So, we finally reached the last meeting of the year with a turnout of 20 members all suitably festively attired. Presents abounded in anticipation of Secret Santa presentations. By way of a last weather note; it wasn’t light, it wasn’t wet. There was no snow and everyone was far more cheerful than should have been expected from a typical December day but as EBFers, we are nothing if not cheerful.
The Performance League
With only two weeks of meetings in this month the league is perhaps something of a sideshow but it is worth recording that Matt Barry maintains his dominance of the field following his comprehensive win in November. He leads Stuart Smallcombe and we will learn the eventual outcome in the first meeting of the New Year.
Education Presentation
Ben Golding took charge of the final educational offering with tips as to how to survive Christmas which seemed to amount to pleasing yourself, consuming copious amounts of alcohol and looking forward to the New Year. I found it hard to find fault with his approach This was the beginning of what in some respects became the Ben Golding show, of which more later.
New Member Induction & Existing Member Renewal
Terry Maylin has been positively loquacious in the last two weeks as he was able to announce a further renewal for Toby Acton with another in the pipeline which will be there for us to celebrate on our return in the New Year.
The 60 Second Round
This week I suppose it was inevitable that this round was not the fertile a source of comment it usually is. Members were largely content to thank each other for referrals past and passed and the delivery of Christmas greetings for Christmas present.
Brian Painter was the adjudicator of the Oscar and was the author of the most entertaining contribution. When he asked his lady client how many cigarettes she smoked she responded that she did not like spiders. It wasn’t fags but phobias that was her problem. Nobody ‘s perfect!
Neil Bellham arrived just before the meeting having just completed a long shift and brought butter chicken and rice for those of us who got our orders in with him quickly. He had apparently being feeding participants on a Netflix shoot which included no lesser luminary than Keira Knightley.
Most of us were looking forward to the New Year in our presentations other than perhaps Nick Cooke, whose recent absences, made him feel the necessity of reminding us of who he is and what he does. I will not bore you with very much more detail of other contributions other than to say that Ben Golding had a rousing poem that in normal circumstances would have won him the Oscar but Jane Malyon stole the show by trying to give jar of jam as a Christmas gift to every member within 60 seconds. She was successful as to the former but not as to the latter. Jane is therefore the last Oscar winner of the year and I’m sure we will all enjoy her jam.
End of the year quiz
Terry Maylin had gone to the trouble of reviewing this year’s bio sheets as read out on the video that accompanies this blog and had come up with a series of questions for us all to answer about what various members have done in earlier lives. He deserves a prize for this feat of endurance which perhaps was rewarded by the enthusiasm with which we all grappled with the questions posed. There were prizes, perhaps appropriately won by the collector of the groups data, Scott Griffiths.
Once this part of the meeting was finished and the prizes doled out, the gifts were doled out in the Secret Santa section. All of this was presided over by our MC Ben Golding who did an excellent job although he did demonstrate a total lack of knowledge as to who or what Securicor was.
He even did the running in the Referrals and Testimonials round which was over and above the call of duty. Well done Ben, you can go and have a lie down in a darkened room with a wet flannel over your face.
As this is the last blog of the year I can do no more than thank for your patience and attention to detail those of you who read the blog and made your comments
Well done everyone on a good turnout for a final meeting this year
Congratulations to the prize winners
Have a great Christmas and New Year
Sounds like a great meeting. Sorry that I missed it. Have a great Christmas everyone and I will see you in the new year
Great way to end the year, see you all in 2024!
Was such a fun, festive meeting!! What a way to end the year!!
I wish you all a very merry Christmas and here’s to a very happy, healthy and successful 2024!! 🥳🎉🎄🎅🏼🩷
( don’t forget to try fish fingers and custard over the holidays ha ha )
Marvellous stuff and well written Aidan! The buzz and laughter in the room was a Christmas tonic in itself and I’ll miss you all until the next time!
I had a lovely time. Thank you for the jam Janey and my Secret Santa present which was significantly underwhelming (you know who you are and so do I !)