital if the A.O.B.A. is to survive. All the traditional elements would play a
large part in the equation.
Accommodation for large numbers had to be found. A location was needed for the parade and
Drum Head Service along with facilities for refreshments etc. The choice was the National Memorial
Arboretum. Hotel accommodation was
in the vicinity. The site at Alrewas
in Staffordshire was a fairly central location, reducing the journey for
some, extending it for others.
Swings and Roundabouts. It
was a gamble but thanks to much time and effort put in by our committee of
volunteers, it worked.
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The Editor’s personal experience of the weekend was
somewhat limited, but others have shared their thoughts, and many photos on
site here tell the story.
The Friday evening ‘gathering in’ seemed to follow
the rules of ‘everything curried’ for the buffet, very traditional.
Saturday saw the muster with good numbers
marching. Unfortunately the space
for the inspection and parade was somewhat limited but it has to be borne
in mind that, for the N.M.A., it was business as usual and the site
remained open to the general public.
However, the event attracted quite a few neutral spectators.
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The setting for the Drum Head service surely can’t be
bettered. Held at the Army
Apprentice National Memorial, which is located in a quiet secluded area
surrounded by trees, the circular construction brought the congregation
into a natural semi-circle in front of it.
It seemed to give a very personal experience of the service.
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Remembering the Arborfield lunchtime B.B.Q. of past
years, the buffet lunch this time was a poor substitute, but of course it
is now provided by a commercial organization.
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The Reunion Dinner saw a major change with the Ladies
being invited for the evening.
Subsequently this has caused a lot of hot air to be expended
elsewhere on the internet. There
were a few who seem to think that if they shout the loudest, then theirs
will be the only opinions that should be taken into account. The best solutions come from reasoned
discussions, if they are needed. The
many photos show what looked to be a very convivial evening and most
comments pointed to it being a vey good move. Arborfield dinners were often spoilt by
overindulgence of alcohol by a few whose boorish behaviour was unacceptable
to the majority. I haven’t heard of
that happening this year. That’s
good news.
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This reunion has set down a marker. Arborfield was honed over many
years. If it continues at Alrewas,
the same will happen.
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There is but one way to close this review of the 2012
A.O.B.A. Reunion. Look on it, not as
a farewell on New Year’s Eve, but as the start of something new, just as it
was when we marched off of the parade ground, through the big sliding doors
and set off to a new beginning in our careers.
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For
Auld Lang Syne.
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The Editor.
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Published: 1st July
2012.
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