50th Anniversary Awards Night
After a year of planning the final Fifty@50 event had arrived, our 50th Anniversary Awards Night meal.
Lisa, our membership secretary, had worked hard to get the venue set up arranged the caterers and decoration for the night. The DJ and magician had arrived, the awards, certificates and raffle prizes were in place, the bar was open and the video set up, all we needed were the guests.
AT 6:30 they began trickling in, heading straight to the bar and then into the main room, drink in hand, to have a look at the selection of photos around the walls (organised into 10 year groups by Neil Smithan).
At 7 the guests of honour (our founder members arrived). Al had brought the Ensign donated to the group by the Royal Navy divers when carrying out a survey of the Royal Oak in 1979.
The evening started with the usual greetings and introductions, it was followed by AL giving us a summary of what the Ensign meant to the club. Finally, before the meal began, Richard Scarsbrook’s celebration video was played (see below).
Once the email had finished it was time for the Awards to be presented.
Diver grade certificates were presented by our DO, Alf Draper
Ocean Divers
Lisa Kean, Joe Willis, Igor Michalek, Jon Watt, Ben Flanagan, Greta and Rich Gentry, and Richard Haigh.
Sports Diver
Lisa Kean, Joe Willis and Richard Haigh.
Dive Leader
Paul Moore
Advanced Diver
Debbie Collier
In addition the clubs trophies were awarded and a photo of our founder members around the royal ensign was taken.
Novice diver of the year – Jack Irlam
Divers diver of the year – Alf Draper
Diver of the year – Simon Read
Once all the formalities were over we moved onto the raffle, the whisky and washer game and dancing.
The evening concluded at midnight when time was called on the last five standing with the classic Midnight Train to Georgia.
The raffle and whisky competitions raised £144 which was donated to the ST Abbs Independent Lifeboat, based at one of our favourite dive sites.
