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REPORT
ON LONDON SPAGIES REUNION
London
2002 One of the best yet
The
2002 Spagies Reunion in London was held on Saturday 29th June at the
classy Chor Bizarre restaurant in fashionable Mayfair.
53 North Pointers and guests attended the event, which was
universally applauded as one of the best, not least because of the superb
Burra Khana.
Everyone
was welcomed at noon with a glass of wine, and at 12:30 the brilliant
young chef, Mandpreet Singh Ahuja, gave a talk and demonstration of his
art. The buffet lunch was a
tour de force, both in the range and quantity of the dishes, but
especially in the quality. The
restaurant itself provided an appropriately upmarket ambience, as befits a
gathering of venerable veterans from the School on the Hill.
At
the close of the meal there was the traditional recitation of nursery
rhymes in Hindi by Brian Edwards (NP 35-45), who was bravely
present despite an amputation above the knee. The mans resilience is astonishing, and once again he gave
a bravura performance.
Mike
Fereira (NP 46?-54) followed with a speech on behalf of Fr Van who
was unable to join us. Mike
said he had travelled from India specially for the event, and spoke about
developments in Darjeeling and North Point, urging us to contribute to the
rebuilding fund, as every pound sterling buys 68 rupees these days, and a
lot more in India than in the UK. He
is an example of a North Pointer who achieved fame (and a spot in the
Guinness Book of Records) after leaving Darjeeliing, as the highest
scoring billiards champion.
Two
contemporaries from the Fifties, Frank DSouza (NP 51-55) and
Phillip (Farid) Khan-Panni (NP 47-56), brought their daughters
along, to pass the baton to the next generation, so to speak.
Both Melanie and Zerina were fascinated by the tales of the
mountains and the congenial company of characters straddling several
generations of Spagies. Trevor
Swatman (NP 39-50) and his wife Noli travelled from Toronto, Canada,
for the reunion, and Patrick Saha (NP 47) flew over from the States
with his wife Ginger.
It
was noted, with sadness, that several North Pointers had recently gone to
the School in the Sky, notably Titmun Chun (NP39-48), Rex Fawkes (NP
39-47) and John Atkinson (NP 41-46).
The
event was organised by Phillip Khan-Panni, ably assisted by Robert Taylor
(NP 47-55), and raised £729 (49,572 rupees if my maths are right)
for the rebuilding programme. PKP
announced that Fr Van hopes to be in London towards the end of September,
and that he would organise a mini reunion then.
Anyone interested in attending should contact him on +44(0)20 8466
7026 or email him at: phillip@mainspeaker.com.
Those
who attended the reunion were:
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Phillip
Khan-Panni
Evelyn Ryan
Zerina Finch (Khan-Panni)
Derek Finch
Michael Brady
Louise Mutton
Peter Rosambeau
Mary Rosambeau
Gerry Taylor
Iqbal Faruque
Zahid Faruque
John Barrington
Errol Stagg
Patrick Saha
Ginger Saha
Bill Dyer
Michael Fereira
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Ian
Taylor
Trevor Swatman
Noli Swatman
Frank Ainslie
Keith Keymer
Shirley Keymer
Noel Cummins
Kathleen Cummins
Ian Bristow
Olga Bristow
Michael Ainslie
Marlene Ainslie
Brian Edwards
Iris Edwards
Alan Moss
Antoinette Moss
Frank DSouza
Melanie DSouza
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Robert
Leeming
Yvonne Newton (Leeming)
John King
Terence Sweeney
Robert Taylor
Rosemary Taylor
Lynda Wallace
Julian Lefevre
Brian Waynforth
Winston Pais
Merlyn Pais (Antao)
Tseten Samdup
Shankar Bose
Samar Bose
John Sullivan
(One latecomer + guest)
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Sursum
Corda.
Phillip Khan-Panni
35 Hillbrow Road, Bromley, Kent BR1 4JL, UK
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