1818 Society UK Chapter

Winter Reunion 2006

Fifty-six members gathered at the Army and Navy Club on Saturday 25 th November 2006 for a buffet lunch. Howard Lowe of The Fry Group gave a short talk on taxation matters for those with non-UK benefits.

Spring Reunion and Eighteenth Annual Meeting 2006

Canterbury in the Garden of England hosted 78 members including several from the USA, Europe and Africa from Friday, 19 th to Sunday, 21 st May 2006. Canterbury is visited by more tourists (per capita of its own population) than any other European city except Venice and we were to experience that as we tried to hear our city guide amidst the hubbub of groups of young visitors in the city centre. Its magnificent cathedral dominates the city and we were to learn more about this centre for Christianity in England as we toured the cathedral by candlelight after dinner on Saturday.

Activities were a city walk on Friday afternoon, a tour by punt on the River Stour on Saturday morning and an afternoon coach trip to Walmer Castle, the official residence of the Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports. Saturday evening dinner was at the International Studies Centre (ISC) in the cathedral precincts after which Canon Claire Edwards took us on a fascinating tour of the cathedral after we had all lit our individual candles in the nave. The Eighteenth Annual Meeting on Sunday morning was followed by presentations by Stephen Eccles on Financing Our Pensions, Stephen Carr on his work with smallholder farmers in Malawi, Dieter von Samson on the activities of the German Chapter and finally, Robert-Jan van der Lugt on the programme of the Dutch Chapter. We concluded our Reunion with lunch.