WINERY FISHERY JIGGERY POKERY KNOBKERRY · 2019. 7. 12. · David Campese was at the club prior to the Australia game. Meanwhile, David Duckham MBE entertained members and guests

Issue number 97 Spring 2017

JIGGERYWINERY FISHERY KNOBKERRYPOKERY

2 EAST & WEST – SPRING 2017

The East India Club 16 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4LH Telephone: 020 7930 1000 Fax: 020 7321 0217 Email: [email protected] Web: www.eastindiaclub.co.ukDINING ROOM Breakfast Monday to Friday 6.45am-10am Saturday 7.15am-10am Sunday 8am-10amLunch Monday to Friday 12.30pm-2.30pm Sunday (buffet) 12.30pm-2.30pm (pianist until 4pm)Saturday sandwich menu availableDinner Monday to Saturday 6.30pm-9.30pm Sundays (light supper) 6.30pm-8.30pmTable reservations should be made with the Front Desk or the Dining Room and will only be held for 15 minutes after the booked time. Pre-theatre, let the Dining Room know if you would like a quick supper.AMERICAN BAR Monday to Friday 11.30am-11pm Saturday 11.30am-3pm & 5.30pm-11pm Sunday noon-4pm & 6.30pm-10pmMembers resident at the club can obtain drinks from the hall porter after the bar has closed. EAST INDIA ROOM Monday to Friday. Light food and wine menu. Use of electronic devices on silent is permissible.SMOKING ROOM & WATERLOO ROOM Drinks and light menu from 9am to 10.30pm. Saturday and Sunday 10am to 10pm.BILLIARDS ROOM Open to members from 9am to midnight. Pass keys will not be issued after 11pm.GYMNASIUM Open to members from 6am to 10pm. Suitable attire must be worn.BEDROOM CHARGE Includes early morning tea, newspaper, English breakfast, discretionary £5 per person per night contribution to the staff fund, and VAT. All bed-rooms are non smoking.Members & immediate family Single with bathroom £120 (£74*) Single with shower £100 (£64*) Single without facilities £82 (£54*) Double or twin room for single occupancy £155 Double or twin room for double occupancy £178 St James’s Suite £288Reciprocal members & guests Single with bathroom £150 (£95*) Single with shower £131 (£85*) Double or twin room for single occupancy £181 Double or twin room for double occupancy £209 St James’s Suite £319* Special rate on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and bank holidaysMEMBERSHIP CARDS Members are required to carry their membership cards at all times when visiting the club, and present them on arrival. It is essential that they are produced when signing for charges to accounts.

The East IndiaClub directory

CLUB WINE:See page 17 for details

Golf teesTin of 50 ‘personalised’ East India golf tees. £7.75

Golf ballsTitleist golf balls. Bearing club crest. £29 per dozen

Mug£14

Chocolate mint creams £8

Ties Silk woven tie in club colours. £20

Blazers £395 (navy) £350 (sports)

Blazer buttonsDouble breasted. £50Single breasted. £35

Post and packing for non-breakables from £3. Breakable items are for collection

from the club instead of posting.

Golf umbrellas Made in clubcolours of silver, blue and red. £17

Club shield£35

Cut glass tumbler Engraved with club crest. £30

The East India Club – A Historyby Charlie Jacoby.An up-to-date look at the characters who have made up the East India Club. £10

Waistcoat £160

Decanter £75

UmbrellasShort. £20 Long. £25

The Gentlemen’s Clubs of London New edition of Anthony Lejeune’s classic. £28

GIFT SUGGESTIONS FROMTHE SECRETARY’S OFFICE

Bow tiesTie your own and, for emergencies, clip on. £20

CufflinksEnamelled cufflinks with club crest, chain or bar. £24.50

Scarf£17

Hatband£15

Polo shirtIn red or black, L, XL, XXL. £25

V-neck jumper Lambswool in burgundy, L, XL, XXL. £55

Napkin hook £40

Rugby ballWith club shield. £25

3EAST & WEST – SPRING 2017

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May10 Annual general meeting17 Beer tasting18 Guards Museum dinner

June3-7 Normandy battlefield tour8 Tri clubs summer party16 Young members’ dinner29 Conservation Trust garden party

July2 Cricket match v Chobham4 Shakespeare in the Square7 Jazz barbecue 13 Sweet wine tasting

September7 Lord Mayor’s luncheon28 Grouse dinner

Bank HolidaysOver bank holidays, bars and catering are closed but accommodation and continental breakfast is provided. This applies after breakfast on the Sunday of the bank holiday weekend and through the Monday.

Club diary...

Editor: Charlie Jacoby 07850 195353 [email protected]

Designer: Chris Haddon 01279 422219 [email protected]

Photography: Phil McCarthy. To download or order photography, login to the members’ area of EastIndiaClub.com and select event photographyPrinted by: Colour3 (ColourCubed.co.uk)

Published on behalf of The East India Club by Charlie Jacoby, c/o The East India Club www.charliejacoby.com

Cover photo: the gardens in spring

East & West

M y father told me once that his mother would wake him on a Monday morning with the words

“Seven o’clock, Monday morning, tomorrow’s Tuesday, the day after’s Wednesday, half the week’s gone and you’re not up yet!” Well it is already March and the year is flying past. Already we are looking ahead to the St George’s day dinner on 20 April.

A year filled with activity gives the chairman cause to celebrate the East India Club’s finest attributes and endeavours: social occasions, wine tasting, the recent rugby lunches, sailing, carols and our remarkably long-serving staff

The sensation of time rushing by in an uncontrollable blur is made more acute by my birthday which this year has a zero on it. I will celebrate it with a weekend at the club.

It has been an active season as usual. The Christmas events were as uplifting as ever; Reverend Lucy Winkett gave a thought-provoking sermon at our annual carol service in St James’s church with the In & Out club and the Rag. She observed that, in the computer age, millions of us are asking questions through Google, Wikipedia and the world-wide web. Such questions as ‘Do penguins have knees?’ apparently asked more than a quarter of a million times. She invited us to ask more probing questions of ourselves and gently guided us to some answers in the Christmas message.

Among the highlights for me was the port tasting in November led by our Sommelier Eric and presented John Symington, of the family that has for generations produced the greatest port under such names as Smith Woodhouse, Graham’s, Warre’s, Taylor and Dow. Tasting the range of Douro wines and the different styles and vintages of port was educational as well as heart-warming. The

Graham’s 1985 is the vintage port currently gracing the East India list – a truly great wine only slightly in the shadow of the 1970 we were treated to later on. It was also a delight to taste the Taylor 20-year-old tawny aged in barrel rather than bottle – a different but equally impressive experience to top the bill for the evening (see page 14).

Another great occasion was the yacht squadron laying up supper at which the Newman VC trophy was presented to the winner of the inaugural race. The evening was made special by the presence of members of Colonel Newman’s family. The club presented a fine portrait of Lt Colonel Newman VC in uniform to his great grand-daughter Evelyn Dalton. A similar portrait is displayed permanently in the club.

Rugby lunches on the Friday before international matches at Twickenham have become a popular fixture and are well attended. I was present at the lunch before the England vs Australia game where we had the pleasure of the company of David Campese. He entertained us in true Australian style and taught some of the more vociferous diners what a rugby ball looks like. He was stunned to an awed silence when we visited the Rugby Room with its hall of fame.

I am pleased to report that the club is in good heart following 2016 which was a successful year socially and in all other important respects. Although we face challenges in 2017, the cheerful support of members and our excellent staff will ensure that we rise above them. Among our staff, a

particular mention must go to Ofelia who has retired. I am sure everyone knows her and she also knows all of you and has made our breakfasts very special.

She will be much missed. It was my privilege to present Ofelia with her award for 40 years’ service to the club, a grand achievement.

I often hear people say that the East India Club has such a lively and pleasant atmosphere which makes it such a good place to be. I know myself that this is true and there is of course a reason for it which does not often get a mention – we enjoy being amongst such great members. So thank you to all of you for your company and fellowship.

Iain Wolsey, chairman

He was stunned to an awed silence when we visited the Rugby Room

“”

The chairman at the tri clubs carol service in St James’s

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT


A season of rugby lunches has kept the bar in credit and clearly been a major factor in England’s suc-

cess. The club holds lunches before England games in the Six Nations.

Among the great players who came to the lunches, former Australia captain David Campese was at the club prior to the Australia game. Meanwhile, David Duckham MBE entertained members and guests after the lunch prior to the Calcutta Cup. David played 36 games for England from 1969. His last appearance was against Scotland at Murrayfield in 1976.

The lunches are the brainchild of member Matthew Ebsworth, who also chairs the club’s young members’ committee. For more on rugby, this issue’s member profile is club rugby section chairman Tom McGoldrick. See page 14.

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Rugby was at the forefront of many members’ minds as the Six Nations gathered pace. England’s success until the last made it easy to keep the home fires burning with the club’s own series of rugby lunches in advance of the England games

PLAYERS MAN THE PUMPS

David Duckham speaks at the Scotland lunch

The lunch prior to the Calcutta Cup

T he club’s golfing section EPICS, has a full programme of matches throughout the summer:

Friday 2 June 2017, Woking Golf ClubTuesday 11 July 2017, president’s day,

Hankley CommonThursday 31 August 2017 New Zealand

Golf ClubFriday 6 October 2017, captain’s day,

Worplesdon Golf Club The EPICS annual tour goes to North

Norfolk on 12-15 September 2017. Between April and October, EPICS will play: Farmers Club, Reform Club, Oriental Club, Caledonian Club, Croham Hurst GC, Royal Blackheath Golf Club, The Bar Golf Society, Wrotham Heath, and the multi club Bath Club Cup.

Sports shorts

EPICS night

Warming up for the EPICS dinner in March

The culmination of last year’s event

Fish starters

W ould you like to take up flyfishing? The flyfishing section, in conjunction with

the Lawyer’s Fishing Club, is holding a Beginners’ Day on 6 May at Rib Valley near Ware in Hertfordshire. All are welcome. Please book in advance via the secretary’s office. For more on flyfishing, see page 8.

Change of gear

A date for the diary in the autumn: the classic car section’s annual rally and black tie dinner will take

place on 14 October 2017. All motoring enthusiasts are welcome. Please contact the secretary.

Club president and former international Micky Steele-Bodger pulls a pint of Bodger’s Best for former Australia captain David Campese

The lunch prior to England vs Australia

A good showing of members in club blazers

5EAST & WEST – APRIL 2017

NEW

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M embers continue to show great interest in the club’s prestigious selection of vintage ports and

the time has come to list new wines from the club’s cellars. In April, Quinta do Noval 1995 will become our new club vintage port by the glass, and members will be able to enjoy magnums of Fonseca 1985 and bottles of Taylor’s 1992 as well. Taylor’s 1992 is the first vintage port to have been awarded the perfect 100 point score by renowned critic Robert Parker. The club’s primeur purchase policy allows us to offer this outstanding port at well under its retail price. Members have been requesting a tawny port and so the wine committee has selected the Fonseca 20-year-old Tawny and Taylor’s 30-year-old Tawny to be available by the glass from the Waterloo Room bar. For more on port, see page 15.

ShortsPort revolution

Willow whackers

Club activities range from racing and cricket to the more sedate backgammon, jazz, the reading of old copies of Punch magazines and the drinking of excellent port.

T he cricket section is gearing up for a busy and exciting season.First fixture is in the middle of

May, with regular fixtures against a variety of opposition throughout the summer, including playing for the Turnbull cup at Chobham on 2 July. The playing season ends with a tour to Malta in October. The section is looking for new players of all abilities. We hold regular drinks in the club. We also have nets sessions at both Lords and the Oval that are open to all. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the re-establishment of the cricket section and we are planning an event to celebrate this. To get involved, please email [email protected]

Club team on tour in Portugal last year

Jazz aficionados

M ember Howard Lambert has taken up the chairman’s initiative and has formed an

interest section to be called Jazz at No 16. Members who would like to be on the mailing list for events, please email the secretary or sign up on the noticeboard. For the latest jazz night, see page 10.

T he club’s enthusiasm for backgammon outweighs its results in the London League. In the

2016/17 season, we have played six and won one, against the Groucho Club, a good 10-8 result.

Maxim McDonald is the club’s top player in the league with 17 wins out of 30 games played. For more results, go to LondonBackgammonLeague.com

Board clackers

T he Library has successfully advertised unwanted Library books with a 100% take up by

members. It is also seeking donations to complete its collection of bound copies of Punch magazine. It is missing issues from these years: 1912, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1929, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1970, 1982-1992, 1996-2002. Please contact the secretary if you can help. For more on this initiative, turn to page 8.

Punch below weight

The house of Quinto do Noval

W ith flat, jumps and the presence of HM The Queen, it promises to be a superb year for racing

at Ascot. The club has box 447 at Ascot. It holds 12 for a sit-down meal and 18 for a buffet. Please contact the Secretary’s Office for further details. These are the available dates:Saturday 24 June Royal Ascot flat £4200Saturday 15 July Family Raceday flat £490

A great racing year

Our box at Ascot, with framed images of the club on the walls

Box prices include car park passes but are exclusive of VAT.

Catering costs are additional. The secretary has a selection of menus.

The annual fixture list is announced at the end of each year and posted on the noticeboard.

If you are interested in racing, please advise the secretary’s office to be added to the mailing list.

Backgammon section captain David Brace in a match against Home House

by Edward Case


I n November, Rob Caskie gave an engaging lecture about the exploits of Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose

expeditions in the first two decades of the 20th century are synonymous with bravery and exceptional leadership. Rob’s lively and detailed account covered the difficulties that Shackleton faced from the elements and his competition with explorers Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott.

LIBR

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The Anglo-Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton was the subject of a Library lecture in the autumn, given by the force of nature Rob Caskie, who has entertained members and guests in the past with his description of Rorke’s Drift.

‘DIFFICULTIES ARE JUST THINGS TO OVERCOME’by St John Brown

members after two years of hardship. The adversity they faced and the resourcefulness that Shackleton displayed are remarkable. Their ship drifted for ten months before being crushed by pack ice and the group drifted on ice floes for a further five months. Shackleton and five of the group sailed in lifeboats 800 miles to South Georgia and made the first crossing of that island to seek help.

Rob gave some idea of the appalling clothing and conditions that Shackleton and his explorers faced on their expeditions. The clothes they wore had low heat retention compared to modern fabrics and their diet of seal sounds revolting. The Antarctic mountain ranges are equal to the highest peaks of the Alps and the ice and snow was physically draining for the expedition to trek through.

Instead of retiring to a more leisurely life in England, Shackleton died on South Georgia in 1922 in preparation for another expedition to Antarctica. He was a true Anglo-Irish leader who added much to the field of exploration.

The Queens Cemetery, opposite Sheffield Memorial Park, near Puisieux, France

D iscussions about the First World War usually return to the theme that it was a pointless waste

of life in pursuit of outdated imperial ambitions. Gordon Corrigan, who gave a Library lecture in February, disagrees. He argues that the British army did well in fighting a war that was both necessary and just. He points out it was the only time a large British force defeated the main enemy in the principal theatre of war.

In defence of Haig

1914-1918: not all bad

Questions and answers in the East India Room

Rob Caskie in full flow

Members and guests in the Smoking Room

Rob Caskie’s terrifying knobkerry

Rob Caskie and St John Brown

Mud, Blood & Poppycock came out in 2003

Gordon Corrigan signs copies of his book

Haig, says Corrigan, had to fight the Somme

In 1902 Scott led an expedition with Shackleton to reach the South Pole. They came closer than any previous attempt but had to turn back because of weather and scurvy amongst the men. Shackleton led his own expedition in 1908 and, although again unable to reach the South Pole, he and his team achieved the first ascent of 12,500 ft Mount Erebus.

The most inspirational aspect of the talk was Shackleton’s exploits involving the ship Endurance and the survival of all 28 crew


FATHERS & DAUGHTERS DINNER

FATH

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Club members were able to entertain their daughters at a dinner in February. Meet an East India Club member day to day, and the word ‘loving’ does not usually spring to mind, even if ‘predictable’ does. However, the best familial sentiments were on display at the dinner, and the daughters dined as well as their (male) parents

D ame Fiona Woolf DBE DL gave a well-thought-out and consummately-delivered speech at

the fathers & daughters dinner in February. She recalled a swimming teacher who gave her advice she tried to stick to throughout her life: set your direction and keep going. A high achiever, Dame Fiona served as the 686th Lord Mayor of London in 2013-2014, and only the second woman to hold the role since 1189. Above all, this dinner was about fathers’ relationships with daughters – and daughters with their fathers – which Dame Fiona covered.

Fiona Woolf giving the after-dinner speech

A message from the Pigeon Loft

If a pigeon lofter is lucky enough to be retired (with no early ’plane to catch), he has the time to indulge in a rewarding

task – cleaning and polishing his own shoes in his bedroom. To promote our community spirit this could be done in small groups in the corridor. But then we might get in the way of staff. In a recent discussion, we thought we had found a solution to this problem: communal shoe-cleaning in the Smoking Room. Alas, ‘spit and polish’ means what it says and so the proposal had to be abandoned on aesthetic grounds.

But surely we could come together and enjoy polishing something else? Inspired by the daily sight of gleaming brass

throughout the club we have drawn up the following plan.

Imagine groups of pigeon lofters and many other members sharing similar high ideals descending into the Smoking Room bearing blazers equipped with special brass buttons requiring polishing.

Before tins of ‘Brasso’ are shaken and the polish applied, button sticks are slipped into place to protect the blazers and to allow the backs of the buttons to be given their own gloss. The polishing session may now begin. To prevent tedium we sing our favourite songs – Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty and Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag featuring prominently among them. Occasionally we stroll around the room – polishing as we go – and

scrutinise other members’ shoes. Hints for improvement will be gratefully accepted and members thus addressed will slip away quietly to the cloakroom below to carry out our recommendations.

Our task completed, we choose the next sunny spring day to emerge into the square and stroll around in our blazers. Crowds soon gather to find the cause of all the sparkling sunlight. Some are a little startled at the glare and dazzle, others annoyed at having to leave the pavement because of our numbers. One pigeon lofter (known for his powers of oratory) prepares to address them. He first thinks of beginning with ‘Friends, Romans’, but abandons the idea. So it’s: ‘Dear people. Be not alarmed. We are but members of yon club out to welcome in the spring sunshine and to air our brass the while.’ Thereupon the crowd disperses and leaves the Square, mumbling humbly.

by Alan Taylor


I I have been finding my way around the collection and was intrigued to find a for-gotten stack of handbooks from various

golf clubs. The Library committee felt that the best course of action, no pun intended, was to repatriate them to the respective golf clubs. Nearly all the golf clubs I researched were still in existence. The handbooks were published by the Golf Clubs Association at around the same time, but were undated. By checking some details I was able to de-termine they had been produced in the early 1950s and the advertisements of the time

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Club members’ sporting interests are varied, from braving the waters of the Caribbean in search of some of the world’s most exciting fish to reading about golf clubs in the Library. Where the opening of Cuba as a tourist destination has changed the character of the Caribbean, our librarian notes that British golf clubs have altered little since the 1950s.

BONES ON THE SPANISH MAINby Stephen Allen

gave a glimpse of a vanished world and made me wonder about the benefits of the new Austin Cambridge A50 versus the Hillman Minx ‘Magnificent’.

All the handbooks provided detailed infor-mation about the courses and club facilities together with a range of photographs show-ing how little most of them have changed.

I was delighted that so many of the clubs replied quickly to take up our offer and to thank the club. To date we have returned at least three-quarters of the collection.

One golf club manager wrote to say that the handbook ‘provided a wonderful insight to past golf club life’ and as major changes were taking place in 2017, whereby the course was reverting to the way it was originally laid out, the old handbook provided important information. Another club advised they would be celebrating their centenary in 2020 and as they were researching the history of the club prior to the event, the old handbook would add to their knowledge. The golf club handbooks

A snapshot of golf in the 1950s

M embers of the flyfishing section returned to the exquisite Los Roques marine national park in

January. The trip has become something akin to a pilgrimage, and is a reflection of the beginning-of-time perfection of the lagoons, the abundant wildlife and the quiet hospitality of the people. We saw no fellow fishermen and few other visitors on the main island of Gran Roque, most probably because fly fishers from the USA are now flooding to Cuba and general tourism to Venezuela has dwindled due to economic instability and security concerns. Consequently, there has recently been even less fishing pressure than usual so we had plenty of opportunities to cast to fish despite the rather unfavourable tides. We were fortunate to engage our usual guide, Guereke, always relaxed, expert and confident, though devoid of swagger. He knows every rock and inlet of the 500 square kilometres of the fishing grounds within the outer reef and is clearly viewed as a grandee among the guides. Like his clients for the week, and the oil-thirsty outboard engine on his boat, he is starting

Library

Pure bone: Stephen with his ‘primary purpose’

to show the ravages of time but is worth every cent of his fee. We caught several bone fish every day, so our primary purpose was fulfilled: lightning quick fish on light tackle, reliably difficult but reliably rewarding. Never before had Los Roques served up to us such a varied range of flyfishing. We stalked tarpon by a wall of mangrove, hooking and playing them until their acrobatics in the water, and in the air, set them free. One afternoon we came upon a small bay scintillating with fish of many species all apparently so intent on eating each other

that our presence caused no disturbance. Of course, that made for easy fishing and we landed permit, jack, Spanish mackerel, snapper, needle fish and bone fish in short order without a change of fly. Later, near a tiny island a shoal of parrot fish writhed through the coral in a foot of water, a living oil slick showing glimpses of blue, magenta and yellow. Several took the fly but were lost as the hooks clicked out of their beaks. Fishing and almost catching is a tantalising pleasure; ask any dry fly trout fisherman. There is no doubt that we will return.

by Jane Trodd, club librarian

Left-right: Stephen, Guereke and flyfishing section chairman Peter Matthison


ENTE

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Casino Night

If only it were real money. Some East India Club members would have won big. Then again – thank goodness it was pretend.

Many would have crept home penniless. The annual casino night attracted highrollers and future whales from among the J7s, as a complete casino set up in the Smoking Room. It also provided vital lfe skills training. Those who didn’t know now do know how much pays on a colour in roulette, plus when does bank twist in blackjack?

T he club’s Burns Night celebration has a skeleton. Micky and Muff Steele-Bodger form its backbone, and Andy

Macdonald its funny bone, with ample help from other members and guests who variously recite Tam O’Shanter, the Selkirk Grace and give after-dinner speeches.

The culinary side of the evening includes Scottish specialities such as haggis, neaps, tatties and whisky. Burns’ Address to a Haggis is another highlight of the evening, rendered by Keith Wallace: ‘But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed / The trembling earth resounds his tread’ – and that is how members and guests felt the world should feel as the evening drew to a close.

From young to not-so-young, club members find plenty to do in the evenings. The Burns Night supper is a fixture in the club’s calendar, as is the young member’s casino night.

THIRD DEGREE BURNS

Members and guests enjoyed drinks in the Smoking Room before supper

Club president Micky Steele-Bodger

Double act: Andy Macdonald and Robyn Stapleton

Alex Langley and his winnings

Keith Wallace approves of the haggis

The haggis offered by, left-right, Joe O’Farrell, Pipe Major Jim Lucas and Andy Cockran


T he Spike Wells Trio made a welcome return by popular demand for a Friday evening of jazz in the Smok-

ing Room. The members who booked early enough – it was a sell-out – were treated to a buffet supper, a continuous flow of wine and some great music. The evening started with a rousing setting of Wedding – a fitting display of the talents of the trio. The treat to follow was a Mark Edwards arrange-ment of Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise by Sigmund Romberg. Mark is one of the most

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Events in the clubhouse remain many and varied. You may find a trio of top jazz musicians in the Smoking Room, while downstairs in the East India Room, the club’s yotties are celebrating one of the great seaborne escapades of the Second World War. And at both you will enjoy club hospitality at its finest.

COOL AND SMOKINGby Iain Wolsey talented freelance pianists in the worlds of

jazz, pop and gospel music and his credits include Chris Rea, Dae Stewart, Paul Weller and even Bruce Forsyth. With Spike he Is a long-standing member of the great quartet led by the late Bobby Wellins. He continues to tour extensively in Europe and is a prolific record producer.

A priest as well as a musician, Spike was inspired by a visit to the shrine at Walsin-gham in Norfolk to write a piece in three keys with a passing genuflect to the saint, called Waltzingham Matilda. The evening continued with the Lovely All Blues from the iconic 1958 Miles Davis album Kind of Blue, which is the title the politician Ken Clarke, another jazz aficionado, gave to his recent autobiography.

Gabriel’s Oboe, which followed, is one of my favourite numbers. The lovely render-ing had everyone’s wrapt attention. The old standard Cherokee, beloved of Bird and Dizzy, received a progressive treatment mov-ing from gentle standard time into a lively 6/8 and a accelerating away to a dazzling high-speed finale.

The second set started with a great crowd-pleaser by Herbie Hancock called Water Melon Man given the treatment by Mark and Chris. This was followed by a Kenny Wheeler number Everybody’s song but my Spike, as he appeared at the club last summer

St Nazaire hero

T he club’s yacht squadron held a dinner to present the inaugural Newman trophy, which

commemorates Lt Col Newman VC‘s leadership of the commando raid on St Nazaire during the Second World War. The club presented a portrait of Newman in uniform to his great grand-daughter Evelyn Dalton. A similar portrait hangs in the club.

The yacht squadron’s annual fitting out supper will be held at the club on 5 April 2017 in the Clive Room. Dress code for the evening is reefers (blazers) with squadron tie. Jim Miller, commodore of the squadron, will talk about ‘Racing as a foredeck ruffian on the 160-foot schooner Eleonora.’

Yacht squadron

The two portraits of Lt Col Newman VC

Members and guests had dinner in the East India Room

Pre-dinner drinks in the Clive Room

own featuring Chris Laurence on bass. Chris is a sought-after musician in both classical (with the London Bach Orchestra among others) and jazz circles and has played along-side Spike many times since the 1970s. He has credits in partnership with saxophonists Alan Skidmore and John Surman, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, pianist John Taylor, and vibes player Frank Ricotti. This delightful number showed Chris’s considerable virtuoso talents to the full.

Spike Wells has had a remarkable career as chorister, scholar, lawyer and priest. Throughout it all, he has been a great jazz drummer working with Ronnie Scott, Tubby Hayes, Humphrey Lyttleton, Bobby Wellins – the best jazz musicians this side of the Atlantic and many from the home of jazz. Spike and I shared a study at King’s Canter-bury as well as a love of jazz. I particularly remember the efforts we went to get copies of a promotional album issued by Good-year which featured unique recordings of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. A piece of Ellington magic paved the way for the evening’s closer: a special (“outrageous,” according to Spike) setting by Mark of the hymn How Deep the Father’s Love for Us. The melody provides a splendid riff which surges forward to a climactic drum solo from Spike – a brilliant finale.


THE MOUTH OF THE MEDWAY

STRA

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, NO

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Club member Nigel Farage entertained members and guests at a ‘Library lecture luncheon’ in February. The man who made the humble pint of beer into a political badge is one of the best and funniest speakers – and even those who do not leap with joy at his beliefs enjoyed his talk, peppered as it was with anti-European feeling.

H is politics may be flavoured with Marmite but those who went to club member Nigel Farage’s ‘Library

lecture lunch’ agree he is an entertaining speaker and good company. Over the years the club (which remains resolutely apolitical) has provided the scenery for some of Nigel’s political success. The UKIP Patrons Club has met at the club, and Nigel is a keen member.

It has been an extraordinary few years for the former broker turned politician. In the opinion of many members of the public, he has singlehandedly beaten

London Metal Exchange, with firms including Drexel Burnham Lambert, Crédit Lyonnais Rouse and Natexis Metals.

As well as a general feeling of discomfort with the European Union ideal, Nigel set about a one-man campaign of exposing corruption among MEPs and European Commissioners. He had been active in the Conservative Party from his school days, but his politics included voting for the Green Party in 1989 because of what he saw as their then ‘sensible’ and Eurosceptic policies.

He was elected as an MEP in 1999 and re-elected in 2004, 2009 and 2014. In 2004, he announced in the European Parliament that French Commissioner-designate Jacques Barrot had been barred from elected office in France for two years, after being convicted in 2000 of embezzling £2 million from government funds and diverting it into the coffers of his party. He said that French President Jacques Chirac had granted Barrot amnesty. President of the Parliament Josep Borrell ordered Nigel to retract his comments. The following day it was confirmed that Barrot had received an

eight-month suspended jail sentence in the case. In 2005, Nigel requested that the European Commission disclose where the individual commissioners had spent their holidays. The Commission did not provide the information

requested. The German newspaper Die Welt reported that the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, had spent a week on the yacht of the Greek shipping billionaire Spiros Latsis. It emerged afterwards that Barroso’s predecessor Romano Prodi approved €10.3 million of Greek state aid for Latsis’s shipping company.

UKIP, which he led on and off from 2006 to 2015, attracts a colourful variety of supporters. As members and guests found at lunch, it is his straight-from-the-hip quotes that endear him to all but their victims. On Belgian former prime minister Herbert van Rompuy, “the charisma of a damp rag and the appearance of low grade bank clerk” – and on his life’s work, in a speech in the European Parliament: “When I came here 17 years ago,

You all laughed at me. You are not laughing at me now

“”

Nigel in full flow in the Dining Room

Lunch was well attended

the British Government in a referendum, personally gained more than 10% of the vote in a General Election, and is the only British politician to be taken seriously by the new president of the United States. Like Evita before him, he even has his own radio show. Some demand he be given a knighthood. Others’ demands are not so printable.

Born in Downe, Kent, and educated at Dulwich College, he followed his father into the City of London when he left school in 1982. Where his father was a stockbroker, Nigel became a commodities trader at the

and I said that I wanted to lead a campaign to get Britain to leave the European Union, you all laughed at me. Well I have to say, you’re not laughing now are you?”

12 EAST & WEST – APRIL 2017

Carol Concert

T he 2016 Christmas carol concert was performed in the Smoking Room by Wells Cathedral School, one of

the best school choirs in the country. The school has recently successfully raised the necessary funds to build a start-of-the-art performance centre called Cedars Hall within the ancient footprint of the school, providing a 350-seat recital auditorium, rehearsal rooms, teaching suites and recording studio. Member Roy Hatch and his wife Maureen have been active participants in the fundraising effort, which Roy chaired. They were on hand to see the club welcome Wells Cathedral School principal Elizabeth Cairncross to the concert here in December.

R omans 15:4. ‘For whatever was written in the former days was written for our instruction, so that

by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope’.

This year the German scholar and theologian Martin Luther will be remembered as it was in 1517 that he claimed his 95 thesis which began a revolution in Christian thinking. He wanted The Bible to be interpreted properly.

You may have heard of John Wycliffe, who produced the first handwritten English translation of The Bible in the 1300s.

Or, perhaps you know the names of William Tyndale or Myles Coverdale, the first to print The New Testament and then The Bible in English, so that ordinary people could understand it.

It cost Tyndale his life.

CHAP

LAIN

The club celebrates some of the great events of the liturgical year in typical style: there are carol services to attend in St James’s, Piccadilly, and St James’s Palace, and a carol concert sees a school choir visit the club for an evening performance.

EASTER MESSAGE

T h three clubs of St James’s Square – the East India, the Army & Navy and the Naval & Military – joined together

at Christmas for the tri clubs carol service in St James’s Church on Piccadilly. The East India club fielded club chairman Iain Wolsey and member Alasdair Shaikh to read lessons. Afterwards, members came back to the clubhouse for the annual Christmas party, with carol singers, an excellent buffet and the ever-perplexing tableau of reindeer and sleigh in the Hall.

Tri clubs carol service

One name you might not know is Casidorro de Reina, who completed the first bible translation in Spanish in 1569. This bible is often called the ‘Bible of the Bear’: on the title page a bear consumes the sweet honey out of a beehive, even as it is being attacked by the bees. The title page also includes a quote from Isaiah 40:8: ‘The word of our God will stand for ever’.

In order for Reina to publish his translation he had to flee his home country of Spain, eventually dying in exile. Sticking to what we believe in can be costly and I try to never forget what the cost was in bringing the word of God to us.

May I wish you all a happy Easter and assure you of a warm welcome if you decide to come to church at the Tower of London. All details about the chapel can be found at TheChapelsRoyalHMTowerofLondon.org.uk or via the chapel administrator [email protected]

by Canon Roger J Hall MBE, club chaplain

Wells Cathedral School in the Smoking Room

The Rev Lucy WInkett held the service

Bir Kathuria is buttonholed at the club afterwards And Patrick Storey is silhouetted

St James’s, Piccadilly


Yorkshire may claim it, Wales may believe it and Scotland may write songs about it but the West Country knows it has the best pheasant shoots in Britain, so a natural place for the club’s shooting section to go for a shooting weekend.

Devon screamers

A t the end of November 2016, members of the shooting section came from Finland, Kent, London

and the West Country to Devon for a weekend of game shooting and fine dining. Bickleigh Farm, Totnes, was base camp, with the first dinner engagement at the New Inn, Moreleigh, a delightful country pub renowned for the quality of its steaks. The same family has been cooking them for more than 35 years. A strict timetable demanded an early start on Friday morning, but not before a full English breakfast, after which the members travelled a short distance to Torr Brook.

Club members and guests meet Anton Piotrowski

The day concluded with the guns and beaters enjoying a hearty lunch of homemade soup and beef pie topped up with a glass of port. On departure, the shoot presented guns with a brace of dressed pheasant.

Members travelled into Totnes on Friday evening for a private wine tasting at Amalie’s Deli accompanied by charcuterie and cheese boards. They were joined by other Devon-based club members for the evening. The wines for the evening were all excellently presented by Nigel Pound of Totnes Wine with the Chaume 1er Cru and Ribera del Duero topping the popularity list. Julie Godfrey of Amalies Deli introduced the exquisite selection of cold meats and unusual but delicious cheeses.

Everyone was on parade for breakfast and the group left Bickleigh Farm in convoy along narrow, steeply banked Devon lanes for the brief drive to Gara Barton and the second day of their game shooting weekend in identical weather conditions. Shoot owners John and Sue Potter invited guns to take coffee, teas and biscuits in a comfortable shoot lodge during which the guns drew peg numbers and listened to the safety talk: no ground game or

Shooting section guns

by Bill Downie

Two days, two shoots and two exceptional dinners

Guns lineout at Torr Brook

A box of cartridges at work

woodcock and plenty of sky around your bird, please. Gara Barton has large holding blocks of miscanthus overlooking its valleys and the steady growth of new woodland ensures the driven birds present a sporting challenge. All seven guns were on peg by 10am for a driven pheasant day with lunch taken in the shoot lodge after five drives and elevenses: sloe gin and local pork sausages. A further two drives followed after lunch to conclude the day. Could the team surpass their achievement of day one? While everyone took tea and homemade cake in the lodge, John announced the bag: 88 for just over 500 cartridges. If nothing else the team are consistent shots. On departure, all guns were presented with a brace of pheasant in feather.

That evening, guns and guests dined at the Treby Arms, Sparkwell, a Michelin-starred gastropub run by Masterchef 2012 winner Anton Piotrowski, who prepared a special five-course game theme menu. The main dish, venison Wellington with greens and calcannon, was superb and the dinner – and the weekend – was declared a stroke of genius.

Shoot owner Mike Reeve gave the safety briefing, and guns were then escorted to their pegs with the promise of driven high pheasant and dashing partridge in deep Devon combes. The shot to bird ratio was expected to be high.

While Torr Brook has a strict policy against shooting groundgame and woodcock, there was an opportunity to bag an American turkey, locally known as the Flying Fortress. But they decided to stay well above the cloud base throughout the day. A downed bird would have cost the successful shot £50, donated to a local charity.

The day was dry but overcast and cold. The team of seven guns enjoyed shooting in unspoilt countryside, a landscape which has changed little over the centuries.

As expected, the guns were presented with testing and fast flying birds throughout the day and, after four exhilarating drives, the final tally for the day was 84 pheasant, three partridge and a pigeon. The cartridge count was in the high 400s, which the shoot owner generously called 5:1.

SHOO

TING


Young member Tom McGoldrick runs the club’s rugby side – and it has been having some success since Christmas with, as he says, some of the best rugby the club has played. Rugby has been an important part of Tom’s life, from home in Northampstonshire to life in London.

TOM McGOLDRICK

T om McGoldrick played rugby for his town, school, county, university and now chairs the East India Club rugby

side. Tom is from Kettering where he started playing for the local club aged seven. Now aged 31, he joined the East India Club as a J7, but not straight from Wellingborough School. Tom went to UCL after a gap year working for a law firm in Northamptonshire and

interrailing round Europe. As he was moving to London a schoolfriend told him about the club.

“As a student I couldn’t immediately see the value of joining.” he says. “However my parents did and covered the fee. I’m glad they were so generous.”

The club did not have a rugby side when Tom was studying geography at UCL. In those days, as well as playing for his college’s 1st XV, including helping to win the London Varsity Match, King’s College London vs UCL, he travelled home to play for Kettering 1st XV with

big matches against Old Northamptonians and

other local teams. Aged 19, he was playing three times a week. After university

he stopped playing for Kettering and joined Hampstead Rugby Club where he still plays.

Tom left university as the 2009 recession got underway, and interned for various companies until, eventually, an energy company offered him a role. This was the start of a professional career that

sees him working as a structurer at EDF Energy today. EDF Energy is a subsidiary of the French company EDF supplying 5 million residential and business accounts with electricity or gas, producing around one-fifth of the nation’s electricity. Tom manages bids for EDF’s largest electricity supply contracts.

Aged 23, Tom felt he was not engaging enough with the East India Club and was unsure if he could justify continuing membership beyond the J7. Happily, he bumped into Jonathan Taylor in the American Bar. Jonathan ran the rugby section and encouraged Tom to put down his name for a few matches. That is where Tom discovered the group of people who put the club firmly into his life. Aged 18 to 35, their rugby skills range widely

but their enthusiasm is faultless. “Such a good bunch of lads,” he

says.“Rugby is very good at bringing people

I have made many lifelong friends thanks to the club and its support of our rugby side

“”

together. It has a collegiate atmosphere. I met a lot of like-minded people and it was clear I had found my place in the club.”

In his second season with the side, Tom became hon secretary. Then, when Jonathan moved to Lincoln with his firm, Tom took up chairmanship of the rugby section. Tom, as any good chairman, has delegated many of the roles and responsibilities to more effective people.

“George Ellis runs the fixtures seamlessly, John Messer and now Charlie MacClelland have captained heroically and Henry Gilbert is unparalleled in his ability to collect the kit from the club and transport it to matches.”

This year has been a mixed bag of results. “We had a poor start to this season,” he says. “There were a few heavy losses before Christmas against strong sides when we were missing some of our more seasoned players who tend to bring the team together.”

These Sunday social matches are open to all comers. “We play as many members as possible however we do supplement with friends of friends when needed. It makes it a far better match when you have a big squad and is helpful for those, like myself, who may have played the day before

or enjoyed a few shandies on the Saturday night.”

Several of the casual players have become regular attendees and quite a few have subsequently applied to the club and are now fully fledged members.

Since Christmas, the club has played the HAC and London Business School, winning both. “It is some of the best rugby I have seen the East India Club play,” says Tom.

He plays fly half or scrum half though dislikes passing too much. “On the pitch I mainly rant,” he says. “Occasionally it’s deserved, but generally everyone puts in a good performance.

“It can vary from match to match but generally the skill and fitness of players seems to depend on the number of female supporters we have so I do my best to encourage a crowd.”

The social aspect is a key part of the rugby. “Many chaps who cannot make it down to play still stay in touch and join in on other events” says Tom. “I have made many lifelong friends thanks to the club and its support of our rugby side.”

MEM

BER

PROF

ILE


I am so honoured that Johnny Symington, the joint managing director of Symington Family Estates, accepted my invitation to

come and present his wines last November. Since 1882, having married into an Anglo-Portuguese family who had been making port since 1652, five generations of Syming-tons have been present in the Douro Valley. With a history stemming from the origins of the industry, it is no wonder that the Sym-ingtons have grown to become the leading premium port producer and a dominant force on the UK market.

“Producing wine in the Douro is tough, but we love it,” says Johnny.

“”

Johnny’s son, Will, is not involved in the family business, but he wanted to present Graham’s 20-year-old tawny. “Since it has always been a family favourite, it is easy for me to talk about it,” he says. Despite being deliberately oxidised, the style retains a sense of freshness. “We always serve this attractively amber-coloured, spicy and nutty wine slightly chilled.”

One morning, Johnny remembers asking his grandfather: “Why drink port at this early hour?”

He answered: “You can drink port at any time. Time spent not drinking port is a waste of time.”

A bottle of tawny port can be left open for weeks, but no one in the room spared a drop to compare it with the vintage ports to follow. Johnny’s great-uncle, Maurice, shared a bottle of Dow’s 1898 with Churchill in the trenches of the First World War so, obviously

port can be drunk anywhere as much as anytime.

Dow’s 2007 is the first vintage port to have been awarded the perfect 100 points by a critic in the 21st century. You will be happy to know that there is

plenty of it in our cellars. As we were experi-encing that ultimate ruby style, we knew that the indulgence was depriving us of all the promises yet to develop in the bottle over the next decades. Johnny jokes: “Regularly pulling the cork is the best way for us to check that we did not screw up when declaring the vintage a classic vintage year!”

Johnny didn’t want to be pedantic and talk about the weather but, “the Symingtons are

PORTUGUESE FARMER GRIPS CLUB

The club welcomed the head of perhaps the greatest port-making family of the Douro valley. Johnny Symington is the fifth generation of a family that established when his ancestor married a vineyard owner in 1882. Symington Family Estates makes Graham’s, Warre’s, Taylor and Dow port, as well as pioneering ordinary wine. Club members and guests tried a selection.

Time spent not drinking port is a waste of time

by Eric Lagré, head sommelier

Johnny Symington and one of his ports

farmers,” he says, “and we know that a bit of rain before harvest helps soften the skins and facilitate maximum extraction. This is what happened in 1997, hence the freshness of fruit in this charming Warre’s.”

Johnny was moved to revisit Graham’s 1985, for it was his first vintage in the family business. He remembers that “the vintage was marked by a serious power cut, but since electrical energy supply was something new in the valley, it made no difference”.

Chairman Iain Wolsey observes that “Gra-ham’s 1985 is the main Vintage Port on our list at the moment and the wine is brilliant.”

“The quality of the 1977 overshadowed that of the 1980,” says Johnny. “The 1980 vintage was only declared by a handful of port houses, yet, doesn’t the Warre’s look, smell and taste incredibly youthful and fresh still? That longevity explains why Bucking-ham Palace chose no great wine of the world other than port to toast the Queen’s jubilee and 90th birthday”.

The port wines at the tasting

...a more traditional colour for port

Tasting the Altano white...

premium but it wasn’t anything as seductive, for more time in the bottle is needed for it to mellow and integrate.

Passion is needed to grow grapes in the dramatically beautiful, yet awe-inspiring val-ley. Work cannot be done any way but by hand on the steep slopes planted in terraces and baked in sunshine. Yields are frighteningly low. If the tight bunches of tiny grapes prove a blessing when making port, they give poor results with table wine.

The Symingtons started making Douro wine in 2000 and, already, they cannot meet demand.

At the tasting, we quickly moved from the obscure Altano white to the reds that the Symingtons found so challenging to produce at first. After calling on the expertise of Bordeaux winemaker Bruno Prats of Cos d’Estournel, they eventually launched the impressive P+S brand. Members and guests enjoyed the big and fruity 2011 Prazo de Roriz. That more entry-level offering stood out thanks to the outstanding quality of the vintage. The barrel-aged 2013 Post Scriptum is more

WIN

E


F rom Bulgaria, Mariya was born and brought up in the town of Pezardjik, about 80 miles from the capital Sofia.

She studied hotel housekeeping and came to London in November 1997.

He first job was at the Hilton Olympia. After that, she worked at the Royal Garden Hotel, where maitre d’ Peter Vasilev worked, though their hours were different. She went to the Hilton Docklands and then the Hilton Knightsbridge before moving as head housekeeper to the MyHotel Chelsea.

“Everywhere I worked, I took courses,” she says, and that is what helped bring her to the club. “I took a management development course in Knightsbridge.”

With the right experience and

“”

qualifications, she came to the East India Club in 2013. She liked it at once. “There is less stress” – is the biggest difference she notices between her old life in hotels and her new life at the club. “Here, we know all the members. They know us as well. You

only know lots of guests in a small hotel.

“In hotels, we have celebrities, who are difficult to deal with. You should do whatever they want if you want an easy life.”

Mariya normally arrives at the club at 7.15am. She goes upstairs to the housekeeper’s

office to check the arrival lists. Then she checks rooms, she checks the linen room and deals with maintenance issues.

“On a normal day, when we have a full club, I have five or six maids and three cleaners. Each maid has their own section.”

STAFF PROFILE

Mariya’s pedigree in London hotels is impeccable. She has now been head housekeeper at the club for nearly five years. Were there anything wrong with your room, the buck stops with Mariya, and it is testament to her skill that there is hardly ever anything wrong with a room.

MARIYA LAZAROVA

STAF

F PR

OFIL

E

Mariya’s assistant is Fay. She checks the rooms on the St James’s Square side of the club and Mariya looks after the Duke Street side.

This work takes her up to 1pm when she has lunch. She then has two hours of admin, checking timesheets, dealing with calls and emails. The evening maid arrives at 3pm and Mariya goes home at 4pm.

Mariya lives in West Norwood and has two daughters. Both of them are working as stylists in London, and her husband is a builder. She has a brother who lives in London, who has two daughters.

“My husband was curious about the club when I started working here.” She says. “I never knew about clubs. When I saw the advertisement in Caterer magazine, I thought I would try it. I knew it was like a hotel. Now I do not want to go back to hotels.”

When we have a full club, I have five or six maids and three cleaners


I am pleased to share a member’s apprecia-tion for the efforts of

our night staff. On arriv-ing at Euston on a cold autumn night for the last train to Rugby, to the

member’s horror, he had left his wallet in the taxi. Bereft of ticket, cards and cash he writes: “I was in a pickle”. With minimal battery left, a quick explanation saw the night staff find a way to have a bed made up. Member and wal-let were also reunited, so all was well.

Membership was recorded at an all-time high as 2016 ended. The window in which to renew annual membership has closed and the committee requires the front hall staff be especially diligent in asking members to show their membership card on arrival. Please sup-port the staff in this important duty.

Applications for annual membership, pro-posed and seconded by existing members of two years standing, continue to be welcomed.

The refurbishment of six fourth-floor bed-rooms in the middle of the building is com-plete, with both the property committee and finance committee minded to follow this with

seven third-floor rooms in the summer. There are other repair and maintenance projects on the cards for the year, all of which are man-aged using a five-year rolling plan for refur-bishment. This enables the committees to see what is coming and to manage commitments.

The big staff announcement is that on 17 January Ofelia Santos, our very excellent breakfast supervisor, completed 40 years’ ser-vice at the club. A huge achievement made all-the-more special by Ofelia’s ever professional dedication to her work and wonderfully en-dearing and happy personality. Ofelia is a joy to work with. The-not-so-good news is that Ofelia decided to retire at the end of March. Read a valedictory profile of her on page 18.

The widely-publicised increases in busi-ness rates presents a daunting prospect and the chairman writes on this subject by sepa-rate letter in this issue of the journal.

At the beginning of the year the staff party took place with thanks to the staff panel who made the arrangements and to those com-mittee members who kindly gave up their time to serve behind the bar and to be jolly hospitable. A good, social time was had and was much appreciated by the staff.

ORDER THESE WINES FROM OUR WINE MERCHANT FOR HOME DELIVERY

Finally, an eagle-eyed member spotted in The Spectator’s letters to the editor that a parent’s concern for their young son’s social wellbeing, whilst a long way from home in his first job in London, was to recommend mem-bership of the East India Club. With thanks to The Spectator for encouraging a young man to apply to the club where the membership’s average age is the lowest in traditional club-land at just 42 years.

Not chargeable to account. Card with handling fee, cash or cheque.

ORDER THESE WINES FROM THE ACCOUNTS OFFICE FOR PAYMENT AND COLLECTION FROM THE CLUB

A WORD FROM THE SECRETARYby Alex Bray

SECR

ETAR

Y

East India Club Wine Order Form

Wine per case of 12 bottlesClub Champagne / £155 for 6Club white / £144Club white Burgundy / £174Club red (de Ciffre) / £144Club claret / £139

Davy’s Wine Merchants, 161-165 Greenwich High Road, Greenwich, London, SE10 8JA Tel: 020 8858 6011 Fax: 020 8853 3331Email: [email protected] Website: www.davywine.co.uk/eic

Please order on-line or by phone.

All prices include VAT

Wines and spirits per case of 12 bottlesClub claret £127Club white £132Club red (de Ciffre) £132Club white Burgundy £162Club Champagne (per case of 6) £149Club Cognac VSOP per 70cl bottle £43.50

Winegift boxThree EastIndia Clubwines in presentationbox –club claret,club whiteandclub whiteBurgundy.£43

One of the club’s refurbished bedrooms


W e will miss her. Ofelia Santos retired from the club at the end of March 2017. She worked here for 40

years. The cheerful first face many of us see in the morning, she runs breakfast in the Dining Room with panache and efficiency.

Originally from north of Manila in the Philippines, she was friends with the much-missed Leonora Morales at home. She joined the club in 1977. At the time, lady guests were not the only women barred from the Dining Room at

“”

lunchtime. Ofelia was only allowed to serve lunch in rooms outside the Dining Room.

When she started, there was a buffet lunch available in what is now the Rugby Room. The Clive Room was a ladies’ bar. Then the Clive Room became the Ladies’ Luncheon Room, where Ofelia served only a light lunch.

By 1985, Ofelia was in charge of breakfast and lunch. At

about that time, lunch for members with lady guests moved to what is now the East India Room. Meanwhile, lady guests gained the Ladies’ Drawing Room, which is now

STAFF PROFILE

Ofelia says farewell to the club after 40 years working here. Doyenne of the Dining Room at breakfast, she has seen the club grow to become the extraordinary place it is today.

OFELIA SANTOS

STAF

F PR

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E

the Waterloo Room. “It was much nicer having lunch on the ground floor, both for members and for staff,” says Ofelia. She recalls how the buffet was at one end of the Ladies’ Luncheon Room, and members with lady guests would sit at the other end.

Six years ago, with the renaming of the Luncheon Room as the East India Room, Ofelia took on breakfast only in the Dining Room.

In 1977, Ofelia’s accommodation was at the back of the club on the fifth floor. She stayed in club accommodation until she married, when she moved to East London, near where her sister lives. Working for the club, her days starts there at 4am when she takes the night bus to the club. She works until 11.30am.

Ofelia is impressed with the improvements in the club over the last 40 years, especially the new decoration and the modernisation of the bedrooms. One big change is the refurbishment of the basement. “When I came here, it was the ‘haunted basement’,” she says.

Ofelia has gone back to the Philippines every two or three years of her working life, and her first move on her retirement will be to go back for a few months before returning to the UK. “I am really sad,” she says. “I would like to put back the clock ten years. I like working here. The members are very kind, the staff are friendly – the club is good.

“I said in my resignation letter that the club is like my second home. In 40 years, I haven’t encountered a place like it. I am really happy to have been a member of the staff here. It goes deep…” she pauses. “My heart… no words can express it.

“I wish the club success in coming years – and good health to the members.”

I would like to put back the clock ten years. I like working here

Ofelia’s staff profile in East & West, August 1989


NEW

MEM

BERS

New members The club welcomes the following:

Abingdon School SHM Hickman Esq TA Lawler Esq

Bedford School JBE McWhinnie Esq

Berkhamsted School JW Rackley Esq

Bishop Wordsworth’s School OTR Smallwood Esq M Edwards Esq

Charterhouse MO Barley Esq WRM Dewar Esq

Cheltenham College O Thorley Esq

Colfe’s School MJ Ashdown Esq

Durham School CD Field Esq

Ellesmere College JL Bateman Esq GW Beal Esq

Eltham College JGJ Morrison Esq

Eton College W Kingsley Esq

Exeter School TO Packer Esq

Framlingham College JR Watt Esq

New J7 membersThe club welcomes the following:

TJ Adams EsqN Baldwin EsqRG Barrie EsqDKE Cordery EsqGL Davies Esq

Haberdashers’Aske’sBoys’ A Moore Esq L Vaz Esq

Haileybury C Courtney Esq B Landymore Esq D Turner Esq

Hampton School BJ Sherry Esq

Harrow School HCC Elsom Esq A Korobkov Esq NR Kuznetsov Esq A Sham Esq ELW Short Esq

Hurstpierpoint College D Hall Esq

Ipswich School L Buckley Esq

John Lyon School TJ Beresford-Smart Esq MD Manning Esq

King Edward’s School, Bath OC Maddox Esq

King’s School, Canterbury JTM Curtis Esq

Lancing College D Whitmore Esq

Llandovery College MEB Davies Esq OMB Davies Esq HQD MacGarvie Esq

Loughborough Grammar School S Al-Hariri Esq

Manchester Grammar School H Hudson Esq

Marlborough College G Holland Esq Y Liermann Esq

Merchant Taylors’ School Al K Shah Esq

Milton Abbey GHM Chitty Esq

Monmouth School LKI Jevtic Esq

Oratory School ENF Lord Esq WJF Lord Esq

Oundle School GCJ Buchan Esq

Pate’s Grammar School EJ Nicholson-Smith Esq

Princethorpe College SJ Fisher Esq

Radley College M Dixon-Ward Esq AB Marsh Esq

Royal Belfast Academical GA Locke Esq

Royal Grammar School, Guildford OFE Kvam Esq

Rugby School YCD Chen Esq

Sedbergh School A Baronti Esq

Sevenoaks School M Ansell Esq WR Parr Esq

Sherborne School H Bromell Esq EPG Polsue Esq

Shiplake College OHC Riley Esq

St Bede’s School E Cudlipp Esq

St Columba’s College St Albans JC Carr Esq B Moore Esq TE Stewart Esq

St Paul’s School UPS Maudgil Esq L Poon Esq

Stonyhurst College M Antonyuk Esq SP Cannan Esq G Diaz-Rio Varez Esq P Gasowki Esq

Stowe School G Parish-Wallace Esq

Tonbridge School WN Oakes Esq J Stubbs Esq

Uppingham School TWH Esse Esq SJ Watson Esq

Warwick School JR Jones Esq

Wellingborough School LJ Draper Esq TE Murdoch Esq

Winchester College AHW Bagnall Esq HJ Peters Esq

DeceasedIt is with regret we announce the deaths of the following members:JB Atkinson EsqAC Brown EsqRM Buoy EsqDE Cook EsqP Daniel EsqDJ Fletcher EsqJT Gallagher Esq GM Hayward EsqPSW Henwood EsqPY Kernisan EsqMP Letheren EsqD Morton EsqKR Palmer EsqER Smith EsqJG Stanley EsqProfessor R StorerDistrict Judge CJ Tromans

Gone aways MS Dimitrov EsqJ Diwaker Singh EsqJP Geldmacher EsqJH Hsu EsqJSA Lee EsqVCK Lo EsqDGC Toomer EsqT Wheeler Esq

G Douvartzidis EsqPG Edwards EsqDr TJ GardinerT Halgas EsqJRA Hammond Esq

T Hodne EsqPP Johnson EsqPP Keating EsqP Kurukgy EsqS Laird EsqAEN Lersten EsqSJW Martin EsqAR McGarel-Groves EsqGJ Michael Esq

CJ Neal EsqF Neri EsqD Parker EsqBR Purgavie EsqJ Read EsqDr H SchaeferR Sherwood EsqMA Smith EsqSR Springett Esq

AD Stevens EsqNP Stone EsqDr S SundarJW Whately-Smith EsqJF Whybrow EsqQD Williams EsqHY Yeung Esq

I first went to Toronto and stayed at the National Club, where I have stayed many times. It is a lovely club but I have

never met anyone there. They have a nice dining room on the top floor but it is open to the public. The main part of my trip was in the USA.

From Toronto to New York on the Sun-day of US election week. Being an East India Club member, I usually stay at the Lotos Club. I have known its secretary Bill Chaput for the last 15 years and he greeted me like an old friend – and who is retiring this spring. To my mind, he is the Lotos. I am sure many East India Club members will have met him and will be sorry to hear that he is going.

Clubs over the PondNothing doing at the Lotos on the Sunday

night, so I went to the Union League which was in full flow and had a lovely dinner. Saturday and Sunday are dress down days, I was shocked to discover. I took off my tie and even then felt overdressed. However, they assured me that you cannot go into the Union League from Monday to Friday without smart dress and a tie.

The Lotos Club is still as good as ever for dining. I dined on Monday evening in their fa-mous basement dining room.

The Lotos is a Democratic place. Six blocks away, the Metropolitan is very Republican and very Donald Trump. As America went out to vote on Tuesday 8 November 2016, I went to the Metropolitan and dined in the top-floor bar and dining room. I met a young East India Club member there – and a week later was

on the same table as him at the East India Club’s carol concert in London. The Metro-politan overlooks Central Park and the food is brilliant. By around 10pm it was obvi-ous Donald Trump was going to win, other members told me. They invited me to the party, which was going to start at 2.30am. Sorry to say that, even with East India Club training in our Front, I felt I could not take up their offer. I regret it now. When I went for breakfast on the Wednesday morning in the Lotos I thought the world had come to an end. The gloom at the place was incredible.

On my final day, I had time for lunch at the Princeton, which was very good. Next time I would like to stay there. It is Mid Town, in Broadway’s theatreland and, with Bill Chaput not at Lotos, I now feel I could move. I have stayed many times at both the Lotos and Metropolitan. Perhaps now it is time to try something different.

by John Wheelwright

Reciprocal clubs

The East India welcomes members ofother clubs from all over the world,who may use the club’s facilities as ifthey were their own. A reciprocal arrangement has been made formembers to visit these clubs when acard of introduction, obtainable from the club secretary, is required. Theseclubs have all been chosen for theirsuitability for our members but havedifferent facilities.

If you are going to visit any of them,we suggest you telephone first andfind out about them. Let us have yourviews on your visits and tell us if youhave found other clubs with whom weshould enter into reciprocal arrangements or if one of these, inyour opinion, is no longer suitable.

] Accommodation not available

]] Sports facilities not available

Members are reminded that the production of a current membership card and photo ID is essential when visiting the Hurlingham Club. Our reciprocal clubs usually require an introductory card which may be obtained from the secretary’s office.

AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA

Cape Town Cape Town Club

Durban Durban Club

Johannesburg Country Club of Johannesburg

Rand Club

Pietermaritzburg Victoria Country Club

Polokwane Pietersburg Club

Port Elizabeth Port Elizabeth St George’s Club

KENYA

Nairobi Muthaiga Country Club

ZIMBABWE

Bulawayo Bulawayo Club

Harare ] County Club Harare Club

AUSTRALIA

Adelaide Adelaide Club Naval, Military and Air Force Club of Adelaide Public Schools’ Club

Brisbane Queensland Club Tattersall’s Club

Canberra Commonwealth Club

Hobart Tasmanian Club

Launceston Launceston Club

Melbourne Athenaeum Club Australian Club Melbourne Club Royal Automobile Club Newcastle Newcastle Club

Perth ] Western Australian Club Weld Club

Sydney Union, University & Schools’ Club

BERMUDA

Tucker’s Town Mid-Ocean Club

CANADA

Montreal ] James’s Club University Club

Toronto National Club University Club of Toronto

Albany Club

Vancouver Terminal City Club Vancouver Club

Victoria, BC Union Club of British Columbia ] Union Club, St John

EUROPE

Barcelona Círculo Ecuestre

Bilbao Sociedad Bilbaina

Brussels ] Cercle Royal Gaulois

Dublin Stephen’s Green Hibernian Club

Frankfurt Union International Club

Gothenburg ] Royal Bachelors’ Club

The Hague ] Nieuwe of Literaire Societeit de Witte

Hamburg ] Anglo-German Club

Helsinki ] Svenska Klubben

Luxembourg ] Cercle Munster

Madrid ] Financiero Génova ] Real Sociedad Española Club de Campo

Oporto Oporto Cricket & Lawn Tennis Club

Paris ] Cercle de l’Union Interalliée

Travellers Club

Stockholm ] Sällskapet

HONG KONG

Hong Kong ] Hong Kong Club ] Hong Kong Cricket Club

INDIA

Calcutta Tollygunge Club

Mumbai Royal Bombay Yacht Club Golden Swan

JAPAN

Tokyo Tokyo American Club

MIDDLE EAST

Bahrain ] British Club

Dubai Capital Club

NEW ZEALAND

Auckland Northern Club

Christchurch Canterbury Club

Christchurch Club

Dunedin Dunedin Club

Napier Hawke’s Bay Club

Wellington Wellington Club

PAKISTANKarachi Sind ClubIslamabad Islamabad Club

SRI LANKAColombo Colombo ClubNuwara Eliya Hill Club

SINGAPORESingapore Tanglin Club

SOUTH KOREASeoul ] Seoul Club

UKBelfast ] Ulster Reform ClubEdinburgh New Club Royal Scots ClubGlasgow Western ClubGuernsey ] United ClubHenley on Thames Phyllis Court ClubLiverpool ] Athenaeum ClubLondon ] City of London Club ] ]] Hurlingham Club (membership card and photo ID is essential )Newcastle Northern Counties Club upon TynePerth Royal Perth Golfing Society & County and City Club

USAAlbany, NY Fort Orange ClubBerkeley, CA Berkeley City ClubBoston, MA Algonquin Club Harvard Club Union ClubBethesda, MD Kenwood Golf & Country ClubCincinnati, OH Queen City ClubChicago, IL Chicago Athletic Association Standard Club Union League Club University Club of ChicagoDetroit, IL Athletic ClubLos Angeles, CA Riviera Country ClubMountain Lake, FL Mountain LakeOsterville, MA Wianno Club (open May-Nov)Minneapolis, MN Minneapolis ClubNew York, NY Princeton Club Lotos Club Metropolitan Club Union League ClubNorfolk, VA Norfolk Yacht & Country ClubPhiladelphia, PA Union League ClubPhoenix, AZ ] University ClubSan Francisco, CA Marines’ Memorial Association University ClubSt Louis, MO Racquet ClubSeattle, WA Rainier ClubFort Worth, TX Fort Worth ClubRichmond, VA Bull & Bear ClubWashington DC Army & Navy Club Cosmos Club University Club

Documents

WINERY FISHERY JIGGERY POKERY KNOBKERRY · 2019. 7. 12. · David Campese was at the club prior to the Australia game. Meanwhile, David Duckham MBE entertained members and guests