Last updated
01 March 2020
The 150th Anniversary Dinner, 7 November 2019
The 150th
Anniversary Dinner was held on 7 November 2019 in the Members' Dining Room,
House of Commons chaired with aplomb by President, Julian Golding. Colonel
Bob Stewart DSO was in attendance, Professor Myra Nimmo (Chair: England
Athletics) proposed a toast to the club and the principal guest was
Commonwealth 200m gold medallist Mike McFarlane OBE each of whom were
presented with engraved commemorative glasses. The president of the Kent
County AA, the president of Thames Hare & Hounds and the presidents of our
traditional mob match clubs Orion Harriers, Ranelagh Harriers and South
London Harriers were all in attendance.
One
hundred and sixty-eight guests attended this very grand function developed
and planned by PP Professor Chris Haines and VP / Trustee David Appleton.
Photos start here...
The 150th Anniversary Dinner 7th November. 2019
This write up for the above event will appear in
its complete form in the Winter 2019/2020 Issue of the Gazette, which is
expected to be out sometime next summer. Many thanks to PP Chris Haines for
his additional information in producing this report of a memorable evening.
The Blackheath and Bromley AC 150th Anniversary
dinner, which took place at the House of Commons Members Dining Room on the
7th of November 2019 was one of several events intended to mark the club’s
anniversary year 2019-2020, but perhaps could best be the apex of the year
of celebrations marking that anniversary, an all-inclusive event, which
could be attended by all with an interest in the club including partners,
social members, administrators.
Amongst the special guests invited were our local MP
(for Beckenham) Colonel Bob Stewart DSO. M.P. Planning for the dinner began
in May 2018 by courtesy of Colonel Stewart and formal invitations carried
his name. However, the dissolution of parliament on 5th November and the
calling of a general election meant that Colonel Stewart could no longer be
our host and our 150th Anniversary Dinner had to be restyled as a private
function. Fortunately, Colonel Stewart was able to attend as a private
individual with restrictions placed on his contributions to the proceedings.
As well as him, there were also invited Professor Myra
Nimmo, Chair of England Athletics, and former Commonwealth Games 100 metre
winner Mike McFarlane. the Presidents of four Clubs with whom our own club
has had a long-standing rivalry:
Michael Farmery Thames Hare & Hounds, Richard Carter
South London Harriers, Rebecca Curtis-Hall Ranelagh Harriers, Robert
Jousifffe Orion Harriers; Claire Capon President Kent County AA; Allan Finn
Biggin Hill Airport sponsor to the club and Denise Finn; Ade Sofolarin, club
member and major benefactor and Ailee Macadam. In addition, there were
present along with the current President Julian Golding 17 past presidents
and 34 Vice Presidents, and 6 of the 8 Trustees.
The evening was built around a time slot allowed by
the House of Commons starting with a drinks reception due to commence at
6.30pm. The growing number of invitees entering Westminster Hall started
making their way up the stairs of the Hall and down the corridors to the
octagonal hub of the parliament buildings, the Central Lobby, past statues
of eminent parliamentarians, and overlooked by carved statuettes of monarchs
from past centuries of British history. Some of the more observant members
had noticed that the lobby floor tiling displayed a large device which bore
an uncanny resemblance to the club badge (from 1878 to 2003) which seemed to
make the occasion more relevant to the surroundings.
Then it was on to the Strangers’ Dining Room and the
lovely adjoining Pugin Room for the drinks reception. This entitled everyone
to a free drink (prosecco, beer or a soft drink) and access to a makeshift
bar for any further drinks at somewhat exorbitant prices. At this point
perhaps to appreciate the value of the occasion against its price, one
needed to consider the magnificent splendour of the decor, brilliant red
flock wallpaper, the proliferation of paintings, and an altogether arcane
but still splendid aura of pre-war grandeur of a long-vanished age.
The reception continued as the full assembly was now
met and photographs were being taken, officially by Tom Phillips for the
website, and individually from whole groups of guests anxious to capture the
event for posterity. There was another interlude as more drinks were bought
at the bar and then we were summoned to dinner just after 7.15pm to make our
way into the dining room which was impressively adorned with beautiful flock
wallpaper, wooden relief sculptures and plenteous portraits of
parliamentarians down the ages. High painted ceilings, huge windows that
look out over the Commons Terrace and carved oak paneled walls give these
dining rooms a sense of grandeur and political intrigue unlike any other
restaurant.
The tables had been laid out in the manner of top
class restaurants with the usual pristine white tablecloths and napkins but
not too many pieces of cutlery as there were only three courses at this
meal. Everyone quickly made their way to their designated table and, grace
having been pronounced in the simplest fashion with no reference to the
club’s athletic activities, the dinner commenced.
The food was of modest size consisting of a starter of
treacle glazed salmon, main course of baked corn-fed chicken with some
vegetables and potatoes and a combination dessert of sponge, meringue and
ice cream entitled Lemon baked Alaska. Although it looked small on the plate
it proved to be surprisingly filling. Wine was provided with the meal, one
bottle of red and of white for each table but additional wines such as
Colombard Sauvignon Blanc and House of Commons Merlot could be ordered for
the price of £26 per bottle, which needless to say did not deter some
people.
Coffee and petit fours followed and by 8.45pm the
noise of diners was dinned for the customary toasts to the Queen and Royal
Family, made with glasses of Quinta de la Rosa vintage port which was at
this time still being hastily being distributed by the enthusiastic but
overworked waiting staff. If wine was something they discerningly served,
then water was doled out liberally. However it would have been highly
disrespectful to toast the Queen with mere water!
There followed a brief interval before the speeches
commenced with four main speakers representing the House, the Club, the
Guests and the President. Proposing Colonel Bob Stewart was PP (1992-3) Alan
Pickering whose dry wit provided the perfect warm up act. In the seat of
parliamentary government, he made an appropriate remark about politics and
athletics as both having the capacity to unite and also divide. He remarked
that the club was part of a wider community and that as a club we were
promoting that sense of community through the many bonds of friendship
within its membership.
In politics and athletics, we could equally have
tribalism or community. Hopefully the new clubhouse would foster a sense of
unity and he paid tribute to those grandees of the club who were setting
aside their differences to embrace this hopeful future. He then turned to
Bob Stewart with whom he had worked in Bosnia in the early 1990s when the
Colonel had been Commander of the UN forces there, and then joked “I still
have a job, but you don’t!” referring to the fact that with parliament
dissolved for the forthcoming General Election, the Colonel was now
attending as a private individual with restrictions placed on his
proceedings he was introduced as ‘Bob with no name’!
Bob with no name had promised not to make a speech,
and what he had to say was brief. He mentioned that he had some links to the
club through his 16-year-old son who trained sometimes at Norman Park and
was hoping to get into the Royal Marines or the Army. He added that “you are
terribly special and I am proud that Blackheath Harriers is in the
constituency which I’ve represented and hope to do so again after December
the 12th.”
Next to speak was Dame Myra Nimmo, the Chair of
England Athletics, herself an International athlete in the 1970s who gave an
interesting insight into athletic history referring to the foundation in
1866 of the Amateur Athletics Club which opened athletics to those from
lower social classes and allowed them to participate in competition. This
progressiveness and inclusiveness she said was embedded in the club’s
mission statement.
“How had we lasted 150 years?” she asked. By
inclusiveness in all our activities from International competition to the
mob matches and in institutions such as the Bees Academy. Every person she
added should take pride in the club’s success, as one of the largest and
oldest athletic clubs in the country. She then proposed the toast to
Blackheath and Bromley Harriers AC.
Paul Austridge (momentarily elevated to the status of
a Past President!) responded and mentioned some notable names in the club’s
history including the performances of Olympian H.B Stallard in 1924 (bronze
in the 1500 meters), and after the inclusion of women in 1992, the
achievements of Dina Asher-Smith, Holly Arnold, Helen Godsell, (“we have
three women world champions”). There were also world class officers (such as
John Baldwin) world class coaches (such as John Blackie) and officials such
as Mark Purser who has recently represented the club in Stockholm in the
capacity of a starter and the Diamond League in Birmingham as Chief Starter,
and whose greatest achievement was not disqualifying a single Blackheath
Harrier this last summer!
The club had produced world class performers on the
track and what they did at the World Championships in Doha in terms of what
was achieved by their country was akin to ‘West Ham winning the world Cup
for England in 1966’. With Blackheath having been founder members of the
British Athletic League in 1969, the Young Athletes winning the National
League nine times in a row in the 1980s, and the promise shown by the
present generation of international athletes, the club had, concluded Paul
“a Long and celebrated past, a hugely successful present and a bright and
exciting future”.
PP (2016-17) Bill Foster now rose to propose a toast
to the various guests attending from sponsors, supporters and the other
rival clubs and of which Mike MacFarlane was one and who responded on behalf
of the guests. He did this by giving a stirring talk about the concept of
success in which he stated that people’s perception of success is all graded
differently, and is not about record times or medals but about the influence
they have and the foundation they have laid.
He remembered 1982 when he won the Commonwealth Games
200 meters gold and with some amusement referred to it as the medal he’d won
outright (as opposed to only sharing the victory with Alan Wells) but
recalled the disappointment of the 1983 World Championships (‘those who
can’t hear must feel”) and his promise that he would make good this setback
by reaching the final of the Olympic 200 meters in 1984. With intense
training he did that and finished an impressive fifth. He also spoke with
admiration about Julian Golding and how he had coached and nurtured him and
other famous athletes from that era who he’d watched mature IPP (2018-19)
Paul Byfield now proposed a toast to his successor the present President
Julian Golding, likening this task to being the best man at a wedding. He
talked of what Julian brought to the role of president and his capacity to
speak at key events, such as a talk he gave to the Young Athletes League
where he drew on his own success as an athlete and asked the young people to
visualize that success. He ended by recalling a story where Julian had raced
against Michael Johnson and beat him- by crossing the start-line before
Michael Johnson.
When the president responded he gave a short
reminiscence of the time when he was asked by Paul to be the club president.
After having said no initially, he had discussed the matter with his wife
and decided that he was ‘going to do this’ after all. He praised Blackheath
Harriers as being a great club and would encourage young people to join
Blackheath Harriers particularly as it had the best youth policy of any club
in the country. He praised everyone who played a pivotal role and thanked
Mike MacFarlane who had encouraged him to achieve much from relatively
unpromising beginnings. Because of him he was a qualified teacher and he
owed so much to the Commonwealth Champion. Athletics he said, ‘gives you the
building blocks for success’. He likened the club to a family and he
encouraged all in the club to do what they could to make young people become
great members of his society.
During the course of the speeches each of Colonel
Stewart, Professor Nimmo and Mike Macfarlane were presented with an engraved
commemorative glass. IPP Paul Byfield presented a gold brooch to Samantha
Golding in recognition of the support she has given and continues to give to
the president.
After the speeches there was still wine left to drink
and time to socialize but the host started to drift away as ten thirty
approached. However, for some the evening was not over and a crowd of
revelers was slowly gathering for further refreshments. The moving spirit
behind this was club chairman Nick Corry whose verbal contributions during
the evening had provided a classier form of heckling. Now like some Texas
rancher he was herding willing or not so willing souls for a post dinner
drink at the St Stephen’s Tavern nearby. A fair number did follow on to that
pub and in fact packed the place out to reflect on the evening and, to the
amazement of the other drinkers in the tavern, gave a spirited rendition of
the club cry conducted by who else but Nick Corry! What the onlookers
thought of a crowd of dinner jacketed revelers is anyone’s guess. Even after
time was called a hard core of heathern staggered across Westminster Bridge
in search of further refreshment with a few hardy souls staging a sortie on
a nearby hotel. But by 12.30pm the celebrations had petered out.
Finally, there were 168 people attending the dinner,
168 for the 150 years of the club’s existence first as Peckham Hare and
Hounds, then Peckham Athletics Club, and later Blackheath Harriers and
finally Blackheath and Bromley Harriers AC. That works out as .89 of a year
for each attendee, or 10 months and 15 days per person. If the club had a
draw to which everyone present at the dinner was entered and allotted 10
months and 15 days each, what would be the first prize in the lottery draw
for the greatest 10 ½ months of the club’s history, and who would win it?
Wilfred Orton VP
Gazette Editor
Photos from Tom Phillips
The following photos from various sources and people including Jan
Mahoney, Paul Byfield, Mike Peel, Pat Calnan, Dave Thomson, Julian Haines,
Yvonne Walhen
.jpg)
And it continued down the pub...
|
|
|
|
|
Table |
|
|
|
|
|
Table |
|
1 |
Joan |
|
Allison OBE |
P |
|
86 |
PP Denis |
|
Lawrie |
P |
|
2 |
Ronald |
|
Allison BEM |
P |
|
87 |
Clem |
|
Leon |
8 |
|
3 |
Marco |
|
Arcuri |
8 |
|
88 |
VP Peter |
|
Lester |
12 |
|
4 |
VP Claire |
|
Austridge |
P |
|
89 |
Tricia |
|
Lester |
12 |
|
5 |
VP Paul |
|
Austridge |
P |
|
90 |
Angela |
|
Lissaman |
6 |
|
6 |
Clayton |
|
Aves |
13 |
|
91 |
VP John |
|
Lissaman |
6 |
|
7 |
PP John |
|
Baldwin |
P |
|
92 |
Gareth |
|
Lloyd |
2 |
|
8 |
PP Margaret |
|
Baldwin |
P |
|
93 |
Heather |
|
Lloyd |
2 |
|
9 |
Joss |
|
Barber |
13 |
|
94 |
VP Simon |
|
Lloyd |
3 |
|
10 |
Nick |
|
Barber |
13 |
|
95 |
Ailee |
|
Macadam |
P |
|
11 |
Bernie |
|
Bater |
9 |
|
96 |
Jan |
|
Mahoney |
1 |
|
12 |
Deborah |
|
Bater |
9 |
|
97 |
PP Michael |
|
Mahoney |
1 |
|
13 |
John |
|
Beck |
12 |
|
98 |
Daniel |
|
Marks |
13 |
|
14 |
Danny |
|
Brewer |
13 |
|
99 |
Helder |
|
Marques |
7 |
|
15 |
Louise |
|
Bridson |
5 |
|
100 |
Stephanie |
|
Marques |
7 |
|
16 |
Niamh |
|
Bridson Hubbard |
5 |
|
101 |
Graham |
|
Martin |
10 |
|
17 |
PP Nicholas |
|
Brooks |
P |
|
102 |
Joanne |
|
McFarlane |
P |
|
18 |
VP Robert |
|
Brown |
7 |
|
103 |
Michael |
|
McFarlane OBE |
P |
|
19 |
Matt |
|
Bullen |
9 |
|
104 |
Linda |
|
Michell |
6 |
|
20 |
Valerie |
|
Bullen |
9 |
|
105 |
VP Roger |
|
Michell |
6 |
|
21 |
PP Paul |
|
Byfield |
P |
|
106 |
Eileen |
|
Miller |
4 |
|
22 |
PP Patrick |
|
Calnan |
P |
|
107 |
Ian |
|
Montgomery |
9 |
|
23 |
Carol |
|
Campbell |
3 |
|
108 |
VP Jackie |
|
Montgomery |
9 |
|
24 |
Claire |
|
Capon |
P |
|
109 |
Prof Myra |
|
Nimmo |
P |
|
25 |
Richard |
|
Carter |
P |
|
110 |
VP Paul |
|
Patten |
P |
|
26 |
Catherine |
|
Carton |
7 |
|
111 |
Jan |
|
Pontifex |
4 |
|
27 |
David |
|
Carton |
7 |
|
112 |
Sara |
|
Smith |
6 |
|
28 |
Ian |
|
Cayzer |
1 |
|
113 |
Finbarr |
|
O'Gorman |
6 |
|
29 |
Mary |
|
Cayzer |
1 |
|
114 |
Valerie |
|
O'Gorman |
6 |
|
30 |
Joe |
|
Clare |
10 |
|
115 |
VP Wilfred |
|
Orton |
3 |
|
31 |
PP Robert |
|
Cliff |
7 |
|
116 |
Julia |
|
Pairman |
12 |
|
32 |
Vicky |
|
Cliff |
7 |
|
117 |
VP Steven |
|
Pairman |
12 |
|
33 |
David |
|
Cluney |
7 |
|
118 |
Fintan |
|
Parkinson |
10 |
|
34 |
PP Stephen |
|
Cluney |
7 |
|
119 |
PP Michael |
|
Peel |
2 |
|
35 |
Susan |
|
Cluney |
7 |
|
120 |
VP Tom |
|
Phillips |
11 |
|
36 |
PP Richard |
|
Coe |
9 |
|
121 |
PP Alan |
|
Pickering CBE |
P |
|
37 |
George |
|
Collins |
8 |
|
122 |
VP Anthony |
|
Pontifex |
4 |
|
38 |
Dr Mark |
|
Colpus |
2 |
|
123 |
Susan |
|
Prichard |
4 |
|
39 |
Alice |
|
Cordell |
11 |
|
124 |
VP Mark |
|
Purser |
P |
|
40 |
PP David |
|
Cordell |
11 |
|
125 |
Samantha |
|
Purser |
P |
|
41 |
Barnaby |
|
Corry |
5 |
|
126 |
Stanley |
|
Ridgewell |
8 |
|
42 |
Coleman |
|
Corry |
5 |
|
127 |
Madelaine |
|
Rothschild |
2 |
|
43 |
VP Nicolas |
|
Corry |
5 |
|
128 |
VP Colin |
|
Rowe |
11 |
|
44 |
Dorothy |
|
Counter |
1 |
|
129 |
Josephine |
|
Rowe |
11 |
|
45 |
VP Roger |
|
Counter |
1 |
|
130 |
Michael |
|
Salmon |
11 |
|
46 |
Rebecca |
|
Curtis-Hall |
P |
|
131 |
Roy |
|
Savery |
11 |
|
47 |
Richard |
|
Daniels |
13 |
|
132 |
Malcolm |
|
Scopes |
5 |
|
48 |
Heather |
|
Davies |
2 |
|
133 |
Maureen |
|
Scopes |
5 |
|
49 |
Sandra |
|
Delahoy |
3 |
|
134 |
VP Terri |
|
Shotton |
2 |
|
50 |
Trevor |
|
Delahoy |
3 |
|
135 |
VP Michael |
|
Skinner |
P |
|
51 |
Cedric |
|
Edmonds |
6 |
|
136 |
VP Roy |
|
Smith |
P |
|
52 |
VP Richard |
|
Edmonds |
6 |
|
137 |
Ade |
|
Sofolarin |
P |
|
53 |
Luca |
|
Ercolani |
13 |
|
138 |
PP Tim |
|
Soutar |
P |
|
54 |
Karen |
|
Farmery |
P |
|
139 |
Col Bob |
|
Stewart DSO |
P |
|
55 |
Michael |
|
Farmery |
P |
|
140 |
Charlotte |
|
Stickings |
4 |
|
56 |
Allan |
|
Finn |
P |
|
141 |
Nigel |
|
Stickings |
4 |
|
57 |
Denise |
|
Finn |
P |
|
142 |
VP Adrian |
|
Stocks |
8 |
|
58 |
PP Bill |
|
Foster |
P |
|
143 |
Iain |
|
Swatton |
12 |
|
59 |
Bethan |
|
Francis |
4 |
|
144 |
VP Nick |
|
Swatton |
12 |
|
60 |
VP Alex |
|
Gibbins |
10 |
|
145 |
Amanda |
|
Taylor |
10 |
|
61 |
Chris |
|
Gibson |
3 |
|
146 |
Dr Ian |
|
Taylor |
10 |
|
62 |
VP Ray |
|
Gibson |
3 |
|
147 |
John |
|
Taylor |
9 |
|
63 |
President Julian |
|
Golding |
P |
|
148 |
David |
|
Thomson |
2 |
|
64 |
Samantha |
|
Golding |
P |
|
149 |
Kenneth |
|
Tonkin |
2 |
|
65 |
Andrew |
|
Grace |
2 |
|
150 |
Chris |
|
Tuck |
13 |
|
66 |
PP Derek L |
|
Gregory |
P |
|
151 |
VP John |
|
Turner |
8 |
|
67 |
Margaret |
|
Gregory |
P |
|
152 |
VP Marion |
|
Turner |
8 |
|
68 |
PP Prof Christopher |
|
Haines |
11 |
|
153 |
Elsie |
|
Wade |
4 |
|
69 |
Julian |
|
Haines |
11 |
|
154 |
Michael |
|
Wade |
4 |
|
70 |
VP Richard |
|
Hall |
10 |
|
155 |
Trevor |
|
Wahlen |
10 |
|
71 |
VP Peter |
|
Hannell |
6 |
|
156 |
Yvonne |
|
Wahlen |
10 |
|
72 |
Isobel |
|
Harrington |
5 |
|
157 |
Ray |
|
Walsh |
9 |
|
73 |
VP Rod |
|
Harrington |
5 |
|
158 |
Christopher |
|
Waring |
9 |
|
74 |
VP Chris |
|
Hilditch |
P |
|
159 |
Barry |
|
Wetherilt |
8 |
|
75 |
Freya |
|
Hodgetts |
13 |
|
160 |
William |
|
Wheeler |
3 |
|
76 |
PP Stephen |
|
Hollingdale |
P |
|
161 |
PP David |
|
White |
1 |
|
77 |
VP Richard |
|
Holt |
12 |
|
162 |
Jamie |
|
White |
1 |
|
78 |
John |
|
Hubbard |
5 |
|
163 |
Rita |
|
White |
1 |
|
79 |
Bob |
|
Jousiffe |
P |
|
164 |
Janida |
|
Williams |
3 |
|
80 |
Dan |
|
Kennedy |
13 |
|
165 |
Michael |
|
Williams |
3 |
|
81 |
VP Nigel |
|
Keogh |
12 |
|
166 |
Bernard |
|
Wilson |
10 |
|
82 |
Wendy |
|
Keogh |
12 |
|
167 |
Natalie |
|
Wright |
1 |
|
83 |
Andrew |
|
Kingsmell |
8 |
|
168 |
VP Ian |
|
Young |
P |
|
84 |
Zoe |
|
Kingsmell |
8 |
|
169 |
|
|
|
11 |
|
85 |
Stephen |
|
Langdon |
4 |
|
170 |
|
|
|
P |
