The London Airport Waterguard Golf Society (LAPWGS)

The London Airport Waterguard Golf Society (LAPWGS) celebrates 50 years this year and we are having our June Meeting at Finchley Golf Club where the first meeting took place.  It is on the 20th June and the full day will be 36 holes of golf, coffee and bacon rolls, ploughman’s lunch and a three course dinner.  However, the Secretary of the Club has broken down the costs for me and, as shown below, you can come for the whole day, the morning with lunch, the afternoon with dinner or, if you are no longer playing golf, you can come just for the evening meal.
For anyone who has been a member in the past we would be delighted to welcome you on the day and, for those few who are still active in the Society from those dim and distant days, maybe exchange some fond memories.  The last time we did this was on our 30th Anniversary and the Club provided drinks at lunchtime at 1962 prices!
I run a website at www.billstreeter.co.uk/lapwgs where you can see the details of our Meetings and link into the Club websites.  If anyone is interested in joining us could you please email me at billstreeter@o2.co.uk (note that the “o” is a letter and not a zero – I tried to get o2 to change their logo but to no avail!!).  We can then take it from there.
18 holes of Golf: £35.00
36 holes of golf: £48.00
Coffee and Bacon Rolls: £3.00
Ploughman’s Lunch: £8.00
3 course dinner: £19.00
I look forward to hearing from you
Regards
Bill Streeter
The London Airport Waterguard Golf Society (LAPWGS) celebrates 50 years this year and we are having our June Meeting at Finchley Golf Club where the first meeting took place.  It is on the 20th June and the full day will be 36 holes of golf, coffee and bacon rolls, ploughman’s lunch and a three course dinner.  However, the Secretary of the Club has broken down the costs for me and, as shown below, you can come for the whole day, the morning with lunch, the afternoon with dinner or, if you are no longer playing golf, you can come just for the evening meal.
For anyone who has been a member in the past we would be delighted to welcome you on the day and, for those few who are still active in the Society from those dim and distant days, maybe exchange some fond memories.  The last time we did this was on our 30th Anniversary and the Club provided drinks at lunchtime at 1962 prices!
I run a website at www.billstreeter.co.uk/lapwgs where you can see the details of our Meetings and link into the Club websites.  If anyone is interested in joining us could you please email me at billstreeter@o2.co.uk (note that the “o” is a letter and not a zero – I tried to get o2 to change their logo but to no avail!!).  We can then take it from there.
18 holes of Golf: £35.00
36 holes of golf: £48.00
Coffee and Bacon Rolls: £3.00
Ploughman’s Lunch: £8.00
3 course dinner: £19.00
I look forward to hearing from you
Regards
Bill Streeter

Christmas Lunch

Pat Burke writes:-The annual post-Christmas lunch was held at the Vincent Room restaurant, Westminster Kingsway College on Thursday 13 January. The weather was much kinder this year without the heavy snow which immediately preceded last year’s event.

58 members and guests sat down and the general verdict was that this was one of the best meals we have had at the college. We were, as usual, very well looked after by the students and staff. There was much catching up with news from old colleagues both at the bar and during the meal. It was very pleasing to see a number of new faces this year as well as those who have been attending for several years. It is important to attract new members to this event to ensure numbers are maintained at a sufficient level to enable us to have the exclusive use of the restaurant.

The formal proceedings were completed with Roy Thompson giving a vote of thanks to the students and staff of the college and recounting some amusing anecdotes. We are hoping to return to the same venue next year. The date will be announced in a forthcoming edition of the Events Programme in the ‘Advance Notice‘ section.

Burns Night

 

BURNS NIGHT – A Sassenach’s view

What links ‘The Winning Post’ public house in Whitton (about 1 mile from Twickenham Rugby ground) and Scotland?  That is, apart from that being the pub where Harwich RFC celebrated Andy Hancock’s try for England against Scotland in 1965 (I was there). Now a better answer is that it was the location of an excellent Burns Night Dinner organised by London Airport & District CERRSA Branch, which several members of the London Area Branch attended.  The evening to celebrate Scotland’s greatest poet was a great success, thanks to the organising committee, ably led by Mike Nolan and Norman Shackley with Gordon Hodson in the chair.
 We were all welcomed by Pipe Major Haynes  in full Highland dress, and he then led the distinguished guest (including Valerie  and Ian Strachan) into dinner.

Proceedings were in the traditional format, and began with The Selkirk Grace:

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it;

But we hae meat, and we can eat,

And sae let the Lord be thankit.

Naturally we ate the traditional main course of haggis, served with tatties (mashed potatoes) and neeps (swede).

Mike’s polished performance in addressing the haggis gave Valerie Strachan a hard act to follow in proposing the toast to ‘The Immortal Memory’. Not surprisingly she entertained us with appropriate references to the poetry and Burns’s departmental career.  The toast was followed by highly professional demonstrations of individual and group Highland Dancing. These accomplished people then led less the experienced in a ‘Cumberland Reel’ and ‘The Dashing White Sergeant’. Under their expert tuition, reasonable performances were produced. For those old enough to remember Richard Hearne as Mr. Pastry, the dancing here was considerably better.

There was no time for melancholy, but several of us had the thought of ‘absent friends’ and how much Stuart & Rosemary Stredwick would have enjoyed the evening. Gordon said that he felt he was very much "standing in" for Stuart. We can only say that Gordon did great credit to Stuart and the Branch.

This was the first time that the branch has organised a Burns Night event. We hope it is the first of many and would thoroughly recommend it.  Please accept this as an early application for next year.

Barry and Sally Atkinson

Stuart Stredwick R.I.P.

Stuart Frank Oliver Stredwick

                       (23 Aug 1932 - 2 Dec 2010)                                    

Former colleagues will be greatly saddened to learn that Stuart, Chairman of the Heathrow and West London CERSA, died from a heart attack on 3^rd December 2010. His funeral, attended by over 100 people comprising family, friends and colleagues, was held at South West Middlesex Crematorium on 15^th December. Colin, one of his sons, gave the eulogy and the service, most appropriately given Stuart’s lifelong love of cricket, ended with the introductory music to the BBC’s Test Match Special.

Stuart was born in Beddington, Croydon but due to his father's job with Cable and Wireless, for much of his early childhood he lived in India then Portugal.

He later attended school at Bedford Modern where his love of cricket began and where he also met his lifelong friend and later colleague, Mike Davey.  With his parents living abroad Stuart spent most of his teenage years living on a farm with a schoolfriend helping out with planting crops and maybe learning that the tractors ran on red diesel!

His National Service was in the Royal Artillery and somehow he managed to get a posting to Gibraltar where his parents were then living. He was quickly seconded to play cricket for the Royal Artillery team.

In 1954, following National Service, Stuart joined the Waterguard and served at Heathrow Airport and London Port before successfully applying to become an Officer in 1960. His Unattached Officer service was mainly spent in London West Collection where In 1967 he joined the newly formed local Enquiry Unit which eventually became firstly London West and then London North & West CIU. He was promoted to Surveyor CIU in 1977 and continued at Berwick St and then Tottenham Court Road office until the unit was transferred to Wembley in 1990 when he and several other long serving LN&W CIU moved to London Central & South CIU.  Stuart was involved in many interesting cases during his investigation years including VAT Gold frauds and drugs operations. None was more challenging and interesting than the (in)famous and much publicised Gatecrasher’s Balls organised by Eddie Davenport which resulted in Davenport’s  conviction for VAT fraud.. These Balls were given much publicity in the national press with many photographs of drunken public school teenagers. One of Stuart’s last tasks before retirement made good use of his ability to speak Portuguese when he was required to travel to Brazil in the course of an investigation. In retirement he became the Customs adviser on the TV series “The Knock” which, for many London-based investigators, became a “This was your life” on TV as case after case was rewritten for the various episodes.

His family was much amused by “Stuart’s” role being played by Malcolm Storry, a 6’ 4” actor.  Stuart was such a likeable character that his former Assistant Collectors forgave him for the portrayal of their part in the life of the fictional CIU.

Throughout his career Stuart’s passion for cricket involved him in playing firstly for London Port Waterguard then for his Collection and Department’s teams. He later became Secretary and then Chairman of the C&E Sports Club’s Cricket section and held that post until shortly before he retired. That involved him and Dave Holland helping organise the C&E teams playing in the annual fixtures arranged by Sir Brian Unwin, Chairman of the Board, against Sir Robin Butler’s Cabinet Office eleven.

In retirement he played an active part in the Heathrow and West London CERSA, the London HQ CERSA, and the Retired Members Branch of the Sports Club. At the time of his death he had been Chairman of the Heathrow CERSA for several years and, with his wife Rosemary, had organised the very successful evenings the CERSAs had at many summer concerts held at The Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall where they were on the Committee of the International Military Music Society.

Stuart first met his wife, Rosemary, after a Civil Service Sports Day at Chiswick when he offered her and two friends a lift in his official car despite the regulations forbidding unauthorised passengers.  To make matters worse he had a slight crash in Richmond at which point he discovered that Rosemary's job involved accident investigation for official cars!

A year later they were married and, in 2010, celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary having lived at the same address in Hampton for almost as long.  Together Rosemary and Stuart had four children resulting in eight grandchildren.

Sport continued to play a huge part in Stuart's life.   He swam most days (including his last) and had swum the English Channel for charity - albeit over a period of four weeks and from the relative comfort of an indoor swimming pool.  He remained an avid fan of rugby and cricket and was a very active member of Surrey Cricket Club based at the Oval where he frequently attended county and International matches as well as matches at Lords. He would have taken great delight in England's recent success in Australia.

Stuart was a much-loved friend and colleague; his ever-cheerful presence will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

We are indebted to Stuart’s family for their assistance in drafting this obituary

Tim Connolly

Gordon Hodson

Programme 2010/11

NEWSLETTER EXTRACT.

18.10.10 Monday Henry VI 37 Eton High St Pub Lunch 01753 866051 Norman 01784 251490

13.12.10 Monday Winning Post CERSA Christmas Lunch Mohinder 01189 773623

21.01.11 Friday Winning Post Burns Supper Norman 01784 251490

Some Notes

Tim Connolly has just returned from Ireland and has arranged the details of the next London Port Waterguard reunion. It will be on Thursday 4 November 2010 starting at 1230 and will be held at the Britannia pub , Kipling Street, London SE1 3RU which is behind Guys Hospital and the nearest station is London Bridge.

Russ Ayling and Nigel Vines continue to organise monthly walks combined with pub lunches - contact Nigel on 07764 581593 01344 621983 or Russ 07714 572968 or 0118 969 4647

Heathrow CERSA combines with other neighbouring CERSA groups for certain social events and activities arranged by them, particularly the London and Surrey & Hants association and activities planned by them will be advertised by us from time to time.

London HQ are visiting Lords Cricket ground on 12th October , and on 12th November a visit will be made to the Guards Chapel and Guards Museum ? In both cases person to contact.Tim Connolly (0208 9698976) or tpconnolly@hotmail.co.uk is the person to contact.

This newsletter is circulated to neighbouring CERSAs and we hope very much that we get a big response to our Burns Supper

invitation to join us in welcoming Dame Valerie Strachan. and her husband on January 21, 2011