OSAmag78

T h e O l d S t a t i o n e r - N o 7 8
REuNioN oF 1951 iNTAKE
The 1951 intake enjoyed yet another Reunion, at the Cheshire
Cheese, Little Essex Street, off Fleet Street/The Strand. Those
present – L to R (see photograph – obligingly taken by Mo, our
genial proprietress) were:
Dave Cowling, Nigel Wade, John Partridge, Michael Brady, John
Taylor, Steve Ling, Richard Wilson, Alan Canham, David Turner,
Don Bewick and Dick Hersey.
Alan Marshall had been expected to attend but on the day had
to stand down due to his daughter's admission into hospital. Also
Peter Lloyd had hoped to be present from Northern Ireland,
where he has lived since graduating in 1964, when he formed his
company, specialising in acoustics, www.Lloydsound.co.uk – but
he is currently too busy fulfilling orders in the run-up to going
on holiday – also with the possibility of marriage on his agenda;
whilst continuing to enjoy joint ownership of a private aircraft!
Maybe 70 really is the new 50 for some of us!
Of the other “regulars” for the past couple of years – Dave
Rowlands – from Leeds, was unable to attend as his wife was due
to have hip surgery the following day – and there were also
apologies from the following:
Les Reardon, Michael, Skinner, Anthony Cirsch, Chris
Addington, Ian Moore, Bob Howis (from Switzerland), David
Davies, Bill Houldsworth, Dave Hall, Ivor Evans, Richard
Farrington and Michael Davis (from South Australia).
The meeting was perhaps overshadowed by the recent death of
Ernie Wilkins, to whom a toast was drunk – and it was recalled
that he not only attended last year, making the trip down from
Edinburgh, but was well enough to present the Duke of
Edinburgh Awards – held at the summit of Ben MacDui. It was
poignant to recall his typically humorous email sent to the
undersigned the previous year when this same duty meant he was
unable to attend:
Dear Don (re 2011 Reunion)
My programme for this weekend has now been
finalised and I shall be assessing twenty 17 year old
girls for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Gold
Expedition - it's all hardship (!) - part of which will
involve getting to the summit of Ben MacDui, 4295',
the second highest point in the UK. So, I will be
almost as close as it is possible to get to heaven -
without actually being at The Cheshire Cheese.
Please pass on my very best wishes to everybody.
Ernie
Don Bewick
Class of '51 reunion
Dave Cowling, Nigel Wade, John Partridge, Michael Brady, John Taylor, Steve Ling, Richard Wilson,
Alan Canham, David Turner, Don Bewick and Dick Hersey.
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