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The spell really is broken now. Groundhog day in Aber is finally over. Yes, of course Aber Town were playing Llanelli again but this time it was Saturday and it was not a 1-1 draw (2-1 to Aber if anyone is really interested). However, the magic definitely lingers in Aberystwyth still: while Rob Culley, John Ansell and Huw Evans were cheering on Aber Town the golfers (which obviously excludes Huw) were enjoying a drink in the glorious sunshine outside the clubhouse at Capel Bangor’s lovely 9 hole golf course and Derrick Spragg mused “Aber is such a magical place, isn’t it? The sun always shines, the flowers bloom, the beer runs freely and we are always young here”. This, indeed, is the legendaryTir Na Nog, land of the ever-young.
Some had arrived early on Friday and four us, Derrick, Bruce Roughton, Howard Phillips and myself tackled the high slopes of Aber Golf Club - easy stuff for Howard after Machu Picchu last year. However, could Machu Picchu really compete with Aber, as it yet again sparkled like a jewel in the sunshine below us? We managed 12 holes anyway - in between which we popped in to meet an 83 year old - but still fit looking Wyn Hughes. Bruce demonstrated the benefit of both his warm weather training and his (very) high handicap, winning the fourball together with Derrick with a storming finish on the last hole. A sign of things to come..
The Marine bustled with activity on our return. Jim Kettle arrived without his clothes - except the ones he was wearing of course. He had to go out and buy some gear in a charity shop. There are some who thought Jim looked decidedly smarter this year, whilst most failed to spot any difference. Mike Pickard slaved away in reception at organising the Grand National. Leave organising to Headmasters: they actually like it.
Large parts of Aber were shrouded in scaffolding, not to hold it up as I initially thought, but to repaint and restore it. This included the Marine, where scaffolding outside our 2nd floor room rather curiously afforded one person a wander by our window as Jeanette was changing her jumper. We don’t think it was one of our crowd, but Derrick thought Howard might have got lost.
So, while we remain steadfastly forever young the Reunion finally came of age. Numbers were down a little after the big celebration of last year’s 20th Anniversary, but a goodly 24 sat down to dinner on Friday night in Bella Vita, the restaurant formerly known as the Talbot Hotel. It was an odd arrangement. Four or five customers were scattered around a dining room that looked as big as that on the Titanic, whilst our group was packed tightly into a tiny private room. Still, good for getting to know people again and it was certainly atmospheric!
Later Dave Charles brought out his guitar in the Marine, where rather curiously very young farmers wandered around in tuxedos, allowing us to enjoy a relatively low-key but very pleasant sing-song. Pete and Kathy Strydom were with us that night rather than their usual Saturday night, Pete wearing a gaudy new shirt that was definitely bought when Kathy was not with him - and one that Jim Kettle definitely would have baulked at, even in a charity shop.
Saturday morning was designated for a modest walk in Borth. Since this involved merely walking up the Beach and straight back down the main street we managed not to get lost for a change. Dick German joined us at this point, without wife but at least he had remembered his golf clubs. This made 7 of us competing for the Aber Masters that afternoon in Capel Bangor. Ken Passmore came up with a great idea to stop big American handicaps winning: a maximum of 20 was imposed. However Bruce, on a high after Friday’s success still managed to win. We need another new rule for next year. Once again Jeanette would have won the Ladies prize, had there been one of course. More women golfers required for next year!
At the Saturday night dinner in the Marine - and a good dinner it was, too, by the way - Bruce was shocked to find that he was the one to don the famous Green jacket. It was close, mind. It was tied on 18 points, but Ken invented a countback system that ensured Derrick didn’t win it for a second year running and instead, as last year’s winner, he had to help Bruce into the rather more snugly fitting winner’s jacket. Bruce has taken it back to America and was so chuffed that I wondered were we going to catch sight of it on TV in Augusta the following weekend.
It was an encore for Pete who won, with Aurora’s Encore, the Grand National sweep for the second year running whilst Bruce capped a successful weekend with 2nd on Cappa Bleu, John Ansell’s Teaforthree coming in spot number 3. Bruce also had an aptly named horse “Oscar Time” in 4th place.
Derrick wanted those who had not spoken last year to get a chance this year, which meant a line up of Jim, Howard, Spike and Mike Pickard to say a few words as well as Bruce’s Oscar turn - and, mercifully, it was just a few nice words in each case.
Dave Charles arrived in with guitar quite unexpectedly and a great session was held in the lobby, the highlights of which were Derrick’s amazing rendition of “Heartbreak Hotel” and a song from someone no-one knew could sing when Bruce sang “Dublin in the Rare Auld Times” quite beautifully.This from a man who is from Leeds, spent many years in Aber and now lives in California. Beryl sang along, giving no hint of the pain she was suffering - no, not Jim, but from her aching tooth.
The evening finished with a truly rousing and moving rendition of Dafydd Iwan’s “Yma O Hyd”, “Still Here”. And we are. And we will be.
A big thanks to Siân Phillips. Her senses must have been attuned to gold from Peru’s Inca Trail, finding a gold bracelet Jeanette had lost. Quite how she dropped it under scaffolding in the car park I do not know, but quite how Siân spotted it there I don’t know either. Well done; with the price of gold as it is I had no intention of replacing it!
So it was time for the last stroll up the Prom on Sunday morning and a kick of the bar for ourselves and for absent friends. In particular for Alec Coupland, sadly,who Jim discovered had recently passed away. Some departed then but a few of us went to Y Cabin - former café home of Phoenix - for a coffee, wanting to linger just a little longer in this special place. In the background I vaguely heard Bob Culley murmuring again of a final game of footy next year, but maybe I just imagined it…
Mildred talked about Billy Fury on the Saturday and how much she liked “Halfway to Paradise” (no, don’t try that one Derrick, she likes it). It seems to me that that is probably Dolgellau - Halfway to the Paradise that for so many years now has been Aberystwyth during our weekend there, our own Ceridigion-ar-Caribbean.
des drumm
April 2013
Those who attended this year are :-
Jim and Beryl Kettle
Derrick and Mildred Spragg
Ken and Ann Passmore
John and Shirley Ansell
Bruce Roughton
Dick German
Howard and Siân Phillips
Bob and Gaynor Culley
Mike and Lynda Jones
Mike and Shan Pickard
Pete and Kathy Strydom
Gaynor Hamer
Huw and Ellen Evans
Dave and Rose Charles
Des and Jeanette Drumm
On Sunday Mike Pickard and Bruce Roughton visited Penrhyncoch to meet up with old friends from the team they played with during their times in Aberystwyth. This photo was taken at their reunion.
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