 |
 |
|
|
|
Almost a hundred members of the band and songsters including the ‘retireds’ met to enjoy an evening not to be missed, of good food, company and entertainment. This was the third of such occasions at the Apollo Hotel and the management demonstrated just how much they had grown to know ‘Army folk’ as when I approached the bar for our round of J2Os, the bar staff were all busy lining up dozens of glasses of water. The bar takings were just not going to be up to normal for a Friday evening function!
|
|
|
|
|
It was not the most pleasant of evenings to venture out without a just cause, as we experienced our first flurry of snow of the year. What were we all doing, going out on a wintry night like this? However the promise of such a first class evening was too great a temptation. The food on offer at the Apollo was as usual, excellent, varied and well prepared, as was the entertainment laid on by Songster Leader Lesley Nicholson, for the evening.
Lesley introduced us to her friends from the International Staff Songsters (ISS) who would entertain us later. They included Hilary Bromage from Boscombe, Carolynn Woodman from Chatham, Melanie Ellis from Coventry, Adam Sewell-Jones from Romford and Lyndon Bexon from Winton. All had been hijacked so to speak, en-route to Coventry where the ISS were specialing for the weekend.
As has become the tradition of these now annual events, each course was intercepted by an activity or challenge to be solved by those seated at each of the ten tables. For starters each table was presented with a newspaper, scissors, pen, glue and instructions, for the first of three challenges. The task was to compose a humorous love letter using cuttings from the newspaper allocated. The term cutting and pasting had reverted once more to its original meaning. Later in the evening several of these letters were to be read out aloud by anyone brave enough or perhaps foolish enough to do so. The challenge set whilst we were awaiting our main course was to match up ‘Army’ words to the tune ‘Oom-Pah-Pah, Oom-Pah-Pah’’ from the musical Oliver, again to be performed later in the evening. Dessert was intercepted by the tackling of the last challenge, which called for someone to sing the words ‘Ken Dodd’s Dad’s dog’s dead!’ to that well loved Salvation Army tune ‘Knees up Mother Brown’. Easy! I hear you say but try it at speed. The resultant efforts of each challenge were eventually shared much to the merriment of all present. Prizes were awarded for the best performed/created solutions to the ‘between course’ challenges. Eddie and Thelma Evans were also awarded a prize for being the sparkliest couple present.
 |
 |
|
|
|
To put the finishing touch to such an excellent evening Lesley and her friends from the ISS entertained us, performing a most varied range of songs. These included the children’s song, If you go down to the woods today, several songs from musicals such as Oliver and The Sound of Music as well as songster style songs such as Praise His Name and Let Me Fly With You’. Adam Sewell-Jones offered words of Christian challenge, reflection and prayer, at the conclusion of a superb evening.
 |
 |
 |
 |
PS - thankfully there was little evidence of any snow by the time we left to go home.
Words: Rob Stokes
Pictures: Gordon McKee
