The club with the X-Factor!

Fifty Five Years is a long time in any language.  Great events have happened in that time – not least in 1959 -  first man to walk on the moon and Margaret Thatcher's (later Britain’s first woman Prime Minister) entry into Parliament. And the year The Rotary Club of Billericay was formed.

Just two among many historic events to be recorded at our own special 55 year event – our Charter lunch at the Chichester Hotel, Rawreth on November 2.

President Michael Ginn, as modest as ever, took the assembly of 59 Rotarians and their partners and distinguished guests, through a potted history decade-by-decade of the years ending in the figure nine, highlighting how the Club had kept pace with great events.

Yes! 59 guests for a club formed in '59!

In proposing the toast to the guests, Michael said: “I feel humble, looking at past events, and past presidents, to be standing here today. The figure nine means a lot to me – I joined in 2009 when that great club Rotarian Ben Clarke was in his third presidency.  How delighted I am to see Ben here today.“

The president’s  historical references were echoed by Stan Keller, District Governor attending one of his first official appointments, who proposed the toast to the Club.  “Whenever I have visited your Club I have been told how you punch above your weight. I realise how true that is and I congratulate you on fifty-five years of great success and achievement.”  He went on to a less historical event:  “1959 was also the year Simon Cowell was born.”.  (Groans from the audience!)  We had the X-Factor first!

Other distinguished guests were Honorary Member, Lord Petre,   District Assistant Governor, Alan Clark,  Richard Rackham, Vice-President of Billericay Mayflower and Peter Townsend, President, Rotary Club of Basildon.
Basildon Club also took a full table of members and partners for which we extend our thanks for their support.

Speaker Dr Eric Watts regaled us with medical tales, anecdotes and some serious discussion on the development of medical science, plus a few tales and jokes outside the medical arena. Thank you Eric. A collecting box was put on every table and collected over