Event – 2000 Mile Dinner

Brian had this brilliant idea – he said “Why don’t we have a grand dinner to celebrate the fact that by the middle of March 2012 Kennet Valley hashers will have followed flour dots, arrows and On Inns for 2,000 miles”. Everybody agreed that a formal dinner would be great fun and 2,000 miles was as good an excuse as any for having one and so Mike volunteered to organise it.

Here then is a report on that memorable dinner.

On the evening of Saturday 17th March an unusually smart and glamorous group of hashers (no muddy running shoes tonight) gathered in the bar of the Horseshoe Inn at Mildenhall – 29 of us – dressed in dinner jackets and posh frocks and looking wonderful. The pub had been prepared beautifully for a formal dinner and the atmosphere was welcoming and jolly. Those who can say to their grandchildren – “I was there” – are: GOM Maurice and Fiona and Olly and Margaret and Jeremy and Brian and Mike and Annie and Nina and Rew and Sam and Vivien and John and Jack and Caroline and Kathy and Liz and Linda and Chris and Robin and Keith and Hilary and Terry and Rachel and Rita and Maggie and Delia and Georgie and Maggie – the heart of KVH3.

Dinner was announced and the ladies were escorted into the dining room where we sat where we liked – except for Grand Old Master Maurice and Mike who helpfully explained that they had to sit at the top end of each table because “they were in charge” – and the dinner began. The meal was excellent – three courses of well cooked pub grub washed down with, in your scribe’s case, a nice drop of rioja and the room was filled with animated conversation and laughter. At the end of the meal toastmaster Mike called “Pray silence for your Grand Old Master” and Maurice  rose solemnly to his feet to warm applause. He spoke of the fun and the adventures we had had as a hash over the past two years that he had been GOM and how much he had enjoyed them, but felt the time had come for him to hand over to a new GOM. After consultation with other members of the hash he had asked Brian if he would be our new leader and Brian had willingly accepted. After more applause Maurice read a short poem that he had written of all things about being left handed (brilliant! – but of course Maurice is a proper poet) followed by more applause. This set the scene for our cabaret – provided by our very own performers and musicians. The first act consisted of Brian who sang a humorous song about an Irishman having trouble with a rope and a bucket of bricks which caused great guffaws of laughter, and then Navy Mike recited a Stanley Holloway monologue, appropriately about Gunner Joe at the Battle of Trafalgar – “ Out through the porthole went Joseph wi’ a canon ball under each arm” sort of thing. Next came Kathy who recited a clever poem about someone facing becoming a pensioner – performed with enthusiasm and humour. Then Keith came on to sing and play the guitar and he did it superbly. I remember he played and sang ‘The Wild Rover’ which of course everybody knew and we all happily joined in. Finally, John had written a song about the hash and we all had to join in singing it. I must say the result was not terribly musical but it was terrific fun and the cabaret finished in noisy laughter and applause.

We then sat quietly and gossiped at the dinner table or wandered out into the bar for a pint and gradually people drifted off home. A memorable evening – Good idea Brian.