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BasingstokeBranch (406)
Recent Branch activities
Visits and functions
Branch Christmas Ball This eventtook place on Friday 2nd December atthe Red Lion Hotel. It was the first timethat we have organised a BranchChristmas Dinner and because of thepositive feedback, it has already beenincorporated into the 2017 SocialCalendar. Thirty one Branch membersparticipated and there were 22 peoplefrom other organisations. It was an
enjoyable occasion with a Christmastheme and dancing; unlike thememorable Summer Ball, the lights andthe kitchen stoves stayed on. Of coursethe menu included turkey andChristmas pudding. The raffle made£125.The highlight of the evening was aspecial presentation to MauriceBastable for his outstanding support toour Wings Appeal collections eventhough he is not a member of the RAFA.The picture below shows Chairman Pippresenting a certificate to Maurice.
Newsletter April 2017
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Christmas Drinks For the first time,owing to the closure of the Ex ServicesClub, our annual Christmas drinksevening on Wednesday 14thDecember was held in the Red LionHotel. In the past we have taken ourown food, but the Red Lion provided atasty finger buffet for a small chargeand the evening was judged a greatsuccess. The raffle made £84.
RAFA/ATC Carol Service Ourannual candle-lit carol service tookplace on Thursday 15th December atSt Gabriel’s Church in Popley presidedover by our Branch Chaplain, RevArthur Botham. The carols and tunes(and readings) hardly change and soone of the pleasures is being remindedof Christmases when we were verymuch younger. This is a joint eventwith 443 Sqn ATC Cadets and it iswonderful that the “old” and the “new”combine together on this happyoccasion.
Christmas Lunch The 3rd Mondayof December, the 19th, was theoccasion of our 2016 Christmas lunchat the Beach Arms. For this meal, themenu has 3 courses although thecarvery is still a popular choice for themain course. The Beach Arms knowus well now and thanks to ourorganiser, Vikki, reserved tables wereready for us at 12 noon. Over 30members and friends enjoyed thisinformal Christmas meal. Thanks toVikki for organising the event, indeedVikki organises all the Beach Armslunches throughout the year.
Age ConcernI make no apology for repeating thisAge Concern section; it really doesoffer a wide range of valuable servicesto older members and friends (Editor).
Age Concern’s Hampshire web site forBasingstoke services is:
http://www.ageconcernhampshire.org.uk/our-services/basingstoke-wellbeing.html and is well worth alook. Age Concern Hampshire hasseven activity centres for older peoplein various parts of the Basingstoke &Deane area which are great places tomeet new people, take part in weeklyactivities such as quizzes, bingo, chairexercises, New Age Kurling and otheractivities or simply just to share a cupof tea with friends and chat. There isa wealth of help. Advice andinformation available.
Age Concern Hampshire’s CommunityCafé is open every Wednesday from10.30am to 1pm at Church Cottagebehind St Michael’s Church inBasingstoke. Last food order is12.30pm. (The church is opposite theslope beside Marks & Spencer).Please note that there is no parking onthe site but plenty available nearby.For more information on all the abovecall 01256 423874, or email [email protected]
New Members RAFA HQ hasrecently updated our Branchmembership records. According to thenew list, as of January 2017, we now
Recent events continued
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have 198 members. However, aDecember 2016 End-of-Year updateof new members listed 35 newmembers. We think this includesformer “floating” members that havenow been allocated to our Branch. Sowe may never see them all, but we willinclude their email addresses in ourlist and post News Letters to thosewithout email (if they are in the UK),i.e. we will treat everyone as fullmembers and we welcome them all.
Interesting Snippets fromrecent meetings
December meeting - 1. A superbpresentation on his recent tour in theFalklands was given by Flt Lt SimonArnett. It showed both operational andpersonal aspects of life there includingthe adverse weather conditions andthe terrain. It was well received bythose members present. 2. Ilene gaveher report on a Hampshire Regionmeeting held on 19th November.There were 5 Officers, 5 Delegatesand 7 visitors present. Area isorganising a ceremony atRunneymede Memorial on 17th June2018 to commemorate RAF100. TheRegion also plans to hold something,possibly at Southwick Park, but nodetails have been finalised yet. (Postmeeting note - Southwick Park is notavailable for this.) 3. Sainsbury atTadley has offered us a day for WingsAppeal collecting on Saturday 10thDecember (they did not offer usanything during September).January meeting - 1. The AreaConference will be held at Potter’s
Resort, Norfolk from 17th to 19thMarch. The total cost for the weekendis £170 per person. 2. The AnnualConference is at Yarnfield ParkTraining & Conference Centre,Staffordshire from 12th to 14th May.Cost is £55 per night for a single roomor £75 for double or twin. 3. RAFALO’sreport - Paul said planning for thebranch visit to RAF Odiham onThursday 23rd March is comingtogether. A RAF coach will collect usat Alencon Link (between FestivalPlace and the Railway Station) at9.0am returning sometime in theafternoon. It is hoped to visit Air TrafficControl, the Fire Section, the GlidingClub, Safety Equipment Section andone of the hangers. 4. John (Thornton)said that we hear so much these daysthat the Armed Forces personnel arenot looked after very well, but he couldreport a very different side. John’s sonwas on detachment in the Falklandsrecently when his mother died. TheRAF laid on an aircraft to fly him toBrazil where a BA aircraft was held upto wait for him and he arrived back inthe UK the next morning.February meeting - 1. Annual Dinner- The menu was circulated. The costis £21 per person. It was proposed byMaureen, seconded by Jim andcarried that the cost for branchmembers is subsidised by £3 from theSocial Fund. 2. Wings Appeal. Twodates for this year’s collection havealready been agreed: ChinehamShopping Centre 21st to 26th August,and - Sainsbury Hatch Warren 9 t hSeptember. Owing to adjustmentsmade at CHQ as a result of a donationof £512:50 from RAF Odiham and a
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street collection in Reading of £243:03our final total for 2016 is £6,548:26. 3.Steve Oakley thanked those who haddonated calculators. They have nowbeen delivered to the school on Gan.He then reported that to commemoratethe 100th Anniversary of the RAF nextyear, the Gan Veteran’s Associationwill be holding a reunion on Gan.Contact Steve for more details.March meeting - 1. Our AreaDirector, Ken Clarke, is retiring at theend of March. Branches have beenasked to donate towards a farewellpresent which will be presented atArea Conference. It was proposed byBrendan, seconded by Lynn andcarried that we donate £25 from theGeneral Fund. 2. Donations weremade by Hampshire Region asfollows: £100 to Worthies Sports &Social Club; £80 to the Friends ofSussexdown; £250 to the WelfareHoliday Home; £100 to the NotForgotten Association. 3. A newTrophy will be presented at AreaConference called the Presidents Cup.It will be awarded to an individual orbranch who is seen to have givenoutstanding service to the Association.4. ATC Report - Graeme Lee gave thereport: Flt Lt Rob Phillips has nowreturned to the Squadron and hasonce more taken over the role of CO.There are currently 32 cadets on thebooks. 5. Lynn said she was avolunteer with the Bomber CommandMemorial in Lincoln and she has beentasked with carrying out interviews withthose who experienced life during the2nd World War, not only servingpersonnel but also civilians. She is
also looking for photographs andmemorabilia of any relevant war-timeactivities. Please contact Lynn if youcan help.
South East & Eastern Area -February Newsletter (Extracts)
1. Membership Renewal - Branchesand members are reminded thatmembership renewals were due on 1January. With the new system inplace, if any member has not yetrenewed, their membership lapsed on31st January 2017 and should berenewed as soon as possible.Membership renewal can be done viapost, by phone (0116 268 8789) oronline via the Association's website. Ifyou haven't already done so, why notarrange to renew your membership viaDirect Debit.
2. Membership Subscriptions2017/2018 (Prices held from
2015/2016)
Ordinary Member - 1 Year £20.50Ordinary Member - 4 Year £78.00(Existing 4 Year members only)Associate Member - 1 Year - Air Mail£14.50Associate Member - 1 Year - No AirMail£8.50Associate Member - 4 Year -- Air Mail£55.50 (Existing 4 Year members only)Associate Member - 4 Year - No AirMail£30.50 (Existing 4 Year membersonly)Give As You Earn (GAYE) ServingRAF :(Gross payment before basic tax relief)£25.68
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(Net payment after basic tax relief)£20.52
Following the decisions of AnnualConference 2016, from 1 January 2017a number of changes will occur to themembership criteria.Cessation of MembershipThe grace period for the lapsing of amembership has changed from 90 daysto 30 days. Membership will cease if arenewal subscription is not paid within30 days of the end of the membershipperiod. For all members to date, the endof the 30 day period is 30 January 2017.if a member renews after that time, theirmembership will run to the end of the2017 calendar year, even if they renewin December 2017. If a member doesnot renew until 2018, they will transferfrom calendar membership toanniversary membership (see below).They will retain their originalmembership number.Anniversary Memberships -Anniversary Memberships will apply toall new members who join theAssociation from 1 January 2017. Forexample, if a member joins the RAFAssociation on 31 August 17, theirmembership will be valid until 30 August18.Royal Air Force CentenaryCelebrations - RAF100On 1 April 2018 the RAF will mark thecentenary of its formation as the world'sfirst independent air force. This will bean important opportunity for those in theRAF and the RAF family tocommemorate their past, celebrate theirsuccess and also inspire the public as
to their contribution to the UK's nationalsecurity and prosperity.The RAF 100 programme of events willstart in October 2017 and end inSeptember 2018 and a number offlagship events will take place acrossthe UK between March and September2018 including a service in WestminsterAbbey and a parade along the Mall,followed by a Royal Salute and flypast.The four main RAF charities (RAFAssociation, RAF Benevolent Fund,RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises andRAF Museum) have taken theunprecedented step of creating a jointventure charitable company, the RAF100 Appeal Ltd. Its purpose is to delivera coherent and collaborative campaignraising both income and profile. Pip hasspoken to the Mayor's Office who arein favour of holding a ceremony similarto the 75th Anniversary of the B of B,possibly in April 2018. The date will bedependent on what is happeningnationally.More information about RAF 100 canbe found here: www.raf.mod.uk/raf100.There is also an opportunity to putforward any ideas that will helpCOMMEMORATE the achievements ofthe RAF and all who served,CELEBRATE the RAF of today, orINSPIRE people in your localcommunity and beyond:www.raf.mod.uk/raf100/vour-ideas
ObituariesIt is with great sadness that we haveto report the deaths of Erwin Loskaon 22 Sep and Derek Brownetton 5th Feb. Pip attended Derek’sfuneral with the Branch Standard.
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Members & guests enjoying the Christmas Ball
Ilene and Maurice collecting in Festival Place
Area Conference - lunchtime with the RAF Wyton Band
Pictures of recent visits and events
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Members & guests enjoying the Christmas Ball
Area Conference - Standard Bearers at Church Parade
Pictures of recent visits and events
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Branch Standard ParadedSince the last Newsletter the BranchStandard has been paraded by Pip at2 funerals including Derek Brownett on17 Feb,
Birthdays & AnniversariesOur congratulations go to the followingon their birthdays since the last NewsLetter:Sheila Willett in Jan, Ilene Iles in Feb,Sue Smith’s birthday was in February,Bill Hauxwell on 7 Dec 2016, Jim Joycewas 85 on 14th Dec, Derek Ager was86 on 19th Feb, Charles Lewis was 65on 4th March, Bob Shepherd was 80on 21st March and Doug Bennison was83 on 20th March.We also congratulate Bill and JanetHauxwell on their Silver weddinganniversary in Dec 2016 and Alan andMargaret Turvey who celebrated their63rd Wedding Anniversary in Feb 2017.
We do not keep formal records of members’ dates of birthand so we apologise if we have missed anyone.
Future EventsVisit to RAF Odiham This visitorganised for us by RAFALO PaulDavies took place on Thursday 23rdMarch. Unfortunately, this was too latefor the Newsletter; it will be covered inthe next edition. However, we aregrateful to Paul and the Stn Cdr formaking the visit possible.Hampshire Region Spring SocialThis annual event for the Branches inHampshire will take place onWednesday 19th April starting at 1230
pm. The venue is, as usual, theWorthies Sports and Social Club atKings Worthy nr Winchester. A hotmeal of fish & chips or sausages willbe available at a cost of £5.
Annual Dinner This year’s AnnualDinner takes place on Friday 5th Mayat the Red Lion. The price for membersis £18, the event starts at 7 for 7.30 pm.Please give your name and menuchoices to Pip if you would like to go.
Hampshire Region Garden PartyThis annual event for the Branches inHampshire will take place on Saturday1st July starting at 12 noon. It is a bringyour own picnic event.
TAG Tour of Farnborough AirportWe have booked a guided tour ofFarnborough Airport (formerly the RAEand DRA) on Tuesday 18th July 2017.This will take place in the morning, sowe could plan to take lunch at theMonkey Puzzle afterwards. This is avery popular tour of the T.A.G.Operated airfield with a waiting list of9 months! More details later.
Runnymede Memorial We areplanning a visit to the RAF Memorial atRunnymede. Details later.
Branch BBQ Our annual BranchBBQ will take place in Vikki & John’sgarden on Saturday 29th July startingat noon. An event not to be missed anda big thank you to Vikki and John forputting up with this annual intrusion.
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Solent Aviation Museum We areplanning a visit to this interestingaviation-themed museum inSouthampton; details later.
Summer Ball Our Annual SummerBall will take place on Friday 18thAugust at the Red Lion, Details later.
RAF Odiham Families Day This isplanned for Thursday 24th August.Details later.
Annual Battle of Britain ServiceOur annual commemoration serviceat St Gabriel’s Church with the cadetsof 443 Sqn is planned for Sunday 17thSeptember.
RAF Central Band Concert Thisannual event will take place inOctober at The Anvil. Details later.
Christmas events - The dates of ourChristmas events are:Christmas Ball - Friday 1stDecember, Christmas Drinks -Wednesday 13th December, CarolService - Thursday 14th December,Christmas Lunch - Monday 18thDecember.
Late news from the AreaConference
The Branch was represented at thisyear’s Area Conference by yourChairman, Pip, and Ilene and yourPresident, Bryan. The conferencewas held at Potters Resort locatednear Lowestoft over the weekend 17th
to 19th March. The formal business of
the conference took place onSaturday where the mainpresentation was by the newChairman of the Central Council, AirVice-Marshal John Cliffe. He gave arealistic and objective view of thestatus of the Association with theconclusion that if things didn’tchange, the Association would witherand die. However, things havechanged and are changing so that25% of the current members havejoined in the last 3 years andmembership numbers are now rising.He explained the initiatives that havebeen put in place and debunked anumber of widespread myths such asthe complete waste of money spenton a new headquarters building (infact this has made us money), thehuge permanent staff numbers atheadquarters (in fact over 80% of thepermanent staff are out in the fieldundertaking welfare, case work andraising funds). His presentation wasstimulating and there was a plea fora DVD of it to made available tobranches (this is being done). OnSunday we were treated to anotherexcellent (albeit 2 hours long)presentation by Rachel Huxford, Dirof Fund Raising and Marketing at HQ.This, too, explained the initiatives inplace to raise the public awarenessof the Association (we are 3rd, behindRBL and Help for Heroes) and forimproving our fund raising. Theconference concluded with a ChurchParade - see photo of our StandardBearer, Pip, marching on. Next year’sArea Conference will be in theMarriott Hotel, Peterborough.
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Have you heard these?
Why are robots never afraid? – Because they have nerves of steel.
“I play all my Country and Western music backwards – your lover returns,your dog comes back and you cease to be an alcoholic.”
“I love flying. I’ve been to almost as many places as my luggage.” - Bob Hope
“We had gay burglars last night. They broke in and rearranged the furniture.”- Robin Williams
“I tell you what makes my blood boil – crematoriums. - Tim Vine
What do you call someone who hangs around with musicians? A drummer.
There was a fire at the main Inland Revenue office in London today, but itwas put out before any serious good was done. - Ronnie Corbett
“I call my lawyer and say, ‘Can I ask you two questions?’ He says, ‘What’sthe second question?’”
“I asked my date what she wanted to drink. She said, ‘Oh, I guess I’ll haveChampagne.’ I said, ‘Guess again.’”
I phoned the local ramblers club today, and this bloke just went on and on.“I took the wife’s family out for tea biscuits. They weren’t too happy abouthaving to give blood though.” - Les Dawson
“I’ve just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. I’ll tell you what, never again.”- Tim Vine
“My grandfather started walking five miles a day when he was sixty. Now he’seighty-five and we don’t know where he is.” - Ellen DeGeneres
Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn'tmuch, but the reception was brilliant.
So I rang up a local building firm, I said 'I want a skip outside my house.' Hesaid 'I'm not stopping you.'
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The next edition is planned for August 2017 Please let me have any contributions byearly mid July. Thanks. Bryan Jenkins (Editor)
Phone 01256 881938 Email [email protected]
We have a new Branch web site!www.rafa.org.uk/basingstoke
A man goes to the doctor and says: 'Doctor, there's a piece of lettuce stickingout of my bottom.' The doctor asks him to drop his trousers and examines him.The man asks: 'Is it serious, doctor?' and the doctor replies: 'I'm sorry to tellyou, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.'
A group of chess enthusiasts were kicked out of a hotel reception for discussingtheir winning games. The manager can't stand chess nuts boasting in an openfoyer.
Did you hear about the man in Paris who almost got away with stealing severalpaintings from the Louvre?.... After planning the crime, getting in and outthrough all the security at the Louvre, he was caught only a mile away whenhis van ran out of petrol.... When asked how he could mastermind such aspectacular crime and then make such an obvious error, he replied: “Monsieur,I had no Monet to buy Degas to make the Van Gogh.”
Q: What's the difference between a 16'' pizza and a jazz musician?A: A 16" pizza can feed a family of four.
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