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CLUB
DAY MORNING
This year’s proceedings were shortened, with the usual
afternoon of sports having to be cancelled as a result of foot
and mouth disease. The day started with the Fancy Dress and
parade from the Old Vicarage to the Westbury Inn, to the music
of Wells City Band.
The parade was followed by the
traditional roll call and award of the fancy dress prizes at the
Westbury Inn, followed by the Church service led by Alistair
Glanvile, and lunch in the Village Hall.
CLUB DAY LUNCH
Throughout lunch, the chairman sat next to an empty seat, as
guest speaker Bill Parkin had not arrived. Increasingly frantic
mobile phone calls failed to obtain any news of his whereabouts,
and the chairman eventually had to begin his speech by
explaining that it was beginning to look as though there would
be no speaker this year. After a few minutes, he was interrupted
by a clattering at the door, followed by the entry of a heavily
bearded figure wearing shorts, a hat with a bird flapping its
wings perched on it, and a musical ruck-sack playing The
Happy Wanderer.
On arrival at top table, he stripped off his beard, and a
loud cheer went up as everyone realised that ‘Bill Parkin’
was none other than Westbury’s own master cabaret artiste
Malcolm Harding. He went on to entertain the audience with tales
of his travels from t’north, and an array of hats, each
individually tailored to suit particular members of the
audience. The chairman was greatly relieved that months of being
economical with the truth about the identity of this year’s
speaker, and the months of preparation by ‘Bill Parkin’ were
rewarded with a performance that many considered to be the best
Club Day speech ever. So a very big thank you to Malcolm
Harding, and to ‘Mrs Parkin’ for putting up with his getting
up in the middle of the night with new ideas for yet another hat
design.
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