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Pipe Club of Norfolk |
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HISTORY OF THE PIPE CLUB BOOK FOR SALE
Published in December 2016, the Pipe Club of Norfolk book covers the first 40 years of the club.
54 black and white pages with 40 pictures illustrating various events in the club's history.
This book represents a fascinating part of pipe smoking social history.
The .pdf file copy costs only GBP £4.99 or USD $5.99
To obtain a .pdf copy, simply click on the following Paypal link and enter payment details:
https://www.paypal.me/norfolkpipeclubbook 
I shall email your .pdf copy as soon as I see your order.
A few hard copies are available on Ebay: click here
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Volume 5 Number 1 Spring 2004
PCN Meeting 17 December 2003 |
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The evening commenced with the Chairman presenting Nina, the landlady of the Rosary Tavern, with a Christmas present from the club members. 36 prizes were up for grabs in the Christmas draw, including some very good quality pipes, lots of tobacco, whisky, wine and chocolates. A certain Mr. Ellis led the field of winners with five prizes- hardly surprising as he won just about everything in 2003. The evening was rounded off with festive fare including sausage rolls and chocolate logs.
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'Only smoking distinguishes us from the rest of the animals.' (Anon.)
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The 17th AGM took place at the Coach and Horses on 17 January. The Chairman expressed his wish to stand down, and Secretary Shaun Struthers was elected to the post. Keith Coleman took the position as Secretary. It was proposed that the annual subscription be raised from £3 to 3 guineas, and to this day our annual fees are still calculated in guineas, making us and Tattersalls quite unique. After the AGM a music quiz was organised by the outgoing Secretary, who played a forty minute tape from which members were required to name the artistes. An exciting finish, involving a recount, resulted in John Leverington being declared winner. He was presented with 50 grammes of Clan.
The Annual Briar Contest took place in February, with 4 grammes of Benson and Hedges Mellow Virginia being smoked in pipes of members' choice. Interesting to note that a certain Mr Ellis was the first to go out after 6'30. The winner was Frank King Snr. with 56'40.
March saw a new member, Keith Garrard, join the assembled throng for the first time (little did they know what they were letting themselves in for- no more raffle wins, for one). A wide range of cheese and pickles was on offer.
April's smoking contest involved Jambo meerschaums and a subtle blend of tobacco produced by the Chairman. This proved to burn rather quickly, and Shaun Struthers won with only 36'30. He was presented with a green meerschaum. It was reported at the May meeting that a trio of club members had taken part in a contest in Hungary. Articles and photographs had appeared in local papers, and a radio interview was recorded. This was in fact the Kaposvar International Peace-Pipe Festival in which Len Ellis finished 9th with 60'47, Phil Lewis 16th with 47'37 and John Betts 28th with 32'07.
An aviation evening took place in July (was this the occasion when John Betts took some members 'up' at Little Snoring airfield, or was it the tour of Norwich Airport?). The month also saw Frank King Jnr. organising a quiz, which was won by Keith Coleman. August's trip to Cromer was attended by 10 members, was it the Red Lion, Mary Jane's Fish and Chips or Crossways Tobacconists on a special late-opening that attracted them?
At the September meeting it was announced that the Coach and Horses would shortly be closing. Three alternatives for our HQ were suggested: St. Andrew's Tavern, Magpie and Freemason's Arms. However, at the October meeting Keith Garrard and Frank King Jnr. announced that they had secured the use of the Clubroom at the Rosary Tavern. After a short discussion the Rosary was adopted. Then we enjoyed an interesting talk, followed by samples, from Peter Wainwright of Rothmans. A darts competition was held in November and a Real Ale sampling in December.
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PCN 32nd Annual General Meeting
held on 21 January 2004 |
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Apologies were received, minutes of the 2003 meeting read and approved, and the Chairman made his report. he said that the club had had another very good year, and that the Norfolk Championship was again a success. Balance sheets for both the club and championship funds were produced and accepted. The Auditor gave a favourable report, and all officers were elected en bloc- Chairman Len Ellis, Vice Chairman Reg Walker, Secretary/Treasurer Keith Garrard. The AGM took 33 minutes to complete. Before the normal monthly business, a buffet was enjoyed and a raffle held. Instead of using the Secretary's Magic Bag the winning tickets were drawn from the Chairman's new trilby. This ploy failed to work, as the Secretary still won a prize.
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| PCN Meeting 18 February 2004 |
The Secretary divulged the identity of the mystery pipesmoker depicted in the Winter 2003 Newsletter. It was Burl Ives. Well, I'll go to the Top of Old Smokey. Only four members got this right, and their names were placed in the hat. The winner was Dick Alexander, so 50 grammes of tobacco will be crossing the Atlantic to the Secretary of the Arkansas Pipe Puffers. The British Championship was discussed and five members agreed to represent the club at this event.
The Annual Briar Contest took place, smoking 3 grammes of Murray's RB Flake in pipes of each member's choice. James Oxley-Brennan took an early bath, going out after only 3'45. At the 50 minute mark only four smokers remained (and this did not include the great Len Ellis). Colin Wylie went out at 51'40; new member Robert Quartley soon followed at 52'00 and John Eason held up his hand at 53'35, leaving John Walker the winner with 57'30. John's winning prize was a Parker pipe, with the runner-up receiving 50 grammes of Squadron Leader. Everybody agreed that the tobacco was very nice but produced poor times. A raffle was held in which 7 magnificent prizes were up for grabs. No tears were shed when the Secretary failed to win a prize.
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With smoking being banned in all public places in the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland from January 2004, how long will it be before we have to hide in our houses and flats, curtains drawn, to light up our pipes? With so many Ha Ha Bars and Slug and Lettuces appearing, the traditional English Pub is slowly disappearing. A smoking ban could wipe them out completely. The Pipesmokers' Council is no more, being renamed the Pipe and Pipe Tobacco Trade Association, as such representing the trade only. Pipe Clubs are considered to represent the general public and can no longer be encouraged. Laurence Marks, President of PPTTA, said in his speech at the annual luncheon at the Savoy Hotel in London that his role had changed from being President of the Pipesmokers' Council to being president of a load of initials. To access the PPTTA website you have to be in the trade, and enter a password. Although President, Mr Marks said that as he was not in the trade he could not view the website, but had no difficulty in accessing Asian Babes! He also said that he had approached a well known personality who had agreed to be Pipeman of the Year 2004, but alas we are no longer allowed to have one. All a bit sad, really.
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'A cigarette lends itself much less readily to the self-asserting appropriation that for Sartre, following Hegel, is the motive for the ownership of things. Sartre writes, for example: 'Thus, to the extent that I appear to myself as creating objects simply by virtue of appropriation, these objects are me. The pen and the pipe, the clothing, the desk, the house, is me. The totality of my possessions reflects the totality of my being. I am what I have.' Cigarettes cannot be Sartrean objects of appropriation; rather, they are abstract, unindividuated entities that can be offered and accepted indiscriminately. Having few qualitative determinations, they frustrate efforts to foster the illusion of being a kind of surrogate self, an exteriorization of one's most intimate identity. But to whom does one offer a pipe? If I am what I have, since I have nothing so completely as my pipe, la pipe c'est moi. One would never dream of asserting 'I am my cigarette' unless one were seized with a Mallarmean rage to vanish.'
(From Cigarettes are Sublime written by Richard Klein in 1993).
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Wednesday 21 April: A musical extravaganza on pre-war shellac presented by the famous duo, Coleman and Walker.
Sunday 25 April: Dutch Open Championship at Café St. Marten, Oirschot.
Wednesday 19 May: Cigar smoking contest. Who can produce the longest ash?
Sunday 6 June: British Championship at Knowle, West Midlands.
Wednesday 16 June: The annual pipe smoking contest using 4grs. of tobacco. 98 minutes will beat the record.
Wednesday 7 July: The Annual Bowls Tournament at the British Rail green. 1830 start. Sandwiches at The Rosary afterwards.
Wednesday 21 July: NAME THAT TUNE. Famous Scottish musician Ken Forbes will entertain us on his organ. A haggis for the winner.
Sunday 10 October: The 13th Norfolk Open Championship at the Lansdowne Hotel, Norwich.
Saturday 30/Sunday 31 October: The 14th European Championship at the Scandic Hotel, Copenhagen.
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Subscriptions for 2004 are now overdue, if you have not yet renewed your membership please send a cheque for £6.30 to:
Keith Garrard
18 Florence Road
Norwich
NR1 4BJ
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Volume 5 Number 2 Summer 2004
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| PCN Meeting 17 March 2004 |
Two trays of Danish Nording Pipes were on offer at greatly reduced prices for PCN members before the meeting, following which the Chairman concluded PCN business by the bang of his gavel.
Then up came Ronnie Bobbin who presented his Quiz of Famous Pipe Smokers. 23 pictures with subsidiary questions put 46 points on the table, and Mark Twain, Nigel Bruce, Captain Haddock from Tin Tin, and even a pipe-smoking Britney Spears featured. It takes Ronnie about a year to put one of these together and at the end he was thanked by the Chairman and given a hearty round of applause. The winner, with 29 correct answers, was Secretary Garrard, with Vice Chairman Walker bringing up the rear at 28. Reg was so pleased to finish second that he bought the winner a pint in the bar afterwards, even though he kept muttering 'that was never Ted Ray...'. The raffle raised £23 and the Secretary won some pens, thus enabling him to write more rubbish for the next Newsletter.
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When I was a youngster growing up in the wilds of a certain East Anglian county, the highlight of the Summer was the village fete. We all looked forward to the day's events with eager anticipation. There was bowling for a pig, the bonnie baby contest, and the shellfish stall where for sixpence you could buy a very small dish of cockles served with a huge wedge of dry bread. The local vicar was put into a set of stocks and we all threw wet sponges at him. Then there was this strange stall where you poked raffle tickets out of a drinking straw with a metal skewer. If you had the right number you could win a sherbet fountain.
These fetes were such big occasions that famous people volunteered to open them. The first I remember as a lad was Chris Gittings (Walter Gabriel of Archers fame). Later fetes were opened by Cyril Fletcher and Dick Campion (anyone remember what he did?). In the ring in the middle of the Park local schools gave gymnastic displays, and the fire brigade turned up with a brightly-polished engine, so we could climb aboard with our grubby little hands and ring the bell.
So to the point of all this reminiscing. I think that the Pipe Club of Norfolk should revive these pleasures. As very few of us has room to house a pig, we could try Bowling for a Pork Cheese. The Bonnie Baby Contest could be replaced by the Bonnie Baby Pipesmoking Competition. How does the thought of Frank King Junior in rompers grab you? I think we would all derive great pleasure from placing our Chairman in the stocks and throwing all the pipes he has won in past competitions at him. We could poke raffle tickets out of pipes with pipe-cleaners, and as for events in the ring I could approach the Thorpe Hamlet Over 80s Nudist Leapfrog Team (obviously taking care as from which direction I approached them). The Lord Mayor could be asked to open the event, but there is no way we will allow the Vice Chairman to run the Beer Tent.
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| PCN Annual Dinner Friday 26 March 2004 |
Twelve members assembled at The Rosary Tavern for our annual dinner. Starters included prawns on a bed of lettuce, home made mushroom soup and main courses of steak in a red wine and garlic sauce, Norfolk duck with apricot stuffing, all served with minted new potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The sweet course consisted of Ian's Mum's wonderful bread and butter pudding or fresh fruit in a filo basket. This was all washed down with lashings of Blossom Hill Australian red wine. After coffee was served, in accordance with our tradition, an unsuspecting member was called upon to give an impromptu speech. This year we were entertained by Frank King Jnr., fresh from his success in providing the lead letter in that day's Eastern Evening News who gave us an interesting short talk followed by a joke which we cannot repeat in this column.
Now, this is the way it works: the Secretary/Treasurer runs a free raffle; the three winners are the Chairman, the Vice Chairman and the Auditor, thus ensuring that his job is safe for another year. The top prize, a Comoy Collector pipe, was won by the Vice Chairman. Several members assembled in the bar afterwards to round the evening off with pints of real ale.
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| The Little Black Boy of a Single Leg |
Saci-Perere is the most famous character of Brazilian folklore. His legend is very well known in the towns of the country region- mainly inland Sao Paulo, in the Northeast and Amazon regions. Saci is a mischievous little black boy, with red eyes and only the left leg. He wears a red hat and is always seen smoking a pipe.
He likes to play tricks, and whistle through the roads during the night, and to braid the manes of animals while they sleep. Besides his tricks, Saci-Perere is also known as the Great Protector of the Forest, for he likes to scare people who walk in the woods to destroy them or to kill animals. Saci knows how to distinguish the local inhabitants from someone who is about to be attacked by snakes, spiders and scorpions. He is always there and ready to protect them. Many stories mention ticks and other parasites as the little boy's favourite food. When he wants to eat he looks for the back of an animal- horse, cow or wild boar- and he stuffs himself during the ride. Another favourite adventure of Saci is to travel inside Twisters, phenomena produced by the unbalance of atmospheres- real air spouts that are formed vertiginously in spirals, sweeping dry leaves, chips and sand when they pass. According to the country people from the Northeast, Saci is responsible for these phenomena, and if someone with great faith throws a glass Rosary onto the Twister, that person will catch the little black boy. The red hat gives Saci the power to become invisible, and to appear and disappear like smoke. he always announces himself with a shrilling whistle and he loves to smoke his pipe and puff the smoke in the direction of everyone who crosses his path. He never succeeds in lighting his pipe on his own, which is why he is always bothering smokers for a light.
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| Ten Park Drive and a Pint of Plain |
Beneath a photograph of a Dublin pub outside which is a sign stating For sale: 100 used ashtrays going cheap' Richard Ingrams diarised his Observer column on 4 April with the words:
'Some years ago, WB Yeats announced Romantic Ireland's dead and gone. It's with O'Leary in the grave.' I cannot recall what provoked the great poet's sad reflection on his homeland (for those of you worried about this, it was his poem September 1913).
The point is that in spite of Yeats I have continued to cling to an image of a romantic Ireland as a place that is significantly different from the UK... a dreamy, rain-sodden place full of ruins, eccentric aristocrats, drunks, priests and poets. Romantic, in other words. By putting a ban on smoking in all pubs and bars...the Irish have shown that when it comes to political correctness, which is the bane of modern life, they are well in advance of any country, including our own.
Was it for this the wild geese spread/ The grey wing upon every tide/For this that all that blood was shed......Poor old Yeats cannot be the only great Irishman to be turning in his grave as a result of all these sad events.'
© Richard Ingrams, Observer Newspapers.
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The 18th AGM took place at the Rosary Tavern on 16 January 1991. The Chairman reported that the club had had a successful year, and the Treasurer recommended that the annual subscription be increased to 5 guineas. This was agreed. Officers elected were Len Ellis (Chairman), Shaun Struthers (Secretary) and Keith Garrard (Treasurer). The meeting closed at 8.55 p.m.
In February it was announced that Phil Leach and Ray Lewis had tied for first place in the Secretary's Christmas Numerical Quiz. Each received 25grammes of tobacco. The Annual Briar Contest was held, with the first out being Len Ellis (oh! how we loved those days of yore). Rod Howard won a Dr. Plumb pipe for his 63'20.
March saw Keith Garrard's trivia quiz, which was won by Frank King Snr, and April was a mardle, mainly organising future events. In May the Secretary introduced a new member- James Oxley-Brennan, and in June Frank King Jnr. won the Annual Clay Contest at 49'03.
In July we feasted on cheese and pickles, organised by Keith and Landlady Ann Mortimer. We also were invited to guess the country of origin, with Len Ellis getting back in form by winning with a score of 5 out of 12. He was presented with a bottle of Crippled Cock. (I'm rather glad I lost- I don't want one of those again). August involved sampling Amphora tobaccos, including Brasil and Orient.
On September 9th four members attended the Pewsey Carnival in Wiltshire to take part in their Clay Pipesmoking Contest, held in the Royal Oak smoking a dark cigarette shag, which made the clays even hotter than usual. Len Ellis won with a very creditable 60 minutes, with Shaun Struthers second and local man Alistair Sinclair in third place. Pints of Wadworth's Ale were downed to ease the burning tongues, and at 10.30 carriages were summoned to the hotel, when the found celebrations still in full swing. They just missed the Ladies' Yard of Ale Contest, but the Band struck up again and they were forced to take more beer. Must have been hell.
In September Peter Wrightson gave a talk on tobaccos distributed by John Soloman followed by a video on Cigar manufacture. All were presented with a Borkum Riff pipe tool and tobacco samples.
Perfect Summer weather was available for the five members who met in the Red Lion Cromer on 20 September. Darren Jenner of Crossways Tobacconist produced samples of Licorice Flake, Dundee Mixture and Golden Mystery. The usual visit was paid to the shop and to Mary Jane's for fish and chips.
James Oxley-Brennan gave us a talk on the history of matches in October. James has made a lifetime study of the subject, and his extensive knowledge was apparent during his talk (note to James: about time you gave us another one!). In November Keith Garrard organised another quiz (has he no mercy?) at the last minute, as the planned speaker was not well. This was won by James Oxley-Brennan, and as a prize he was given two free squares on the Christmas Draw Sheet. Terry Pearce and John Browning arrived laden with gifts at the December meeting, to swell the number of prizes in the Draw to 31. After the Draw, we all enjoyed a sumptuous buffet.
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| PCN Meeting 21 April 2004 |
During Club business the entries for the British Championship were confirmed, and it was agreed that we make a donation from PCN towards the UK registration fee for the CIPC.
The evening was then handed over to the Club's version of Terry Wogan and Fatboy Slim, aka Reg Walker and Keith Coleman, who presented for our delight (the doors were locked and sentries posted) a music quiz involving some two dozen 78rpm records and two wind-up portable gramophones. The wide-ranging selection ranged from Tommy Handley to Ronnie Hilton via Sidney Bechet, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Billy Cotton, Johnnie Ray, Eve Boswell, Jerry Colonna, Mel Blanc and The Ancient Order of Foresters. The winner was a man who forgets something only so that he has room for two more items of trivia, John Eason, with 37 points. His nearest rivals were The Management- Len Ellis and Keith Garrard, each with 23 points. Surprisingly (to the organisers at least) one or two members admitted to 'nul points.' What did their mothers make them do when Uncle Mac was on the Light Programme? And what did they listen to over Sunday lunch when The Billy Cotton Bandshow was on? Anyway, on the way home afterwards members were greeted with cars tooting their horns and waving flags from their windows. Had the Coleman-Walker Nighthawks really been that good, or was it something to do with Norwich City FC and their promotion to Premiership football?
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| Dutch Open Championship Sunday 25 April 2004 |
Three PCN members, Keith Garrard, John Eason and Robert Quartley set out for a weekend away on Friday morning, leaving Norwich at 0830 and arriving at Manningtree with time to spare before the train to Harwich. After grabbing a quick cup of coffee in the best station buffet in East Anglia, Keith and John boarded the train to the ferry. Unfortunately, Robert managed to board a train bound for London, but mysteriously reappeared on the rail platform at the Hook of Holland (does First run a Tardis service?). We arrived in Eindhoven and booked into the Mandarin Park Plaza Hotel, and having freshened ourselves up we took an evening stroll into the town centre and partook of a meal in a café bar after which a few Belgian beers were sunk in the hotel bar. Saturday was set aside for sightseeing and shopping, especially in the local tobacconist. An evening meal comprising Indonesian Rijsttafel (with the Nasi Goreng pedis and the Pisang doorbakken?) was once again washed down in the hotel with a few beers.
At 0945 on Sunday we were picked up by Henk Hulsen from the local pipe club and driven to the village of Oirschot, a rather pleasant place with a large church and plenty of bars. We took a stroll around the village in the warm Spring sunshine, after which we enjoyed lunch. At around 1330 we were all seated at our tables for a presentation of Urthel beer. The four beers ranged from 5% to 12% and we were invited to try them all, followed by a shot of Geneva Gin (and now the previous PCN contestants at this event, Ellis and Walker, are getting really sorry they were unable to make it this year). Anyway, this was followed by the presentation to the Dutch Pipesmoker of the Year. The competition got underway smoking Orlik Sweet Dublin in Big Ben pipes. There were 81 competitors, with visitors from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and of course England. Robert made it to 27'13, closely followed by John with 27'40. Keith finished in 35th place with 47'58 (respectably in the top half at least) and the winner was Hans Sonderman from the Dordrecht Pipesmokers Guild with 2'30'00. Runner-up was Rudi Kirbo from Copenhagen with 1'54'13. Lots of old acquaintances were renewed and lots of new friends made. A very sociable event, well organised by the Brabantsch Pipesmokers Guild. Following the Champions Dinner we were driven back to our hotel, where we finished the day off with a few more Belgian beers. The long trek back on the Monday was made easier by the three course meal on the ferry. We arrived back in Norwich at 2030 after a good weekend, and guess who headed straight for The Rosary for a few pints of Black Sheep?
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Wednesday 7 July Annual Bowls Tournament at the British Rail green. 1830 start, followed by sandwiches at The Rosary.
Wednesday 21 July 'Name that Tune.' Famous Scottish musician Ken Forbes will entertain us on his organ. A haggis for the winner.
Wednesday 18 August Auction night. Bring along all your unwanted pipes and artefacts and the Secretary will put them under the hammer.
Wednesday 15 September Annual clay pipe smoking competition.
Sunday 10 October 13th Norfolk Open Pipesmoking Championship held at the Lansdowne Hotel.
Wednesday 20 October Our old friend and local historian Dick Barham will once again be with us to present an evening of pictures and facts about Norwich and the surrounding area.
Saturday 30/Sunday 31 October The 14th European Championship at the Scandic Hotel, Copenhagen.
Wednesday 3 November Bullseye. The annual darts competition at The Rosary.
Wednesday 17 November It's cheese and pickle night, with cheeses from around the world and pickles from around Tesco's.
Wednesday 15 December Wear a funny hat- it's Christmas Draw and Party Night. Loads of prizes and plenty of food.
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CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, recently held a survey on smoking in public places. The results were as follows: 50% of adults disagree with a total ban on smoking in pubs and bars. 30% are in favour of a total ban. Of regular pub users, only 18% of adults support a total ban. Only 40% of non-smokers support a total ban compared with 11% of smokers. 83% of adults support the view that pubs, where possible, should have a number of rooms to meet the needs of both smokers and non-smokers.
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The Chairman announced that there would be an Extraordinary Meeting arranged for Wednesday 2 June whereupon BBC Look East reporter and cameras would be in attendance to record our training regime for the British Championship. Rumours that Sebastian Coe would assess this as an Olympic Event have yet to be confirmed.
The draw for the correct entries for the Newsletter Name the Famous Pipe Smoker competition was won by John Walker, who was presented with 50 grammes of Captain Black tobacco. The mystery man was Stanley Baldwin (for younger readers, he was a Prime Minister, not a character in Coronation Street). A similar draw was then made for the online quiz running on our website for some time. The winner was Robert Quartley.
The floor was then handed to Peter Wrightson of Loretta Cigars, who gave us a presentation on CAO Cigars- handmade in Nicaragua and The Honduras. Peter's talk was most entertaining, and he answered a host of questions from members, and made samples available to all. This was followed by our Annual Cigar Smoking Contest to see who could produce the longest ash. A timescale of 30 minutes was allowed under the watchful eye of invigilator Keith Coleman, who finished up almost running around the room in an attempt to measure the length of our members.
The eventual winner was Tony Larner with exactly two inches, with Len Ellis runner up with one and fifteen sixteenths (Coleman is nothing if not precise with his tool). Peter Wrightson presented the winner with a handsome leather cigar case. Ten prizes were up for grabs in the raffle, and the Secretary just managed to bag the last prize.
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| Lord Byron speaks from the grave |
Sublime tobacco! Which from East to West
Cheers the Tar's labour or the Sultan's rest
Divine in hookahs, glorious in a pipe
When tipped with amber, mellow rich and ripe
Like other charmers, wooing the caress
More dazzling when daring in full dress
Yet thy true lovers more admire by far
They make beauties- give me a cigar.
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Volume 5 Number 3 Autumn 2004
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| Special Meeting 2 June 2004 |
A special meeting was arranged so that BBC Look East cameras could film us 'training' for the British Championship. We assembled in the Rosary clubroom and held a contest smoking 3 grammes of the British Championship tobacco, Samuel Gawith's Firedance Flake in pipes of the members' choice.
BBC reporter Dean Arnett interviewed most of the members prior to the start of the contest, after which our Chairman ran through the rules. First out of the running was Frank King Senior with 28'05. Len Ellis finished third with 52'20, John Betts second with 53'25and the winner was Reg Walker with 61'40. Luckily the camera did not pick up the unseemly grumblings of 'only win when there's no prize, mutter mutter.' The following evening edited highlights of the film were shown on Look East, with the stars of the show being Frank Snr. ('it's cos me leg's playing up'), Keith Coleman (rumours are that BBC are commissioning a series on his training regime of jogging and press-ups, not to speak of 'tobacco-caressing') and Tony 'Ive got a blockage' Larner. John Walker's attempt to inject a riper comment in the pre-watershed programme was unfortunately masked with a fit of someone's coughing.
A light-hearted piece of television, well put together. Well done Dean, who should be encouraged by the fact that people as far away as Southend and (incredibly) Spain rang in to say that they had seen it.
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| British Championship Sunday 6 June 2004 |
Keith Garrard and Reg Walker left for Birmingham on the Saturday morning, and after a four and a half hour journey enjoyed a few pints sitting outside The Wilson's Arms in Knowle. A Chinese meal that night was washed down with another few pints in The Vaults. After a hearty Sunday breakfast Keith and Reg headed to the Old Silhillans Club to meet the rest of the gang- Len Ellis, Tony Larner, John Betts, John Walker and Colin Wylie.
Unfortunately there was a lack of trade stands this year. Clive Humm was there with his top grade pipes, Ian Walker of Northern Briar Repairs had made 30 pipes for the occasion, and Hollingsworths Tobacconists were offering a good range of tobaccos at a reasonable price. 41 contestants from as far away as Aberdeen, Northern Ireland and Cornwall were placed in team groups and issued with 3 grammes of Samuel Gawith's Firedance Flake and a Nording pipe. Norfolk fielded two teams with John Barnes making up the number in PCN2.
Len Ellis (PCN1) was the first Norfolk victim when after 14'56 he was deemed to have tampered with the pipe not in his mouth. John Barnes PCN2 went out at 32'55, Tony Larner PCN1 at 39'49, John Betts PCN2 41'37, Keith Garrard PCN1 42'30, John Walker PCN1 46'58, Colin Wylie PCN2 47'11 and Reg Walker PCN1 finished in overall fourth place with 70'17. The winner was Reg Stevens (JHPC1) with a time of 81'18 The team event was won by JHPC1 with PCN1 finishing third, so we will have to wait another year to get the Darren Jenner Shield back. Reg Walker won a splendid Peterson for his fourth place, and he is saving it for a Christmas present for the Secretary. Or it may have turned into a box of matches by then.
Several spot prizes were awarded, with both Colin and Keith winning. The very pleasant weather, and a cricket match in progress outside the clubhouse for our entertainment made for a good day out, and thanks are due to Tim Knight and his band of helpers for a very well organised event. Sunday evening arrived and while the others headed for home Keith, Reg and Tony found themselves in a Thai Restaurant and a local pub, where it was quiz night. The 'Tree Muskateers' pitted their wits against the young intelligentsia (just who is Beyonce Knowles?). Unfortunately they finished last and won a bag of crisps each.
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This was our annual contest smoking four grammes of tobacco. This was originally the amount smoked in contests, and there are still records to be beaten. The Secretary had blended a wonderful mixture especially for the contest (It still has no name. Any suggestions?). Members smoked pipes of their choice, and some contestants brought along pipes too small to fit the whole four grammes.
John Walker was first to go at 21'35, and when Keith Garrard called it a day at 58'50 only three smokers were left. Colin Wylie finished third with 60'14; the mighty Len Ellis was second with 76'30 and the winner was James Oxley-Brennan with 79'30.As the Vice Chairman was absent (in a post-Bloomsday stupor in The Garden House, as it happens) the secretary presented the prizes. James received a Parker pipe and Len 50 grammes of Punchbowle. The usual raffle was held, and the Secretary failed to win a prize. He is obviously losing his touch.
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| Annual Bowls Tournament 7 July 2004 |
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It's the first week in July, the middle of our English summer. The wind gusted up to 50 mph, the rain came down in bucketfuls and we all stayed indoors. Nothing more to say.
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Famous Scottish musician Ken Forbes presented a music quiz on his organ. Film themes, TV themes, hits from Musicals and much more. The winner of the quiz was James Oxley-Brennan, who was given the choice between a haggis and 50 grammes of Scottish Flake as a prize. James surprisingly took the tobacco. The Chairman thanked Ken for a very entertaining evening.
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| The TBC (Tobacco, Beer and Coffee) Diet: a solution to the obesity epidemic! |
Smokers in general tend to be thinner than non-smokers and this is believed to be because nicotine acts as an appetite suppressant and increases the metabolic rate. Here is my idea for a diet based on tobacco, beer and coffee.
Smoke as much tobacco as you like. The tobacco may be pipe tobacco or cigars. Snuff may also be taken. The tobacco will help to suppress your appetite, so smoke when you feel hungry. A three gramme pipe of tobacco costs about fifty pence, which compares favourably to the price of a snack.
Drink as much beer as you want, as this liquid bread will provide valuable nutrients.
Coffee with sugar and milk to taste is of course essential as it will help you wake up in the morning after your beer-drinking session of the previous night. Coffee will also help overcome the feeling of faintness due to lack of food.
Force yourself to eat. One meal two or three times a week should suffice. Eat as much as you want of anything you like but all of it must be consumed within thirty minutes. If you are not sure what to eat, follow these simple colour-coded guidelines:
anything black or brown is probably OK as long as you can eat it without breaking your teeth.
red, orange and yellow foods should be cooked until they turn black or brown.
something that was originally green is usually desirable. Something that has turned green may be risky.
anything blue is to be avoided.
all white foods are good for you!
Get as much exercise as possible. Put your ashtray/tobacco/matches etc. at the other end of the room so you have to walk to get them. Also, walk to the tobacconist/pub/off-licence. This will save on travelling costs and also help to protect the environment.
We now have a Virtuous Circle:
You are happy because you are leaner, fitter and drunk most of the time.
The Government is happy because of all the tobacco and beer tax you are paying.
Environmentalists are happy because of your reduced use of transport.
An ideal solution to so many problems! This diet works for me. I've been living like this for years and am as thin as a rake!
Nota Bene: This diet is not recommended for those who operate machinery.
© John 'Lean Mean Smoking Machine' Walker.
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The Irish Independent carried an article where the owner of six pubs in Galway claimed that since the smoking ban 'on average business has collapsed by 63%.' Furthermore, some pubs in Ireland are not opening their doors until 8pm because publicans who are struggling to keep afloat are being forced to take on an extra job. 29 million fewer pints were sold last year, and many pubs are now reporting a 25% drop in turnover. They are 'certainly looking at staff being laid off and maybe pubs closing and licences going to off-licences.'
The Guardian went back to the 1890s, when members of the Religious Tract Society were worried about the growth of female moustaches, stimulated by the constant movement of the lips while smoking. Tobacco was also renowned as an aphrodisiac, being a treatment for syphilis, a disinfectant in plague time, and a cure for toothache. The seeds and leaves were used to treat running wounds, scrofula and rabies (the limbs first being washed with urine). James 1 of England wrote A Counterblast to Tobacco in 1604, damning smoking as 'a branch of the sin of drunkenness, which is the root of all sins.' Then he taxed it and reaped the economic benefits. Sounds familiar?
The EDP reports that 'smokers who use the 'one' Norwich to London train service will have to wait until their journey is over for a cigarette from 6 September. Smoking accommodation on the Intercity trains in carriage B for standard class passengers and part of carriage K for first-class passengers will be discontinued.' Also that 'Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health partnership NHS Trust has adopted a smoke-free policy throughout all of its properties.'
Is there nowhere left for us to go for a quiet smoke?
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The 19th AGM took place on 15 January. The Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer were all re-elected. Reg Walker and John Betts gave a report of their recent visit to the House of Lords and Commons Pipe Club. Keith Garrard ran a raffle in which Tony Linklater won a T-shirt and John Betts won 25g. of Sangria. A committee was formed to organise the first ever Norfolk Pipesmoking Championship.
In February the annual briar smoking contest took place using 3 g. of Troost Aromatic (whose idea was that?). The contest was won by Len Ellis in 67'17 with Frank King Senior the runner-up. The winner received an Invicta pipe. A raffle was held in which Len Ellis won first prize of a jar of pickles (no expense spared in those days). At the March meeting James Oxley-Brennan gave a talk on the History of Tobacco. This was followed by Stan Steward from Cromer who, together with Darren Jenner, had brought along a large quantity of snuff. This was sampled by the members while Stan gave an impromptu talk. Also in March the club dinner took place at the Rosary Tavern. In April Frank King Junior presented a general knowledge quiz, which most members found to be rather difficult. In fact, the highest score was five points (personally I didn't understand any of it).
A general natter took place at the May meeting, and the annual Clay competition in June, smoking 3g of St. Bruno Flake in clay churchwardens. This was won by Frank King Senior, in a time of 62'58 with John Leverington the runner-up (46'27). Frank won a James Upshall pipe. In the raffle it was Keith Garrard's turn to win the pickled onions. At the July meeting Frank King Junior gave a talk on the history of Colman's Mustard. Booklets, illustrated brochures and samples were made available to the members. The Chairman thanked Frank for a most entertaining presentation. The first ever club Bowls championship was also held in July at the British Rail bowling green. Seven club members and three guests took part. The winner was John 'super bowler' Leverington. A splendid buffet was laid on at the Rosary Tavern afterwards.
Keith Coleman stood in at the last minute at the August meeting as our guest speaker could not make it. He gave a very interesting talk on the American game of Baseball. On Friday 21 August six members went on the annual pilgrimage to Cromer. On 23 September a special meeting was called to welcome John Rinaldi and Joe Reva, two visiting pipe smokers from the USA. They had been met by the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer at Thorpe Station in the afternoon and taken on a tour of Norwich, including the Cathedral, Churchill's Tobacconist, the Bridewell Museum, Colman's Mustard Shop and the USAAF memorial museum in the city library. The meeting took place in our clubroom with lively discussion and a buffet and went on from 5.30 to 8.30 when the two guests had to leave for the train.
Sunday 18 October saw the first ever Norfolk Pipesmoking Championship at the Lansdowne Hotel in Norwich. 53 people were summoned to lunch by the MC, Stan Steward, and after the three course meal a raffle was held with prizes supplied by our many sponsors. Guest speaker for the day was Mike Butler of the Pipesmokers Council, who gave a short smoking-related talk after lunch. 31 competitors sat down for the contest in which 3g of Glengarry Flake was smoked in briars made for the event by Invicta Briars. The first smoker to go out in the first ever championship was Len Ellis (make a note of that- it could become a quiz question) in 11'54. At the 50 minute mark there were only four smokers left. Ray Lewis departed at 50'47, Graham Gage (an unattached visiting smoker) at 52'24 and the runner-up Reg Walker at 54'36. This left as the winner the only lady taking part, Jo Lewis, who managed 56'07. Prizes were presented to the first four and everyone agreed that the day had been a great success.
At the October monthly meeting Stan Steward gave a talk on snuff with enough snuff not to be sneezed at.
November saw a darts tournament at the Rosary in which John Leverington beat Keith Garrard in a closely fought final, and later in the month a cheese evening where mature Stilton, Welsh goat's cheese and Emmental were on offer to name but a few. At the December meeting the result of the Christmas quiz was announced and the winner was Keith 'clever clogs' Garrard. There were 32 prizes in the Christmas draw, after which a seasonal buffet was enjoyed. At the end of the evening the Chairman presented the Landlady, Ann Mortimore, with a bouquet of flowers.
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| IN THE BEGINNING... A reminiscence from KJ Coleman |
I thought that some members might be interested in how the Pipe Club started. As I recall, it was around September 1973 that we heard rumours of a meeting for pipesmokers, to be held in Norwich. Sure enough, confirmation came through that the event would be held on 1 October 1973 in the Royal Hotel. With the promise of refreshments and perhaps a few free samples, and having nothing better to do that evening, I duly strolled along. Arriving a bit early I was advised to hang around in the foyer until the others turned up. Whilst admiring the fading splendour of the tiled and wood-panelled walls, something rather exciting happened, for Valerie Singleton, celebrity and star of countless TV programmes, arrived to book in. I wondered if she would be the guest speaker, but this never materialised. She was probably merely appearing in some TV spectacular.
After a while a decent crowd of pipesmokers had turned up and we were ushered into the Acanthus Room where, true to their word, refreshments were laid on. Eventually some cove introduced himself as an Officer of the Pipe Club of Great Britain. This organisation, he explained, had been formed with the aim of promoting pipesmoking throughout the land. To this end they had been travelling the country to set up pipe clubs in main centres of population. These clubs, whilst affiliated to PCGB, would otherwise be independent. They would hold contests and pipe-related activities to foster pipesmoking in their catchment area and their doings would be reported in the PCGB's glossy magazine Pipeline.
A number of clubs had already been formed: would there be sufficient interest in Norwich? Well, no doubt the lavish hospitality had weaved its spell and enough showed interest for a club to be formed. A few worthies even volunteered themselves for office. I should perhaps add that Walker and I, being but callow youths at the time, eschewed such responsibility. The cove then explained that some clubs had adopted nicknames to add to the excitement. This brought forth a rash of suggestions, some of Norvic Puffers standard while others were more esoteric. Eventually a less contentious name was agreed upon- Sweet Briars after a particularly attractive part of the ring road. So ended what can be described as the vesting meeting. The first meeting proper took place on 27/11/1973 and was so full of incident that I can remember not a thing about it, not even where it was held. It would be interesting to know if records of that meeting still exist. One final thought: our Silver Jubilee pipes are inscribed 97. Did we celebrate it a year early, like the millennium?
The Secretary responds:
I have a record of that first meeting. It was held at the Iron Duke, Waterloo Road, Norwich. Thirteen members attended: Messrs. How, Coleman, Palmer, Walker, Rule, Gormer, Fairrie, Struthers, Gaffer, Richardson, Mimms, Hall and Kenyon. The following officers were elected: Chairman GP Richardson, Secretary MR Palmer, Treasurer JS Struthers. The rules of the PCGB were read and signed by all members. The late Sir Alex Maxwell was elected club patron. The meeting closed at 2215 hours. As for the Jubilee pipes, it has always baffled me as well.
A typist adds:
The first PCN smoking contest was held in December 1973 and was won by M. Gormer (70 mins).
At the same meeting we set the subscription at £1.20 per year. Contests came fast and furious in the following months: G Lowe managed 60 minutes in January 1974 and J Fairrie 76 minutes in February.
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| Annual Bowls Tournament (second attempt) 4 August 2004 |
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A warm and sunny summer evening greeted the pipe club bowlers on this occasion. Seven members and two guests took part in a round robin competition of four games of six ends. After an exciting contest, the result hinged on the last end. The winner was John Elvin, with Peter East (BRSA) runner up. The Chairman presented John with the Gawith Hoggarth Shield. After all this exercise we adjourned to the Rosary Tavern for an excellent buffet and a few beers.
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| PCN Meeting 18 August 2004 |
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The draw was made for the quiz which appeared in the Summer newsletter. Several members recognised the late King Hussain of Jordan (from his days running a chip shop in Lakenham?) and several members risked lese-majesty by nominating him Alf Garnet. The winner drawn out of the hat was Phil Leach, who won 50 grammes of Marlin Flake. The evening was devoted to an auction night, and members brought along their unwanted rubbish. The Secretary acted as auctioneer, and everything was sold. Lots varied from good quality Dunhill goods to old pipes and general bric-a-brac. The result was a boost of £100 to club funds. Warning: if you see Reg Walker selling anything on Ebay, don't buy it.
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| PCN Newsletter Volume 5 Number 3 Autumn 2004
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It is with much sadness that we report the passing of Robert Quartley.
Robert had not been a well man for several years, and had attended only three meetings before he became to ill to venture out. He accompanied Keith Garrard and Jon Eason on this year's trip to The Netherlands for the Dutch Open, which turned out to the last event he was able to attend
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| THE 13TH NORFOLK OPEN PIPESMOKING CHAMPIONSHIP |
Pipe smokers, friends and relatives from all over the country began turning up around noon at the Lansdowne Hotel for the 13th Norfolk Open Pipesmoking Championship. There were plenty of pipes to peruse, including Clive Humm's handmade Don Carlos, Ian Walker from Northern Briars, George Kristlik from Czech Republic with Jirsa pipes and Peter Blackman from Cadogan with Nordings and Chacoms. Lunch was started at 13.15 after toastmaster Dave Bullock, resplendent in his uniform, had said grace. After the excellent three course meal it was the turn of the guest speaker, director of FOREST, Simon Clark, who gave a very good speech relating to the proposed ban on smoking in public places.
A giant raffle was then held in which, for the second year running, Richard Neville did extremely well (I wondered why he had travelled from London with an empty suitcase). The the time came for the main event, under the watchful eyes of referee, timekeeper and the BBC cameras three grammes of Dunhill My Mixture 965 were lit in Donegal Rocky pipes supplied by Peterson. Our visitor George Kristlik was first to bite the dust managing only 1.30. He was closely followed by John Elvin 6:20 and Veda Lumber 6:33. When John Walker went out on the hour this left six smokers. Tim Knight soon followed 1:00:58 to just miss on the prizes. 5th Place went to John Peart :from the Pipe Club of Stafford 1:01:10 4th to Jim Mcfadden JHPCB 1:07:05 3rd John Whitlock JHPCB 1:10:10 and after a grandstand finish the winner for the last 5 years our own Len Ellis 1:35:45 was beaten into second place by Reg Stevens JHPCB 1:36:59 proving that his victory in the British Championship was no fluke. Vice Chairman Reg Walker presented the prizes and trophies to the winners including the team trophy to the John Hollingworth Team, the first time this has left Norfolk.
A very successful day was enjoyed by all, with 67 people partaking of the meal and 43 smoking in the contest. This has to be a record year, and thanks must go tot he Hotel for looking after us so well and indeed for putting up with us, to Sheila for selling a record number of raffle tickets and acting as timekeeper, to Ken Paterson our resident referee (must let him have a copy of the rules one of these years) and finally to you the contestants for making the effort to get there, some from quite a distance. See pictures of the day's events on our web site.
THE 13TH NORFOLK OPEN PIPESMOKING CHAMPIONSHIP
VENUE THE PEARL CONINENTAL HOTEL, NORWICH
DATE SUNDAY 10TH OCTOBER 2004
PIPES PETERSON DONEGAL ROCKY
TOBACCO DUNHILL MY MIXTURE 965
1. Reg Stevens 1:36:59
2. Len Ellis1:35:45
3. John Whitlock 1:10:10
4. Jim Mcfadden 1:07:05
5. John Peart1:01:10
6. Tim Knight1:00:58
7. John Walker 1:00:00
8. Balraj Singh 55:00
9. Michael Taylor 51:20
10. Reg Walker 48:22
11. Chris Gregory 45.55
12. Julie Devitt 44:46
13. Dave Manders44:04
14. Colin Wylie43:22
15. Gary Weston 39:30
16. Bernard Allotey39:25
17. Peter Blackman 37:32
18. John Green 35:55
19. Alan Taylor 34:48
20. Leon Pickering 34:40
21. David Polhill 32:28
22. Frank King JNR 30:52
23. Mark Heel 30:37
24. Denis Lindley 29:24
25. Richard Neville 28:50
26. Martin Oliver27:15
27. Tony Larner27:10
28. Peter Wiseman 27:05
29. Richard Ravenscroft 25:52
30. Tony Kelly 25:50
31. Phil Leach 25:20
32. Dave Bullock25:05
33. Peter Wrightson 24:55
34. Ian Walker 22:15
35. Tim Jennings 20.30
36. Alex Burn 19:15
37. Don Warman 19:07
38. Frank King SNR18:30
39. Keith Coleman 16:35
40. Keith Garrard 15:15
41. Veda Lumber 6:33
42. John Elvin 6:20
43. George Kristlik 1.30
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At the AGM in January the death of one of our founder members, first Secretary and President, Malcolm Palmer, was announced.
As a consequence, Phil Leach proposed Frank Lissimore be elected to the post of President. This was seconded and agreed, and frank accepted the post with thanks February saw the annual club briar smoking contest, in which 3g of Craven Mild Flake was smoked, Jo Lewis proved that her success in last years NorfolkChampionship was no fluke by winning in 1:02:32.
In March Chris Smith of the Norfolk Society gave a talk on environmental issues and Darren Jenner brought along samples of new tobaccos for the members to comment upon. Also in March, twelve members and one guest enjoyed the annual club dinner.
At the April meeting Phil Leach presented a musical quiz on radio and television themes and with 40 out of a possible 55 Keith Garrard was a worthy winner.
This month also saw a darts match against the Mill Tavern B Team, which PCN lost 4-3 (but they did manage to win the all important beer leg). The return match was played at The Rosary on 17th May, and this time the Mill Tavern Team won 5-2.
Two days later at the monthly meeting new member Tony Larner joined the club (11 years and we still can't get rid of him). John Browning presented a sampling evening in the form of a competition, won by John Betts who took home a pair of very nice pipes for this trouble.
June saw a fine evening for our Bar-B-Q in conjunction with the Rosary regulars.
In July John Rinaldi from California visited us again. He was met off the train by the Secretary and Chairman and whisked off the Cromer for the day - lunch was taken at The Wellington and Crossways tobacconists was visited. Later, back at the Rosary, other members gathered and a natter and buffet was enjoyed.
Also in this busy month the second Bowls Tournament took place at the British Rail Bowls Club. This was won by Jo Lewis. A splendid buffet was enjoyed back at The Rosary.
In August the usual trip to Cromer was held with 10 members making the trip. It followed the normal format, pub-crawl, fish and chips, tobacconist, pub-crawl.
The monthly meeting was the annual clay pipe contest, which was won by John Betts.
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| PCN MEETING 15 September 2004 |
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The Annual clay Pipesmoking Contest involves three grammes of Tobacco - this year Gawith Hoggarth's Scotch Mixture - in clay pipes of various shapes and sizes. Now, I always thought that the idea of a Pipesmoking contest was to keep the pipe alight the longest, but on this occasion the members seemed to have the wrong idea. The two Keith's- Coleman and Garrard both got left in the staring stalls. Reg Walker only managed just over five minutes, and after 35 minutes only three smokers survived. The winner, in a not very impressive time of 44:00 was Frank King JNR, with Tony Larner runner up in 41:40. The winner was presented with a Parker pipe and the runner-up 50g of Balkan Flake.
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| PCN MEETING 20 October 2004 |
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Eleven members arrive at The Rosary to enjoy an evening of photographic slides presented by local historian Dick Barham. Everything was organized - Dick was there early, and at 1930 hours went into the clubroom to set things up. At 1935 hours he was back in the bar, looking downcast. We thought that despite the absence of the Secretary on an exotic holiday at Maplins - we had everything covered. But we reckoned without bulb failure. No bulb - no slideshow, so Dick packed up his papers and promised to return another day. Luckily, the age of improvisation lives with PCN, and Chairman Ellis produced a tin of Punchbowle tobacco and organized an impromptu briar contest, which he nearly won. Colin Wylie beat him to it with 56:45. Coincidentally, both Colin and Len were smoking pipes refurbished following purchase at the recent PCN auction.
To add to the event, Frank King JNR devised an of-the-cuff general knowledge quiz of 25 questions. Marilyn Monroe, Monty's Double, Daedelus, Anthony Eden and Juliet Capulet all got a look in and John Eason took the honors with 64% success rate. To round the evening off John Elvin sold some tobaccos and Len encouraged Christmas raffle entries. We even tried to make up for the drop in Black Sheep sales as a result of the Secretary's absence.
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| PCN MEETING 17 NOVEMBER 2004 |
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Cheese, pickles, pipe tobacco, real ale, what more could a person want?
Among the cheeses on offer this year were Norfolk Dapple, Lincoln Blue,
Smoked Poacher and Pont Le Veque. Pickles included mixed pickle, onion,
walnuts and Thailand Chillies (the latter donated by John Walker. We all
wondered how hot they would be, and our question was answered when
smoke began to appear from John's ears). The secretary donated crackers
or should that be: "the secretary is crackers?" Christmas draw tickets were
purchased and the Secretary had tins of Samuel Gawith's Navy Flake for sale.
A good time was had by all (esp. the Secretary, who managed to shift the
tobacco)
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| ANNUAL DARTS TOURNAMENT 3 NOVEMBER 2004 |
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A good turnout for the annual darts tournament at the Rosary well organised
as usual by Keith Coleman. In fact, it was so well organised that he won the
event himself. The evening was a social success, and Keith managed to go
through the evening unbeaten to walk off with the trophy. John Walker took
the prize for the highest score, a 50 gramme tin of tobacco. Sandwiches, chips
and real ale were enjoyed afterwards.
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| THE THREE STOOGES GO LIVE |
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Chairman Ellis, Vice Chairman Walker and secretary Garrard met on a cold
and windy night at the Forum, the headquarters of the local BBC, to be
interviewed live on radio Norfolk. The interview took place outside so that we
could smoke our pipes on radio - a bit like Peter Brough and the Archie Andrews,
really. We answered questions on pipe smoking, the pipe club, and smoking
contests, and according to the one person we spoke to who actually heard it we
came across pretty well. Incidentally, the Vice Chairman also won the the
evening's phone-in quiz with the answer "cat's droppings" Nothing to do with
Black Cavendish, since you ask.
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Wednesday 19 January: AGM followed by the return of Dick Barham with his talk on Local History
Wednesday 16 February: The annual Briar Smoking Competition
Wednesday 16 March: James Oxley-Brennan will give us a talk.
Friday 1st April: Annual Club Dinner on All Fools Day: no comment
Wednesday 20 April: Ronnie Bobbin with his quiz on famous pipe smokers
Wednesday 18 May: Smoking contest using 4 grammes of tobacco
Wednesday 15 June: Tobacco sampling evening. How well do you know your tobaccos?
Sunday 9 October: 14th Norfolk Open Championship at the Lansdowne Hotel, Norwich
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To Celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and the local
connection with Lord Nelson a special rum soaked navy flake is being
blended. This will be available early in the new year, to order phone 01603
626437
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Club subscriptions are due the 1st January, please send a cheque for 6
guineas (£6.30) made payable to THE PIPE CLUB OF NORFOLK to Keith
Garrard, 18 Florence Road, Norwich, NR1 4BJ
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