22nd Mar:  Dr Andrew Zsigmond “Escape from Hungary in 1957"
Dr Zsigmond, a Doctor from Liverpool told us the story of his escape from Hungary and the crushing of the Revolution in 1956 following his family moving there in 1944.
Having attended Medial School in the University of Pecs, Andrew was part of the student uprising which was brutally crushed in 1956. The story of the first major revolt within a communist country unfolds as he and his friends escaped in 1957 in a time that was to be the turning point of the Cold War.
We found out about the difficulties such as getting food, avoiding persecution and his escape to Austria and how he ended up as a coal miner in Yorkshire, before attending Medical School in Liverpool.
A brilliant talk, many questions and of course an enjoyable evening was had by by all. Many Thanks to Andrew and Simon La Frenais for the evenings entertainment.

26th January Chris Caroe  “Galtieri – my part in his downfall – with apologies to Spike Milligan”
A fascinating talk by Chris, who was part of the invasion force to ensure the Falklands stayed "British".
Chris told us of the special arctic training and exercises undertaken prior to the invasion force going to the Southern Oceans and the way in which he and his regiment endured the hardships that followed landing on one of our remote outposts.
Equipment was at a premium and his regiment having just undertaken arctic training were lucky, they had the right gear. Others didn't!
We heard of the hardship and the good times, along with sorrow and good fortune. Some of it was doing the right thing at the right time, others were luck and judgement.
A brilliant talk, well illustrated and lots of questions following the the speaker.

8th December - Ladies Night

24th November Pet Hates
On first look this might have been a distinct advantage to those animal lovers among us. However it was more a Room 101 style event brought to fruition by Judge and Chair for the evening. Mr J L Aston.
Each attendee was asked to pick 3 things which we disliked/ hated/ abhorred the most, without resort to politics or religion (narrowed the field down for some among us...)
Items ranged from small change to clothes sizes with a mix of petrol pumps. sport related topics and some items on customer service.
A brilliant night mixed with conviviality and rebellion (as usual.) Well done Les!

6th November Chairs "Summer" BBQ
Well the night brought together a plethora of devotees of Runcorn 41 Club, along with partners, guests and invited local ne'er do wells, arriving at the Chairs house to take part in this "Summer"event, planned for August but delayed by storms.
Around 40 people enjoyed the food impeccably prepared by Lesley, the chairs better half. Beer, wine and various alcho-pops flowed well into the evening hours accompanied by the clink of empty bottles into the recycling bin.
Various tours of the Chairs estate were done, taking in the variety of outbuildings and lawns, mostly in the dark, some aided by a flashlight.
Then it was time for "Blaster Bates" and his fabulous fire show. The Chairman, ensconced behind his summer house well out of view, with port-fire and a box of matches in hand told us it was going to be "something to behold". The show commenced... to music (after a fashion!) It must be said the show was a good one, despite some of it being slightly(!) out of time, however, at the finale, the chair emerged to cheers and applause with both eyebrows intact and only the mud on his wellies and a smile on his face to show where he had been.
Well done Daz and Lesley and all who helped on the night. A really enjoyable evening.

27 October

22 September

28th July. The Mersey Gateway

Well, it's causing many diversions, queues on the existing bridge and speculation on how much the tolls are going to be, so let's find out...

A brilliant talk by a volunteer who works on the Mersey Gateway project, illuminating the room with facts and figures relating to the building ( yes Les, coffer dams and all!) the cost and of course how the new bridge will impact on "old Runcorn" and the people who reside therein.

Inevitably when a speaker comes along and does a talk such as this one, there are going to be questions... He was not disappointed! The floor was awash with can moments, some pertinent some having a dig at the council, some asking why, who, where and when. All answered with aplomb and the room was thankful for another night of information and banter.

 

13th July. A Grand Day Out!
The annual geriatrics day out was a very secretive affair. Bus collection before 9am at the fire station, a trip into the unknown and stop to collect some pre ordered coffee and bacon rolls added to the excitement. On top of that, some clinking of bottled real ale in cool bags at the back of the bus had everyone guessing...
The bus duly arrived at a canal side location and disembarcation  was swift for all, apart from the fact that the beer, coffee and a variety of bags with wet weather gear also needed to be removed for use on the day.
We had arrived at Anderton Marina, home to a day boat hire company and we were off on a trip down the Trent and Mersey Canal to a lunchtime destination. We were welcomed by the staff and a procession of bags, bottles and of course gentlemen of varying ages ambled down to the jetty to collect our skipper and the wonderfully named "Daydream" which was to be our home for the rest of the day.
Then it started to rain, but matter not, enough indoor room and heaters on max we set off east, towards our lunch appointment.
Now for those in the know, wine appeared around 100 yards from our cast off point. It set the tone for the day, real ale from Norton Brewery was on hand from the cool bags at a reasonable price and the rain seemed not so bad anymore.
Our skipper was a very knowledgable chap who told us of the history of the canal and pointed out landmarks as we neared them. The rain eased and the sun made enough of an appearance to merit the arrival of "mossies" at certain points of the cruise, however, we out ran them at our 4mph cruising speed with the breeze against us which was not favourable for the little biting army.
After a pleasant 3 and a bit hours, we arrived at our lunch venue, The Big Lock pub at Middlewich. It sits next to.... A big lock!

Now in order to expedite the lunch menu, your writer and organiser had tried to get people to preorder. On arrival this went out of the window as eyes were cast over the extensive specials board... Much confusion and more craft beer dispensed on tap meant that the inevitable changes were made, with staff bearing up well to the indecision and frivolity that can only happen when the total age of a group if 12 add up to more than the England cricket team can score in a year!
The meals arrived and very good they were too! Many thanks to the staff for putting up with us. It was great.
Prior to the meal, out on the balcony, we watched as the big lock proved its worth. A very busy period of holiday canal traffic on the way to Anderton and beyond. Our fine craft did not need to enter the lock and by the time the stragglers had returned, the beer was once again flowing on board and several sleepy heads were seen "lolling" to the gentle motion of the water and the aptly named "Daydream" !
On the return journey, we were treated to almost a squadron of kingfishers, swooping and http://www.thebiglockpub.com/photo-gallery-7945.htmldisappearing along the watery corridor as we glided home to the marina. Cameras clicked but the outcomes have still to be seen.
Many thanks go to Anderton Marina day boat hire, we had a brilliant day out!

Forgive me Chair for I have sinned! It's been 7 months since I last wrote on this blog...
Not that I haven't thought about it, just time has been frittered away and other things have got in the way.
Anyway, back to it!