2025 Reunion

“Dick Packham Misses Dinner” is no longer a shocking headline, this being the third year in a row he has missed the Friday night dinner. Still, Dick hasn’t had too many hattricks to his name. This was a little less dramatic than the extraordinary 2024 saga, merely arriving late after a long journey and no key left out for him at his accommodation. So he slept in the reception of the Marine. Since the bar area, which led to the gents toilets, was locked only the ladies were accessible. He would have had the support of the demonstrators on the Prom on Saturday I am sure. I asked did the staff arriving in the morning pose problems, but apparently they had not arrived by 8 am, when he left. Rowly escaped the curse of Dick Packham by wisely travelling separately this year. 

“Better than Barbados”, said Jeanette as the sun shone brightly on the amazingly blue waters lapping North Beach on Friday, setting the tone for the weather for the weekend. Aber looked at its best, especially after two previous years of bad weather, including Storm Kathleen. Despite Aber looking well, there was a lot of scaffolding on the buildings on the front. Not to hold them up as you may have supposed but the Marine was putting in new windows with several other buildings doing similarly or cleaning and re-painting. Buildings on the front are a bit like the Forth Bridge, I suspect: the day you finish is the day you start.

Once again Jeanette and I visited the National Library, which had an exhibition called “No Welsh Art” ( a deliberately provocative title, possibly echoing “Not Welsh Here”) and a photographic exhibition,“ Byd Bach Aber”. The latter was of photographs by Belfast man Bruce Cardswell, who arrived to study in 1981 and never left. Not the first or the last, even if most do leave physically.

Heading downstairs to meet the group for dinner in the Glengower, I could hear that Lev had arrived. Everyone did I am sure, even in the Glengower. Lev, Mary-Lee and son Stuart had come over again from Cincinnati: they are great to make the trip so regularly. This year they took in the Lake District whilst here, staying at Lake Windermere. I found it difficult to envisage Lev quietly enjoying a visit to Mrs Tiggy-Winkle’s House.The Glengower is a short stroll from the Marine. Food portions were generous and the wine flowed freely. Literally. Ex-Arabs footballer, Andy McDonald, now living in New York, paid for the wine - a most generous gesture from someone who has never attended a reunion. The group was in a low-ceilinged back area of the hotel and as the wine bottles emptied the noise levels got higher.... and higher again. Luckily Jim’s attempt to sing The Young Ones (backed by Lev) didn’t lead anywhere much otherwise we could have suffered significant hearing loss.

Saturday breakfast was followed by a walk to Clarach. Some just took the funicular up “Consti” but more climbed the hill and did the walk. Thirteen had well-deserved ice-creams or coffee in Clarach, though Jeanette cheated just a little, doing the walk but taking the railway up and down. This year I asked what was in Derek’s rucksack. Disappointingly it was not oxygen, crampons or a bottle of brandy, just water and a map - even though it is rather difficult getting lost going to Clarach. From the top of Consti we gazed down on Aber in the sunshine: a sight of which you never get tired.

It was all go. Once back it was 2pm for the ladies who were going shopping and/or 4pm in Libertine for pre dinner cocktails. Since dinner was 7pm I did wonder just how many cocktails they were planning on drinking. 

Left to Right - Mildred Spragg, Shan Pickard, Jeanette Drumm, Mary Lee Edwards, Beryl Kettle, Rose Charles, Rita Lewis, Ann Passmore, Shirley Ansell

Men drifted off to do men things, like watch football in The White Horse. There was also the option of the pro-Trans demonstration at the bandstand to protest against the Supreme Court ruling on what is a man and what is a woman. This would have interested Dick Packham. 

Dinner in the Marine was 7pm prompt, not just because us oldies need our sleep, but the celebration of Jaci and Felicity‘s wedding was on in the ballroom with 200 guests and we needed to be fed first. Jaci and Felicity were two ladies in their 80s. Why would you bother at that stage? But bother they did and it was a full-on glittery gala night. However, it could not match the singing of the Aber (former) footballers and wives. Dave Charles was on electric form and the 60s and 70s favourites were rolled out. Technology has moved on and lyrics were now on phones - a distinct advantage for most, though for some of us most of the words are burned into our minds from multiple repetition in the bars of Aber. This year Dave played “Yma O Hyd”, and sang it with great passion. A wonderful way to end a great evening. Many thanks to Dave, who looked exhausted by the end of what was the best session for years.

The after dinner speech had been given by Tiggy, delivered with all the poise and style honed in his years as Chairman of Aber Town FC. Counter-intuitively he welcomed the team’s relegation and was sorry that it didn’t happen years ago. All our support for the team had obviously been misplaced and last year we should have been supporting Bridgend along with Howard. The parallels with the (English) Premier League were clear: even in the Welsh Premier League, money don’t talk, it swears (thank you Bob Dylan). It is not known if they will be in Cymru North or South next year- a problem of being in the middle. Sunday morning and time for a final walk down the Prom, kicking the bar and press-ganging an innocent passer-by to take the group photo. Then off to the Prom Diner for the final tea, coffee or hot chocolate (with all the trimmings of course). Then people drifted off back home or onward to another destination. 

Despite rumours to the contrary, John Ansell was at the reunion. Mike and Shan Pickard were, happily, there after daughter Sara’s successful heart operation. There were apologies from Alec/Alex because of knee surgery, Pete and Kathy Strydom in USA, Dick German, Mick and Jeanna Dobson, Bruce and Magdalen Roughton, Gwilym Williams, Mike Degaute and the hero of Friday night, Andy McDonald.

Anthony Evans only attended on Friday and unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to talk to him about our shared favourite subjects: cricket and history. I quote from his lovely “In the Shadow of Pen Dinas” book, when writing about “West is Best”: “ the sky gives way to a magnificent orange and red sky as sunset approaches, and eventually the sun descends into the Irish Sea”. My photographs of the Saturday night sunset confirm just that.

A final thank you to Jim and Beryl Kettle for their organisation - and letting me know that the Marine had overcharged me £80 - as well as Derrick and Mildred Spragg and Ken and Ann Passmore. It was another organisational triumph that I think every one of the 35 attendees enjoyed.

Des Drumm 31/4/25

Attendees, an extraordinary 35 in total:

Tiggy and Marilyn Bates
Spike and Lynda Jones
Mike and Shan Pickard
Allan Banwell
Lev, Mary-Lee and Stuart Edwards
John (Rowly) Rowlands
Dick Wrigley
Mike Purslove
Ken and Ann Passmore
Rob and Gaynor Culley
Jim and Beryl Kettle
Huw and Elen Evans
Howard Phillips
Des and Jeanette Drumm
John and Shirley Ansell
Dave and Rose Charles
Glyn (Louie) and Rita Lewis
Derrick and Mildred Spragg
Dick Packham
Mick Newman
Anthony Evans

Top - Photo outside the Marine on Sunday morning
Bottom Derrick and Mike Pickard and then Jim Kettle and John Ansell 

Top left - Rose Charles, Mary -Lee Edwards and Mildred. 
On Consti - Rose, Jim, Rita Lewis, Mike Purslove, Dave Charles, Des Drumm and Mary-Lee.
Mildred Spragg, Shirley Ansell and Mary-Lee

Final group photo at the bar on Sunday morning