HMS
Ambuscade Association Newsletter
October 2003 Reunion 03 Issue
Notes
from the Chair's Chair
So,
we return to our 'normal' lives after the 2003 reunion. Firstly, can
I thank the many that have sent e-mails thanking the Committee for the
weekend.
The
Friday night was the usual success and may prove to be norm for all
future reunions. There were several incidents on the Friday of which
I will not name here (but will if I do not receive a sizeable donation
to the Sea cadets!).
The Saturday meeting was a great success. We elected a new Committee
of 8 who intend to meet in Jan 04 to build on the agreed framework for
the Birthday Extravaganza in 2005.
The
Saturday evening bash was good considering the small number that attended..
There were several lessons to be learnt from this event. The Committee
procedure needs to be altered so that we book the function hall upon
confirmation of numbers attending, the members need to commit earlier
to enable the Committee to make this decision. At the Sat' meeting it
was suggested that maybe members could commit a deposit (say £10/£15)
to the 2005 function. This, I think is very good idea on several grounds;
1.
It gives the Committee a clearer idea of who is making an effort to
attend
2. It puts funds in the bank that the Committee can use for any items
that need to be pre-booked
3. The Committee can give an earlier/firmer indication of the reunion
events
Despite
the size of the hall I standby every decision taken by the Committee
and I strongly believe we made the right decisions on the information
available.
The
new Committee has their hands full in the organising of the 2005 bash.
At the Sat' meeting we agreed that;
" we should return to Crewe
" the date to be mid June
" Friday night at Royal Hotel
" Saturday night at the Crewe Football Club
This
is a good and well tested format (see 2002's foggy notes!). It is a
strong framework to build on but the old contacts need to be re-enlivened
and ties re-established.
The
2005 reunion/birthday party promises to be a great event in a town we
know welcomes us with open arms. Can I please request that everyone
aids the Committee in the next 21 months to help guarantee this.
Buck
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
A
big chuck up to the old Committee for all their help in organising the
2003 reunion. It was often a hard and difficult process but I know I
speak on behalf of the whole membership when I say we are very grateful
for your perseverance in arranging it
..
Thank you
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Members
News
We
are losing two of our greatest supporters. Doc and his gorgeous young
lady, Paula, are off to the sunny climes of Spain. They have their camper
van, sombrero's and factor 20 and are ready to roll into the setting
sun over Plymouth Sound.
Can I, on behalf of us all, wish Paula and Brian all the very best for
their future and may we see them on El-Good Life !
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Great
News
We now have a web site. This is a great leap forward for the Association.
Thanks to Steve Griffin for all his hard work in setting this up.
You
can access this site via http://www.ambuscade.org
The
site is still not complete but we will be using this site to ensure
you have up-to-the-minute info on how things are going. Please e-mail
Steve with the date
you joined and left HMS Ambuscade and your rank at the time.
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Can
I please make a request for all members to up-date the Committee on
your contact details including 'phone, postal and e-mail address. This
will help us keep you informed of all the latest developments. Form
on web site.
Membership
Fees
To
enable the Association to provide a full and effective service it needs
money. This money comes from us all to ensure the smooth running as
we go into 2004.
The fees have been held at £5:00 pa and are now due for 2003/4.
If you attended the Reunion on 19-20 September then you have already
paid your membership fees. If not, could you please forward your remittance
as soon as possible to Richie to the above address.
Thank you.
************************************
Terry
Coupe very kindly offered to take the Photo's for the newsletter over
the Reunion weekend. He took loads on Friday night as I am sure you
are all aware. Anyone who has seen where Terry left his expensive camera
at the end of Friday night please contact him. Don't
send an e-mail/text as he went on to lose his reading glasses on Saturday!!
Bless him.
Advertisement
There
is a member by the name of Nigel (Jock) Anderson who was an AB onboard
77-80. He is now living in Wellingborough doing
'Chippy-ing'. As a side-line he is doing engraving of glass. He has
offered to engrave glasses/tankards/decanters and the like for all Ambuscader's
at cost (excluding post, packing and insurance). His handy-work was
on display at the reunion however, if you missed it, he can give you
a full briefing by phone/e-mail
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If you wish to use this periodical to advertise your services please
do not hesitate to put your details forward. They will be included in
the next issue.
Finally
.
Big
thanks to Jan Toye for doing the Newsletters in 2002/3.
Having just spent many hours doing this one I appreciate the hard work
you put in.
Ray Taylor
What we do now
Most of us are now doing work totally removed from our jobs on board
the Ambers'.
Can I request that you knock up a small dit entitled
"A day in the life of
.."
We
are interested
.honest !
HMS
AMBUSCADE ASSOCIATION GENERAL MEETING
SAT
20TH SEPTEMBER @ 1200 - NEW CONTINENTAL HOTEL, PLYMOUTH
Members
Present:
Ray
Taylor Mark Brocklehurst Steve Griffin
Peter Mosse Mitch Gardner Taff Griffiths
Brian (Doc) Findlay Kev Meadows Bill Bailey
Richie Killick Paul Coussens George Thoburn
Phil Hudson Nige Loar Pete Snowball
Terry Coupe Chopper Chope Phil Henry
Frank Parker Brian Burrows Lee Symms
Brian Perks Nobby Halls Mike Woodland
Apologies
Mick
Jones, Mick Openshaw
1.
The Chairman opened the meeting at 1200 and thanked all members for
attending.
Chairman's
Review
2.
The Chairman then went on the give a review of the first year of the
HMS AMBUSCADE Association. The Association was formed following the
Falklands Reunion last year in Crewe. The enthusiasm shown for it by
all those who had attended the memorable Crewe bash had unfortunately
not come to fruition. However, to date over 60 people had joined the
Association, which was a big step in the right direction.
3.
The intention was to try and recruit as many new members as possible,
spanning from her laying down in1974 until her sale to the Pakistani
Navy in 1993. Some 1200 or more ex-Ambuscader's have yet to be found.
It had been a difficult year for the Committee, with work commitments,
although it had not been helped by the less than enthusiastic response
of many people. However, that was in the past and the Association must
now look to the future.
4.
On a more positive note the Chairman informed the members that a total
of £200 had been collected in Crewe and had been passed to TS
AMBUSCADE. A further £200 was raised this year, a magnificent
achievement.
5.
It was not planned to hold any formal event in 2004. However, this did
not stop members getting together on an informal basis. The next planned
full Reunion of the Association was programmed for 2005.
6.
Finally, the chairman thanked all members for the excellent evening
in the St Levan Inn the night before and judging by some of the faces
it was obvious that most had had a good night.
Treasurer's
Report
7.
The Treasurer gave the meeting a financial breakdown covering the period
31 Jan 02 up until the 12 Sep 03. In summary the Association was on
sound financial footing with a credit balance of approximately £500+.
A copy of this statement is attached to these minutes.
Matters
Arising
8.
The Way Forward. If the Association is to grow, a greater effort will
be required by all members to try and establish links with 'old shipmates'.
To date over 100 people had been contacted with over 60 joining over
the last 15 months. Membership numbers for the year ending 31 Aug 04
currently totalled 36.
9.
Affiliations. It was agreed that it would be important to maintain our
links with Crewe and in particular TS AMBUSCADE, the Mayor, Council
and the Cheshire Regiment. The Chairman said he would be writing to
TS Ambuscade to up-date them and send the proceeds of the raffle. Peter
Mosse informed the meeting that he would be writing separately to the
other ship's affiliations informing them of the progress of the Association
and of our hope to return to Crewe in 2005.
10.
Reunion 2005. Following minimal discussion, it was unanimously agreed
that the next reunion would be held in Crewe in 2005. A provisional
date of a Fri and Sat in Jun was set. The format to be similar to that
of last year. It was suggested that members might be asked for a deposit
for this event, say £10/£15. This could be a good idea on
several grounds although there might be disadvantages. It would give
the Committee an earlier, clearer idea of likely attendance, it would
help to fund early expenses like pre-booking and it would give the Committee
more confidence organising reunion events. On the other hand it could
lead to accounting difficulties including potential refunds and create
a misleading picture. The Committee will consider the idea in more depth
at the next meeting. Care would need to be taken that this did not clash
with any events planned for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.
11. Website. The setting up on an HMS AMBUSCADE Website was discussed.
It was decided that it could prove to be a valuable asset for the Association.
The possible advantages were many but it would primarily be utilised
to attract new members and also a way of publishing Newsletters, memorabilia
and photographs. Mark Brocklehurst and Steve Griffin agreed to take
this on and hoped to get something up and running by the end of the
year. Steve did inform the meeting that there would be some cost in
setting it up.
Election
of New Committee
12.
The Chairman informed the floor that he would be stepping down as Chairman
after the next committee meeting. It would be the intention to vote
in a new Chairman when the new committee next met, as there were no
prospective candidates nominated. Lee Symms on behalf of the members
assembled thanked the chairman and committee for their work over the
year, and wished both the Chairman and Doc Findlay and their wives every
success on their new ventures overseas.
13.
The following people volunteered and were duly elected to the committee:
Richie Killick (to remain as Treasurer)
Peter Mosse
Frank Parker
Mark Brocklehurst
Paul Coussens
Mike Woodland
Bryan Perks
Pete Snowball
Phil Henry (willing late volunteer)
Steve
Griffin (Volunteered by Brock to be webbuilder)
Any
Other Business
14.
Contact Lists. The Treasurer agreed to update the contact list and pass
it to committee members. The regulations of the Data Protection Act,
prevented addresses/E-mail addresses and telephones numbers being passed
to Association members without the permission of the individual. All
new contact details should be passed to the Treasurer to update the
Master List.
15.
Newsletter. Since 2000 we have built up a database of members of the
Ships Company, mostly around 80-83 although, overall, we now have members
spanning all of Ambuscades life. Most of these contacts have joined
or, in a very few cases, declined to be involved. This is OK because
we know where we are with these guys. There are others that are, what
I call "sleeping members" -i.e. they receive all the literature
and the occasional telephone call but have not yet committed to the
Association. This takes a lot of effort for a limited return and the
Committee will be seeing how it can to focus its resources better to
serve the active members.
Next
Meeting
16.
It was decided that the new committee would meet in January 2004 in
Crewe, to kick off arrangements for the 2005 30th Anniversary Reunion.
17.
There being no further business the Chairman again thanked everyone
for their attendance and closed the meeting at 1325.
R
TAYLOR
Chairman
HMS AMBUSCADE Association