Christmas comes but once a year and so does Ladies and
clergy Night held, as usual, at Guildford Golf Club. Being the highlight of the Circle’s year, there were close
to one hundred guests in attendance including three Clergy. This year the
Circle was delighted to entertain Canon Colin Wolczac, Fr. Alan Sharpe and Fr.
Sebastian Paul. Initially everyone gathered in the bar and then around 7.45 pm
we were all ushered into the dining room to take our seats. Shortly afterwards
the meal was served by the polite and enthusiastic staff.
The usual welcoming speech was made by Bro.
President, Stephen Ballard, followed by a rousing speech from Bro. Vice - President,
William D'Souza, encouraging diners to put as much cash as they could afford
into the brown envelopes on each table. One for the President's Charity the
other a Christmas bonus for the GGC Staff. To boost the funds for the
President's Charity even further, the popular game of 'Heads & Tails' was
introduced later in the evening and was ultimately won by Angie Vickerman.
Angie was presented with a bottle of Fizz by Bro. Vice President, William D’Souza.
Highlights of the evening included the display of the cup
awarded to the Guildford brothers who participated in the darts competition
held by Kingston Circle on the 7th of December. The line up included: Guildford
A Team; Peter Chalcraft, Harvey Palmer and Bro. Secretary, Stephen Rowden
alongside Guildford B Team; Kevin Deeming and Tony Clark. Having the benefit of
star player Peter Chalcraft, Guildford won the high score prize from a
three dart score of 120.
We were promised there would be entertainment during
the evening but no one except top brass knew what to expect. It was, in fact, a
choir comprised of students from Guildford School of Acting. In close harmony, they
went through a repertoire of carols and popular songs to the great delight of
all present. In the absence of our Circle Photographer, Bro. Chris Devereux,
yours truly, armed with iphone, took a multitude of photographs which will,
hopefully, convey the spirit of the evening.
Because of the large number of photographs, this blog is in two parts. Enjoy part one!
