10th November 2007

The Ship Inn

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08/12/07

Well, the first reunion in Bristol has now come and gone, and what a night it was too. The venue that we found was ‘The Ship Inn,' an old Tudor Coaching Inn dating back to 1589 on the A38 in Alveston very close to Almondsbury with a Premier Travel Inn about 15 yards from it with a courtyard between the two where you can park up, forget the car and not worry about having to crawl back to bed later in the evening as it is so close. I have to admit that even though I did see a few wobbly people at the end of the evening I didn't see anyone crawling back to bed, so that was good.

Some of the guests had decided to arrive a day early and enjoy the sights around Bristol and indeed one such guest actually came all the way from the Island of Islay to do some work the day before in Bristol , so it worked in very nicely for her. We had other guests who arrived from as far as the very north east of Scotland, Germany, Lands End and all points in between.

Ann Way (Hicks) Brenda Whitham & Sue Stephens having just arrived immediately start to feast on scrumptious sandwiches.

Fred Hooper

Rex Parker, Ailie & Jamie Wilosn

John Guymer, Fred Hooper and Helen Guymer

The reunion started on Friday night for us really as we had to nip down to Taunton to meet Francis Hosken and his wife from Trenoweth farm on St Mary's to pick up a box full of Soleil'Dor that they had very kindly brought them over the day before and brought up to Taunton for us, so we popped down to collect them. It was lovely to see him and his wife, albeit briefly in the car park of B&Q, in the dark, I don't know if we were being watched by a CCTV camera but it must have looked a little shady with me handing money over and him passing me a strange looking box which I then quickly put in the boot of my car and then us both speeding off into the night. No one tried to stop us anyway. For me, that was like the start of the reunion in a strange sort of way. I knew that things were actually beginning to happen from that moment and the adrenaline began flowing.

Freida Harwood, Brenda Whitham, & David Harwood

with Cynthia and Gordon Lovell in the foreground.

Sylvie Pein-Dethloff and Ian MacDonald

Flo Ashford & Carol Bracken (Ashford)

Karen Ward, Barry and Jodie James and Sharon Mills

Sharon & John Mills and Sue Cargeeg (Fellows)

Simon and Lindsay Eastham (Fallowfield) with Jan & Ray Sawford

Rose and Ian Tabraham with Simon Eastham

Alan & Jennie Plaistow and Bertie Burrows

Jordan Miles, Julia Miles (Wayne-Smith), John Osborne and Andrew Midgley

Jane Midgley (Hicks), Aiofe & John Midgley

Aiofe, John & Anna Midgley & Jordan Miles

Chris &Yvonne Knapman, Christine & John Wiltshire

Jennifer Hardy (O'Grady) John & Helen Guymer and Rose Tabraham

Jan & Ray Sawford

Cynthia & Gordon Lovell & Freida Harwood

I think Freida has just pinched Brenda's favourite sprout and David looks highly amused!

Peter and Kay Coton (Elvin) & Ceri Davies (Hodgekiss)

Ceri Davies (Hodgekiss) with Liz Evans (Green) & Connie Robertson(Wood)

They did What? ... Jean Sleigh (Wood)

Lenny Sleigh, Geoff and Tina Hall (Maclary)

Connie Robertson (Wood), Jean Sleigh (Wood) & Lenny Sleigh

On Saturday we arrived at the Ship Inn at about 2.30p.m. to do a little setting up, of projectors & Slides and to put a few finishing touches to the dining room which we found had been laid out superbly by the staff of the Ship Inn anyway, even to a little pot of fresh flowers on every table, so we soon doctored them a little by squeezing a sol or two into each pot to add a bit of Scilly scent to the room.

Pat Plant (Hicks) selecting a few tasty morsels to nibble

Queen Bee Gadsby shows her husband Jeff and Pat Plant (Hicks) just how much one should really pile onto ones plate,

Aoife, John and Anna Midgley

Jane Midgley (Hicks), Julian & Aoife Midgley

Anna Midgley & Sue Wood

Ann Berger, Allan & Jennie Plaistow

Ann Berger & Allan Plaistow

Fred Hooper, Sandy Dunstan & Rick Gage

.

I had managed to get together nearly 900 slides of Scilly views, seas, sunsets, ship wrecks and the flora and fauna not to mention a good few of various people from Scilly and holiday makers. (Many of whom were coming to the reunion) so I set the projectors to point at a screen in the corner so images of Scilly were playing all evening which seemed to be a popular move as many people enjoyed watching them and seeing themselves appear from time to time.

After we had arrived we found it took some considerable time to make our way into the building as many others had already arrived and we had to greet and have a chat with each one, so there was much merriment & excitement in the air right away. It was wonderful.

Sue Cargeeg (Fellows) & Allan Cargeeg

David Harwood, Karen Nunwick, Des Hanchett and Bee Gadsby

Bee & Jeff Gadsby

We finally managed to go and book into our room at about 4.30p.m. for which I was grateful. We had a couple of hours to have a snooze before the big event took place.

Could I sleep? Like hell could I. I kept hearing voices going past the door, and I was listening very carefully to identify them…. Gale Evans…. Yes, Jacky Bennet…… yes…. Here, I'm good at this. The next one…….. Jacky Ashford…….. yes….. hang on a minute, she's not coming……… Damn fool, give it in…. so I rolled over and went to sleep. Lovely.

We were to gather at the Ship from 7p.m. so I got over there about 10 minutes to and I was thrilled to find about 20 already in the ‘gathering room' (one of their function rooms which they had very kindly allowed us to use so that all 90 people wouldn't clog up their bar) with more arriving by the second. We quickly got the name tags out and started dishing them around to the respective owners, and I'm pleased to say we had just the right number. It was wonderful to see many familiar faces whom I hadn't seen for years, the excitement in the room was palpable, with a myriad of voices all calling “Hi, how are you?” “When was the last time…..?” “Do you remember…..?” , etc., etc.

At 8p.m. we were called into the dining room to partake of dinner, a cross between a barbecue and a buffet. We got in line to grab a plate and receive the meat dish that we had pre ordered, served from large tureens by the staff, then we moved on to the buffet part of the table to grab what we liked from the beef, Turkey or Ham and salad dishes. I think when I say that the food was delicious I speak for quite possibly everyone, I didn't hear any one complain. The only ‘Cock up' was that I hadn't realised that I hadn't organised a sweet for afters, but there was plenty of the main course to go back and have seconds, so I don't think anyone went hungry.

Dorothy Oxford, Jenny Hardy (O'Grady) and Connie Robertsdon (Wood)

Liz Evans (Green)

Brenda Whitham & Ann Way (Hicks)

Allan & Jennie Plaistow

Gayle Rozalez (Evans) & Raol Rozalez

Tana Rozalez

Gale Rozalez (Evans), Kay Coton (Elvin), Peter Coton & Raol Rozalez

Jenny Hardy (O'Grady) and Peter Coton

Dorothy Oxford and Ian Tabraham

Rose Tabraham and David Oxford

Rod Cresswell

Tom Binding and Jackie Trevivian (Bennet)

Mike Trevivian and Jenny Hunt

Chris & Yvonne Knapman

Ceri Davies (Hodgekiss)

Lenny Sleigh

Jordan Miles, John Osborne & Julia Miles (Wayne-Smith)

Jordan Miles

Rex Parker, Ailie and Jamie Wilson

While we were eating, the jazz band set up their instruments in another corner and as soon as dinner was over they struck up and played jazz for the rest of the evening, a few souls hit the dance floor and entertained us with their whirling and twirling which was great. The band was very good and played at a level that was not too intrusive. I think they made a slight mistake by having a 10 minute break half way through, not that I begrudge them a break at all, they certainly deserved it, but of course while they were having a break a few us got chatting and Barry and I thought it might be a nice idea to pop into the main bar, and have a quick ‘toot' ourselves, so we duly found a quiet corner in there and with Gale, myself, Barry and Alan Cargeeg we struck a few chords and got into the swing of things, well it started with just a very slow trickle and as the seconds and minutes ticked by the trickle became a gentle stream and finally a great flood, and in no time everyone was down in the bar with us and there were just 4 people left dancing to the strains of the band. Boy! What fun....... I eventually saw the members of the band quietly sidling out with their instruments and I realised that midnight was fast approaching and we would have to think about packing up. We were just coming to the end of ‘Little Eyes' when a member of staff came and told us we would have to finish now as it was time to close up, so we determined to sing just a couple more and proceeded with ‘Going up Camborne ‘ill' and finished with ‘Farewell' and as we came sliding to a juddering end of that beautiful song another member of staff come up and told us to stop. We asked him if he had heard the song and what the word ‘Farewell' means to him... he looked a little sheepish and quickly slid away, and so arrived the end of a damn good night.

Sandy Dunstan & Rick Gage

Alan and Sue Cargeeg (Fellows)

Sharon & John Mills with Barry and Jodie James

Jean Sleigh (Wood) Geoff & Tina Hall (Maclary) and Lenny Sleigh

Rod Cresswell, Ann Way (Hicks) & Sue Stephens

John Hicks, Ann Way (Hicks) and Sue Stephens

John & Sharon Mills , Jodie & Barry James, Karen and Darrin Ward (Barry's Brother)

All the above pictures taken by John Hicks

The pictures below were sent in by Elizabeth Evans (Green)

Ann Way (Hicks), Pat Plant (Hicks), Barbara Haines (Hicks, Pat's Mum)

Connie Roberston (Wood) & Tina Hall (Maclary)

Kay Coton (Elvin) & Ceri Davies (Hodgekiss)

Connie & Jean (Wood)

Jean and Lenny Sleigh (Wood)

Liz Evans (Green) Connie and Jean (Wood)

Tina Hall (Maclary) and AnnWay (Hicks)

Geoff and Tina Hall (Maclary)

Gale Rozalez (Evans) John Hicks and Barry James having a 'toot'

Ann Way (Hicks)

Heather and Gerry Small (Pascoe)

The next three pictures were taken by Ian MacDonald and Sylvie Pein-Dethloff

Rod & Ian

Sylvie and Rod

Rod, John & Sylvie

The pictures below are from Kay (Elvin) and Pete Coton

Liz (Green) & Kay (Elvin)

Rose Tabraham, Connie (Wood) and Geoff Hall

Tina (Maclary)

Connie (Wood) and Kay (Elvin)

Tina, Kay, Connie, Jean (Wood) Liz (Green)

Kay & Ceri (Hodgekiss)

Dinner Time

Lizs, Connie & Jean

Jennifer (O'Grady)

Connie & Kay

John H, Barry James, Jodie James

Kate Lingwood-White dancing with Jean Sleigh (Wood)

New Pictures from Pat (Hicks) & John Stone

Click on the gift

Link to new pictures from Mr and Mrs Jamie Wilson & Rex Parker Esq.

Click on the Frog

Link to new pictures from Mike and Jacky (Bennet) Trevivian.

Click on the flag

A Video taken by Dorothy Oxford can be seen by clicking the link at the top of the page

I know that there are a few guests that have not got their pictures up on this site so far so I would be grateful for pictures of them to go up here If you have any pictures that you think you'd like to put on this page then get them to John via e mail, dvd or disc through the snail mail (e mail me for my address) or send me the address to whatever page you have put them on and I will put a link on here to them.

I understand from all the comments I that heard between others and those directed to me, that the whole evening was enjoyed by hopefully everyone. Certainly, I would hazard a guess that the majority asked me to make sure I put them on the list for another one next year. Well, I have already booked the Ship Inn again for the 1st of November, and booked 40 rooms at the premier Travel Inn and because of a very hazy and foggy feeling caused mainly by a little too much alcohol I cant remember who said they wanted to come next year, so anyone who would like to, please let me know if you are interested by dropping me a line to jhicks1001@aol.com

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