July saw 75 attendees enjoying a sumptuous high tea at the Cambrian Centre in Booval. The tables were scattered with ladybugs and butterflies, and bundled, old, and precious books bound with scarves and ties performed their role as elegant centrepieces.
‘Gladys the Tea Trolley Lady’ was a highlight, with some attendees aghast when they entered to find her hovering near the door, preparing her trolley, complete with fag hanging from the corner of her mouth. ‘Is she allowed to smoke in here?’ some asked before they got the joke.
The Bremer Forum’s Liars Club was a huge hit. They gave us three different ‘stories’ about the word tappen, all presented as fact with only one being correct, and asked us to choose. Two of them were reasonable definitions and we were split between them. Only one attendee chose the third, the correct meaning, and only, as he said, because it was so unbelievable that he wanted it to be true.
Guest speaker, Kris Olsson spoke about writing, about family secrets and her journey over years spent untangling the story of the brother she’d never known. She was passionate about the subject of truth and recommended several books on writing biography, autobiography, and memoir; many of us went home vowing to dig out those family stories to record and preserve them for future generations.
Several people contacted us after the luncheon to say they’d like to see this as an annual event. So would we. Would you like to manage the next one?