The 35th
Anniversary Reunion can only be described by that well-worn accolade, 'WONDERFUL'!
The event, our biggest and most successful ever, was attended by a huge contingent
of the 'Wet Club' personnel from offshore radio during the Sixties to
the early Seventies.
It was amazing to see guests making the effort to come from Australia, Canada,
the USA, Belgium, the Canary Islands, Germany, Holland and Ireland.
The venue was decorated with pirate flags, vinyl singles, offshore memorabilia
and inflatable microphones! Our private terrace overlooked the Thames and provided
great views of London landmarks.
At 3.00pm, the closedown of Radio London and the determined continuation of
Caroline was used as a focal point for an audio presentation put together by
Chris, illustrating exactly what British broadcasting lost on that sad day in
1967.
Afterwards, guests heard a recorded greeting from Steve Young in Canada, then
Chris explained that Ian Damon's absence was due to his having recently undergone
a serious operation. Both Steve and Ian, and their wives Trish and Janice, were
greatly missed at the reunion. Later, we telephoned Ian, who had returned home
from hospital only that day, and several friends were able to speak to him and
wish him well.
Presentations were made to the good friends who had assisted in the organisation
of the event, and Graham 'Spider' Webb who came from Down Under, received the
'Far Out' award for being the guest who had travelled the furthest to attend.
Mary and Chris were presented with a lovely bouquet and a bottle of bubbly by
their co-organisers.
Finally, our grateful thanks to everyone who helped us make the occasion such
a success. Alan Field, Alan Hardy, Pauline Miller, Dave Miller, Jon Myer, John Sales and Peter
Young all worked especially hard. Last, but by no means least, we appreciated
the service provided by Nicole, the pub landlady and all her staff, especially
Mark, who ran the bar.
Original offshore personnel who attended, were Mike Ahern, John Aston, Nick
Bailey, Bud Ballou, Woolf Byrne, Gordy Cruse, Robbie Dale, John Edward, Graeme
Gill, Keith Hampshire, David Hawkins, Phil Jay, Duncan Johnson, Mick Luvzit,
Ronan O'Rahilly, Roger Scott, Keith Skues, Mark Sloane, Ed Stewart, Dave Lee
Travis, Tommy Vance, Johnnie Walker, Willy Walker, Graham Webb and David Williams.
They represented Radio 390, Radio Caroline North, Radio Caroline South, Radio
City, Radio England, Radio London and Radio Northsea International.
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