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2009 - CONWAY'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION
Liverpool Friday 7th August to Monday 10th August 2009
Terms & Years Evening
If you have any photos or views please email them to me click here.
Click links below to see images from each "term" dinner:
REVIEWS
"Ship" Cadets Drinks:
50 people attended. Review awaited. Email your comments.
1950-51 & Near Terms Dinner:
31 people attended (18 OCs plus one guest).
"Not
many from the exact period were attending the general celebrations and
some of those were up to their eyeballs in other things i.e. David
Nutman, John McCaughrean and that bronzed Canadian, Terry Powell; but
especially of course, David! So, we cast our net a little wider and
included all those who were even on the ship during those 24 months. We
could not interest anyone of later years because of Ian Minchin’s
already publicised 52-54 Dinner (Ian had already poached a couple of
ours! Sorry Ian I know it was unwittingly). Eventually we opened it up
to anybody not actually using a Zimmer frame! However, we were late in
getting started and contact details were few, so consequently, were
numbers. Nevertheless, apart from those already mentioned, we had Capt
Mike Brook (49-50) down from beautiful Northumberland, Peter Entwhistle
(49-51) from fabulous NZ, Neil Couper (50-51) from sunny Bermuda, Brian
Mayor (50-51) and Capt Jim Atkinson (50-52) from distant Cornwall,
Derek Bond (50-52) struggled over the Mersey from Neston (no ladies, he
is not that glamorous film star from the 1950’s/60’s), Mike Clarke
(50-52) crawled over from Cheadle, south of Manchester, Neil Coupland
(50-51) came in from as far afield as Heswall, especially, and only,
for our dinner! Then there was Gwyn Evans (50-52) from over the sea in
Jersey, Mike Woodhead (also 50-52) from darkest Sussex, Brian Lloyd
(51-52) from Saskatoon and finally, another chap from Canada who was a
senior middy on my first trip with Blue-Flue on the old triple
expansion Sam Boat S.S. Flintshire, carrying munitions for the Korean
war out to the British base near Kure, Japan, Colin Harvey (48-50).
There were also the Worthington brothers, J. A. (48-50) & E. L. S.
(50-52), who joined us, with their wives, for part of the time. Sorry
chaps, I did not catch your first names. Eighteen Old Conways in all,
plus wives attended. We all met in the bar of Crompton’s Restaurant
after Haydn Lockwood’s “ship” drinks nearby, for a few more drinks
(what else?). Many brought their wives who certainly brightened up the
proceedings! Peter Entwistle also brought along, as well as his wife,
Maeve, the widow of Jim Hitchmough (49-51, I think. Peter, enlighten me
please). We were a small, select and very international group. The
hotel put on an excellent dinner for us, and many tall and short
stories were told that night. Rita and I certainly enjoyed, not only
the ‘term’ evening, but also the absolutely fabulous weekend as a
whole. There were many whom I also contacted who really wanted to come
but were unable to be at Liverpool for various health reasons: Capt
Robin Green DSC (49-51), Capt Archie Ashton (50-51), Lt Cdr Hugh
Bostock (50-51), Basle Roberts (50-51), Capt Ivan D Samuel (50-51) and
Capt Brian Evans OBE (50-52). Capt Chris Belton RN (50-51) and Capt
Paul Morgan (50-52) were unable to arrive in Liverpool until Saturday
due to other commitments but otherwise would have been there. I would
like to thank all of those who attended for doing so. Just the process
of trying to round you all up, as it were, helped the re-union process
considerably and I hope to meet all of those who were unable to come at
all, at some future OC event."Email your comments.
1952-54 Years Dinner:
83 people attended (44 OCs).Click here to see a list of those attending. Review awaited. Email your comments.
1955-57 Years Dinner:
92 people attended dinner at Liverpool marina. Click here to see a list of those attending.
The
55-57 year/term groups held their dinner at the Harbourside Restaurant
at the Liverpool Marina. "Happy Al" transported 94 bodies from the
hotel to the restaurant for 1900 hrs. On the stroke of 2000hrs, 8 bells
alerted all hands to take their seats for dinner. The group encompassed
10 terms from Summer 1955 to Christmas 1958 and each term unit was
seated on separate tables, each table being named after one of the
dormitories at the house. (We ran out of dormitory names, so Mike
Rushford's term table was named after his gig, Rebel). The restaurant
did us proud and served an excellent three course dinner followed by a
cheese platter and coffee and mints.(see menu). The beer and wine
flowed freely both before, during and after dinner and many school
chums were re-acquainted during the evening. Happy Al bussed all hands
back to the hotel at 2300 hrs and everyone enjoyed a convivial and
informal evening as the introduction to the BIG formal event.
Email your comments.
Michael Rushforth (54-56): "... stupendous dinner for 93 of us in the Marina Restaurant on Friday night."
1958-61 Dinner:
25 people attended (16 OCS). Click here to see a list of attendees. Review awaited. Email your comments.
Mike
Sanders (58-61): " It was fantastic to meet up with a number of my term
for a dinner, some of whom I have not seen for 48 years."
1959 Year Dinner:
59 people attended (33 OCS). Click here to see a list of attendees.
"The Centenary Year Leavers Dinner for those who left the Ship in the
Easter, Summer and Christmas of 1959 was indeed well supported and held
in the Derby Suite of the Adelphi. Our bar was open at 19.00hrs and
closed at 01.00hrs. Our tables were arranged as requested where the
Easter,Summer and Christmas leavers sat grouped together in their own
QB terms. Our dinner served by the Adelphi was excellent and the
company and intermingling of all those present carried on into the
early hours. Many of us not having seen one another for 50 years. The
Christmas term stood before we sat down to dinner and I toasted Jimmy
Quinn from Queensland who at the last minute could not attend due to
him having a major operation and although we toasted him in Australian
red/white wine the other supporting terms all stood for the toast as of
all us there knew he had played for the First XV. T.H. Lloyd-Jones
Captain of Conways First XV enjoyed the Friday evening returned to
Swansea hospital on Sunday and had his triple by pass on Monday - how
is that for stamina."
Email your comments.
Bob
Gordon (59-62): "Our term dinner went off very well with guest of
honour Olly Ollerton who some may still remember. He was focsle
divisional officer in my time."
Peter Webb (57-59): "The term dinner was excellent and I am very grateful to George Brown who organised our year."
1960-62 Years Dinner:
57 people attended (35 OCs). Click here to see a list of attendees.
This
dinner was a resounding success and together with my fellow organizers
we have already been blasted with many emails from those attending
saying how much they had enjoyed it and of course meeting old chums
which in some cases they had not seen for 47 years. All also expressed
how they had enjoyed the weekend as a whole and were full of praise
plus thanks for all the hard work done by the organizers on our behalf.
In the end 57 sat down to dinner at 2000 hrs the last two having
applied and paid while we were having drinks in the ante room !!! An
even later request I had to turn down on the grounds that the Adelphi
staff would have probably killed me. We were honoured when Captain A.K
(Olli).Ollerton joined us for the evening. He was my divisional Officer
in Fxl and on the staff from 59 -60 and I'm pleased to say that he
received a very sound ovation from all attending which showed how much
we respected him as a fine Conway Officer. Incidentally besides
teaching Chris Nelson (60-62) on the Conway he went on to put Chris
through all his tickets at Fleetwood College which is quite a record
and indeed Olli still teaches two nights a week at Fleetwood.
Email your comments.
"Stone Frigate" Years Dinner:
Click here to see a list of those attending. . Email your comments.
The
64-68 and 69-74 dinners combined as the “Stone Frigate” dinner because
we had so many people with overlapping years, and the hotel were
struggling to find two rooms big enough. With 120 people attending (65
OCs) we were the biggest year/term event but also had the greatest
spread (years and waists). The number of cadets from these years
regularly attending Club functions is growing every year so there were
many well known faces and several very welcome “new chums”. Drinks at
6.30, nearly filling the lounge, were followed by a buffet meal (how
our published choice of menu morphed into a curry remains a mystery).
Later Rob Tubb led a pub crawl of unique Liverpool hostelries well
remembered by those who shipped out of Liverpool. The last person is
thought to have dropped into his bunk at around 3am.
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