Post by aghart on Sept 6, 2019 18:49:48 GMT
17 members, including 3 new recruits were at the September 2019 meeting. We had guests too, so a total of 23 were present. Before the meeting began, we had a presentation, Army Cadet (RTR badged) Ben Hall, accompanied by his mum, made a presentation to the Friends of the Tank Memorial Ypres Salient for the help and encouragement they have given him. The presentation was accepted by one of our new members, Chris Lock, who is an official of the Friends. It was a pleasant surprise for Chris and the branch members who were present to witness it. See photo's.
The Chairman welcomed our new members, and our guests. The guests were Ben and his mum, plus S/Sgt Russ Abbot and 3 soldiers from the Regiment. A minutes silence was held in memory of Chuck Westwood, formerly of 1 RTR who passed away recently. Chuck was not a branch member, but was known to most of the 1 RTR contingent present.
A recap of the Branch BBQ in August was given, this allowed those who were not present (including me) to know what they had missed. Dave Roberts gave the branch a quick brief on the branch participation at the (very wet) OP Banner 50 event at the National Memorial Arboretum. Members were informed of the 103rd birthday later this month of ex Lt Tony Pyatt RTR. Tony is a Normandy veteran and is now in a nursing home in Suffolk. The secretary produced a giant birthday card for Tony and invited people to sign it. We will send it to the nursing home in time for his birthday, See photo's.
Members were invited to attend the annual Battle of Britain church service in Poole on Sunday 8th September. The branch standard will be paraded at this event. We were given an update on preparations for our annual Ladies Lunch in January. Most importantly, it was announced that the venue had changed. It will now be held in the Harbour Heights hotel at Sandbanks. This hotel is even better than the hotel we used last year. We also had an update on ARRAS 80 planning.
Incorporated in this meeting was the branch AGM. The minutes of the 2018 AGM were viewed again. The Chairman gave a recap of the branch activity over the last year. The branch address list was updated, and the committee was voted in for another year. The one chance was that Carl Litherland-Payne has taken over the position of treasurer, a post Dave Larcombe had been combining with his role of Chairman. A vote of thanks was made to the committee for their efforts over the last 12 months.
After a small break to recharge our glasses, S/Sgt Abbot addressed the branch, he explained his role as the "link" SNCO between the Regiment and the Association. He also gave us a rundown of what is happening at the Regiment.
An excellent evening.
The Chairman welcomed our new members, and our guests. The guests were Ben and his mum, plus S/Sgt Russ Abbot and 3 soldiers from the Regiment. A minutes silence was held in memory of Chuck Westwood, formerly of 1 RTR who passed away recently. Chuck was not a branch member, but was known to most of the 1 RTR contingent present.
A recap of the Branch BBQ in August was given, this allowed those who were not present (including me) to know what they had missed. Dave Roberts gave the branch a quick brief on the branch participation at the (very wet) OP Banner 50 event at the National Memorial Arboretum. Members were informed of the 103rd birthday later this month of ex Lt Tony Pyatt RTR. Tony is a Normandy veteran and is now in a nursing home in Suffolk. The secretary produced a giant birthday card for Tony and invited people to sign it. We will send it to the nursing home in time for his birthday, See photo's.
Members were invited to attend the annual Battle of Britain church service in Poole on Sunday 8th September. The branch standard will be paraded at this event. We were given an update on preparations for our annual Ladies Lunch in January. Most importantly, it was announced that the venue had changed. It will now be held in the Harbour Heights hotel at Sandbanks. This hotel is even better than the hotel we used last year. We also had an update on ARRAS 80 planning.
Incorporated in this meeting was the branch AGM. The minutes of the 2018 AGM were viewed again. The Chairman gave a recap of the branch activity over the last year. The branch address list was updated, and the committee was voted in for another year. The one chance was that Carl Litherland-Payne has taken over the position of treasurer, a post Dave Larcombe had been combining with his role of Chairman. A vote of thanks was made to the committee for their efforts over the last 12 months.
After a small break to recharge our glasses, S/Sgt Abbot addressed the branch, he explained his role as the "link" SNCO between the Regiment and the Association. He also gave us a rundown of what is happening at the Regiment.
An excellent evening.