The social evening, Wartime Memories, was a roaring success with members, guests and friends surrounded by groaning tables of food, bunting and wartime memorabilia.

Before long we were lustily singing over a dozen wartime favourites from Roll Out the Barrel, to Bless Em All, Run Rabbit Run and the We’ll Meet Again – all led on the piano by Jill Warden. The singing was punctuated by intervals where all sampled tea and cakes, chatted and admired family photos and treasured memories laid out on the tables.

Those in wartime costume contributed greatly to the atmosphere and the judging was a highlight, from the elegant Janet Buckley in her tea dance dress, hat and mink stole to the bevy of Land Army Girls in trousers, sock, boots, blouses and headscarves. First organised in 1915 the Land Army provided 250,000 women as labour for farm work in the First World War and again in the Second. The costume winner was Ann Dyke in her blue boiler suit and wartime makeup, closely followed by past president, Fay Iliffe.

After our Christmas meal at Kota Kai on December 11 our New Year treat will be Teresa Hillary’s demonstration of Origami at 7.30pm on Thursday, January 8, 2015.