:: [ SVVS Dinner - Russ Hill Hotel, Charlwood - February 2008 ] ::

The Annual SVVS Dinner was held at the Russ Hill Hotel and was again a great success having been attended by over 121 Members.  The Photos are by Bozi Mohacek. Please click on any thumbnail picture below to see the full size picture. To return to thumbnails please click Explorer "Back" arrow (top left of screen).



              
  
              
  
              
  
              
  
              
  
              
  
              

              

              
  
              

              
  
              
  
              
 
              

             

              
  
              
 
The SVVS 40th Anniversary Dinner.

The 2008 SVVS Dinner took place on Friday the 15th of February, 2008 in the Kendal Suite of the Russ Hill Hotel in Charlwood. Some 121 tickets were sold which suggests the Dinner remains a good idea. Russ Hill is a new venue for the Society after being at the Reigate Hill Hotel for the past few years. The general impression was that the venue was as good as previous years, with perhaps the food a little better. Those of us who are not into dancing were relieved to find that the threat of it being a ‘Dinner Dance’ announced on the Menu, was not carried out. The Menu was Chicken Pate or Melon, Pork Steak or Mediterranean Veggies, and Strawberry Pavlova. The service was good with smiling staff who were perhaps a little thinner on the ground than previously. Wine was as usual purchased at the bar, and for me at least, they could do with a new wine buyer.

After dinner, those of us who are not as old some others were advised by Fraser Clayton in a very interesting short potted history of the Society that we are now 40 years old. Just as his chat was getting interesting, he wound it up because he was overrunning his time allocation. Shame. Seeing we were celebrating 40 years of our history, it would have been nice to hear a little bit more. It is frightening to think that I have done nearly 24 years! Fraser is threatening to do a longhand write-up for the Mag. Watch this space.

The star attraction of the night was Anne Chance, who after learning fly at 50, on which she gave us a talk few years ago, had now decided to learn horse riding on Epsom Downs with view to going on a cattle drive in the wide open spaces of Montana (the one in the US). Seems she wanted to be a cowboy since being a little girl but it took 35 years to realise the ambition. Being 64 she found that various parts of the body would not rearrange when she got off the horse and driving a car with legs splayed apart was difficult. After various amusing attempts at trying to start and stop a horse in the fog of the downs, she flew to the badlands where the temperature was 105, and where she was given a broad brimmed hat, bandanna and high boots. It seems that rattlesnakes do not bite higher than 18 inches, and that crickets make a noise non stop. She spent quite some time there doing all the cowboy things like lasooing cows, rounding up cattle, eating cowboy breakfasts of baked beans and learning how to pee standing up; (don't forget the rattlesnakes!). This apparently was not a success resulting in bootfulls. However playing the guitar in the wild open spaces under starry cloudless skies sounded much more fun, whereas trying to remain onboard ‘Cherokee’ the aquaphobic horse across rivers was not. Seems she got the name ‘Bostic Bum of Balham’, and it stuck. She also now knows the precise position of the saddle pummel. The only thing I cannot recall from her talk was whether she did, or did not, enjoy ‘prairie oysters’ during castrations.

The evening finished off with the usual presentations of cups, reported on elsewhere, and the raffle to which we contribute prizes but never win anything. A rather nice touch was a couple of birthday cakes which were cut up and each guest was given a slice. All in all a lovely evening which is becoming one of the highlights of the calendar.

Bozi Mohacek  (he who gets to eat last)

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