Copyright © Costa Blanca 41 Club 2016

Costa Blanca 41 Club

We then had the Chairman’s Christmas lunch party, before rounding off the year on New Year’s Eve at a party hosted by Jack and Doreen Cope. Jack and Doreen also represented us at the GB&I National Conference in Blackpool, and spoke with great warmth of the reception and first class time that they had.’

‘Several members or their wives have had bouts of illness or operative treatment during the year. Their misfortunes brought out the true spirit of 41 Club, in that members rallied round where they could, both with transport and in other ways. As we get on in years we are more prone to difficulties of this nature. One of the tenets of our Club must always be to give whatever assistance we can to any who need our help. That is what was so readily and cheerfully given and is something of which members can be quite proud’.

In 1987/8, the Club mainly held their meetings at the Fonda del Mar restaurant, with the ladies meeting elsewhere in the Javea port area. Occasionally there would be a speaker at Club meetings and regular monthly social events were arranged, mainly at a restaurant or at a member’s home.

…..............to be continued…………………

1986

….in

the

beginning…

The Costa Blanca 41 Club was formed in 1985/86 under founder Chairman Terry Loftus. At Christmas 1986, member Denis Vincent wrote the very first newsletter to the membership with ‘the hope that it will be the first of a bi-annual newsletter for members’, especially for those who only spend part of their time in Spain. The club had 11 ‘resident’ members, with many more members who owned property on the Costa Blanca, including a member from Apeldoorn (in Holland), and one from Berlin, (in Germany). Although the club was English speaking, articles produced by Denis for the 41 Club magazine, ‘Hinge’, and the ‘Costa Blanca News’, were ‘translated and circulated to other language newspapers, in the hope of reaching members of 41 Clubs or ex-Round Tablers who may not know of our existence’.

From the beginning, it was traditional for the Club to organise lunch for the ladies at the same time as their gentlemen formally met. Together with organising some social events, these became  the responsibility of newly appointed Derek Teale as Social Secretary. ‘It is not easy keeping most of the customers happy most of the time. Keeping track of the arrangements and of those who say that they want to take part, takes a fair amount of time!´ Sound familiar?

Charter Night and a visit from the National President

The highlight of the year was Charter Night, when the National President of 41 Clubs of GB&I, Bob Ramsay ‘made us legal, at least amongst 41 Clubs. Our secretary is still working on making us ‘legal’ in Spain, but says that we have no need to worry about this’.

There is no evidence that it ever happened. The formal part of the evening was followed by dancing, one of many social occasions when dinner and dancing was the norm. ‘The seal on the Club’s inception was the presentation at one luncheon meeting of a magnificent Chairman’s Jewel by Bob Ramsay, a gift from Chairman Terry’s UK Club, Tunbridge Wells, demonstrating the high regard they had for him.’

Other events were swimming with supper or BBQ parties at the homes of members. Unbelievably, the weather was not very kind for some of these outdoor events, in particular a visit to the Maserof Wine Club in a downpour for a paella lunch, organised by Peter Will and the first of his wives. ‘A large number of us enjoyed a medieval evening and jousting tournament at Alfas del Pi. We cheered the knight wearing our colours and gave ourselves up to the tournament spirit. We also visited Benidorm Palace. It was not quite the ‘Folies Bergere’; the dancers relying on feathers to hide what they or the local Watch Committee did not want us to see!’

‘In December, a large group of us supported our Secretary’s wife playing a leading role in the Javea Players production of ‘The Happiest Days of your Life’.  

Charter Document

pictured at the 29th Charter Dinner in 2015

Chairman’s Jewel

a gift from

Tunbridge Wells 41

Intimation appearing in ‘Hinge’ Winter ‘85 regarding the imminent formation of Costa Blanca 41

Note

This is the first of a series of articles on the history and development of the Costa Blanca 41 Club. It is being compiled from a large number of newsletters recovered from files held by Tony Ogden, who played a major part in the development of the Club and later in the development of an annual get together of clubs from the region now known as the ‘Iberian Cluster’  All the text above in italics is directly quoted from newsletters published at the time.

Ted Homewiood/Bob Oxley

                                                                                            Ted Homewood/Bob Oxley

Extract from report in ‘Hinge’ Summer ‘86 on the Charter Presentation Dinner

Ted Homewood

Chairman 2005-06

Bob Oxley

Chairman 2011-12