Bloemfontein Caledonian Society · 41 like this. 18 minutes ago · On a very chilly night, Bloemfontein Caledonian Society hosted a pub evening in CBC Old Boys club house where we were honoured to welcome our distinguished guests, the Federation Chief and his Lady President, Gavin and Ida Wilson and our Provincial Chief and his Lady President, Billy and Debbie Bell. Included in the visiting party was a literal who’s who of past dignitaries, Past Federation Chief and his Lady President, Dave and Sandy Brown, Past Federation Chief and his Lady President, John and Cathy Bell, Past Provincial Chief, Trish Houstan and Tommy and Lovie Soutar from St Andrews Society, Gauteng. With a list like this, and if we include our own members, Past Chief and his Lady President, Brian and Jenny Viljoen, Past Prov Lady President and current Chief of the Bloemfontein Society, Lynette Johnson and Lady President, Linda Goodlet, who could blame us if we did a bit of name dropping of our own. After a warming sherry, or preferred tipple and a chance to catch up with old friends and make some new ones, the business of the evening got underway. For anyone who attended under the misapprehension that this was to be just another social evening, their expectations must have been shattered. We were divided into two groups, the ‘Reds’ and the ‘Blues,’ the rules of engagement were read out and on the green fields of snooker tables, the tournament commenced. Amidst a cannonade of red and yellow balls the rival forces cheered and jeered, and gave voice to their battle cries as the prospect of victory swayed first one way and then the other. For a prize of the most hotly contested chocolate bars on the planet, the ‘Reds’ eventually won the day as the black ball dropped solidly into the pocket. The non winners were presented with gobstoppers, (or if you prefer, suckers), as a booby prize and I can’t help but wonder if there was some underlying message in that. If there was, it backfired because who knew that ‘Monster Pops’ were so yummy? With all this activity, we had worked up a healthy appetite, so, laying down our snooker cues, and putting the zeal of the contest behind us, we proceeded to the table for supper. Peter Mohr said grace and then mugs of thick, hearty soup, that supreme comfort food, and rolls were served. This was followed by fish and chips which came wrapped in newspaper – delicious, down to the last finger licked morsel. Our Chief, Lynette, took this opportunity to welcome our guests and reminded us how the line of descent was being followed in the Society’s hierarchy, with sons in positions once held by their fathers and it is encouraging to know that we have this continuity. She then handed over to Provincial Chief, Billy Bell who introduced our Federation Chief, Gavin Wilson. Gavin gave us an impressive rundown of his family connections to the society and stressed that, numbers were less important in a branch than the enjoyment one experienced as a member. Now any thought of contentedly sitting back and digesting our meal over some amiable chat was soon dismissed by Robbie calling out teams to contend against each other in a darts match. It soon appeared that there are two kinds of darts players; those who actually know what they are doing, who aim at and hit numbers on the board and the others, some of whom proved to be very creative in their throwing. I believe the object of the match was to attain the highest score from two turns of throwing three darts though for several, this writer included, merely to hit the board was an achievement. I have no idea which side took the honours in this contest and am happy to report that no blood was shed in pursuit of the victory. While the missiles were being randomly flung about, ginger pudding with custard was served, the good, stick to the ribs stuff, like mother used to make kind of pudding, and perfect to end off the meal. It was now the turn of John Bell to entertain us in his inimitable way with his comic songs, the fellow with the barrel of bricks and La Di Da Di Da which lose nothing from repetition. I think the expression “twinkle in the eye” was coined with John in mind. Sue followed this with a couple of monologues borrowed from the great Stanley Holloway. An event like this takes some organising and it is to Robbie that we owe our thanks. He did a wonderful job and the success of the evening is a credit to him. To Lynette, Linda and Margaret, as always, they put so much into these functions and we greatly appreciate everything that they do. This opportunity to socialise did not end with the pub evening but was followed on Sunday morning, where those who were able, gathered at Sugah Bean for a breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage and some very decadent cappuccinos before we bid our out of town visitors goodbye and wished them a safe trip home. We hope that they felt the warmth of our great pleasure in receiving them and had an enjoyable time in Bloemfontein. We look forward to their next visit. The Hack of Wick
Posted on: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 18:19:28 +0000
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