Working from Prue Rushman’s fulsome minutes of our meeting on the 1st March, 2004, we can see that the Charter Night was a great event!
A variety of gifts received from visiting Lions who attended the party, including block and gavel, President’s Jewel, Welcome Banner, Lion Mascot, pennants, and a Visitor’s Book with engraved title, ensured that we felt well welcomed into the Lions Clubs International federation.
But the group photo wasn’t deemed appropriate to publish in the Hexham Courant, so apparently our local paper ran one of the head table, apparently including Prue herself! We shall have to find that piece too, somehow, if we’re to do our historical sleuthing appropriately (the online Hexham Courant archive doesn’t want to play ball, so that will probably mean a trip to the microfiche store in the library at the Queen’s Hall, if it still exists). That reminds me: somebody must have that group photo, somewhere, so that we can include it in this entry. I’m wondering if someone still has the scrapbook that Steph Jamieson had started many years ago, which must include a hard copy image of the beginnings of the club.
However, and here I must admit to a significant lapse of memory, it seems that one Larry Winger took a video of the entire evening’s proceedings, and later transposed it to DVD for circulation among the members. How fascinating! I wonder if possibly I might be able to discover the videotape, or even the compiled DVD, somewhere in the loft, or in one of the cupboards where these things often languish. I shall try my best, including an interrogation of any of the numerous hard drives mouldering in the porch office, but I can’t guarantee anything. Somebody may, however, have that DVD in their collection, who knows?
Beyond the photographs and the missing video record, I suspect that nobody has much of a memory left of the Charter Night festivities. It was that long ago, wasn’t it? I’m sure I don’t remember a thing, since I hadn’t even remembered I created a video of the proceedings until I read about it in the minutes — thanks Prue!
All comments, fading memories, thoughts and reflections, welcome below the line!
