Page 19 - PBCJuly2012

Pickwick Bicycle Club Magazine. Volume 9 No.2 July 2012
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Write to:
This is the place where members may express their views and comments on Stan Rose
matters concerning the club and its activities. All letters are welcome and your ‘Mere’
Chartridge
input is confidently awaited! Bucks. HP5 2TF
Editor’s Note: Pickwickians - I can’t find your letters: please write - I am lonely! Or e-mail stan@stanrosefamily.com

Some Eulogies on the President’s the 200th anniversary of the birth of
Luncheon Charles Dickens.
In those days members would have entertained
From Frank Simmery, in Germany: each other with singing, rhymes and visual
imagery or playing cards, chess, draughts,
My Dear Joe, The Fat Boy, dominoes, or indeed reading illustrated
newspapers during their smoking lunches. They
also invited the captains of other clubs, so it was
Somebody told me that before the meeting
good to see important guests from other
started there were critical remarks about the
Pickwick clubs in attendance on this special
special programme organized for this afternoon. occasion.
Let me therefore tell you what impression my
two guests and I had: We no longer smoke and, with a few notable
exceptions, we do not usually set out to
A wonderful afternoon, very good and carefully entertain each other in these ways. However,
selected food, superb entertainment, they our members have always truly appreciated
especially liked the songs but also Mr Pickwick's being entertained by talented individuals,
Reading was well received. My personal particularly when they make us laugh.
favourite, however, was when " Britannia, rule
the waves" was sung (never mind the historical The sensational performances of Louise Crane,
wording) and when everybody joined in and was Justin Lavender and Lloyd Lee where truly
wonderful and ensured that this important event
so heartily excited that I started realizing: this
will rank alongside the celebration of the Club’s
is it, this is Dickensian conviviality as its best. 100th anniversary.
Kind regards and with Pickwickian Greetings My guests were wholly appreciative of the
Frank Simmery efforts made by the Club to do something quite
(Helmut Stibal - Frieburg, Germany) different and this, overlaid on the very special
fellowship of our Club, made for a truly
memorable experience.

We salute the Club on rising to this very special
occasion.
From Past President Joseph Smiggers:
Yours truly
My dear Joe, the fat boy,

Our original and early members would have Joseph Smiggers
truly appreciated the efforts made by today’s
Pickwick Bicycle Club to recreate the
entertainment of their period whilst celebrating