Social evening

Percy Farren introduced and chaired our Zoom screen meeting. He explained the meeting was a social evening and therefore there would be no formal business.

Colin Aspinall introduced the meeting and invited all members to share their Lockdown experiences within a two minute time limit.

Your writer took a bewildering series of notes from the screen, with members divulging their diverse motivations and activities brought about by the Covid Lockdown.  Ralph Allardyce (in anticipation of the Club’s 40th birthday next year), is preparing a history of our Young Musician Competition and advised us that a total of 712 young musicians have benefited from our competition since it started in 1998. Colin invited a further seventeen members to contribute and we heard (and saw ), a remarkably  diverse range of skills and interests displayed   –  Furniture making,  Painting by Numbers!,  Model-making,  Paper Number Puzzles,  Scheduling Supermarket Deliveries!  A problem- solving flying squirrel!  Australian Watermarks, 4000 Piece Lego models  and Guitar Blues.

We also saw a twice - cleaned, immaculate motorcycle and heard a rendition of “Colonel Bogey” on a (once- cleaned) trumpet! 

Andrew Clark updated us on the work of the Turing Trust by showing a moving video from Malawi. Introduced by students, it demonstrated the valuable work being undertaken by the Trust in providing computers and training in this challenging environment.

Acting President Percy closed the meeting , thanking Colin for arranging the programme and members for their attendance.

Jim Douglas