The 367 Association

Annual Reunion, 2002 

• The Ninth Annual Reunion of the Association was held on 5th October 2002 at The China Fleet Country Club - where the Association held it's first reunion!

• Members travelled to Saltash near Plymouth from all over the UK, and those who had never before been to the new China Fleet Club, couldn’t help but be impressed. 

• This ultra modern building bears no resemblance to the Fleet Club in Wanchai that was so familiar to all who served in 367SU.  However, down one corridor of the Club, a gallery of old naval photographs provided members with a nostalgic link with the past. 

• The food served is rather better than that experienced in Hong Kong, but one suspects that a night’s accommodation costs considerably more than the HK$1 (just over 6p) that was the going rate in the 1950's.

• Seventeen Members and thirteen Associate Members attended, some enjoying a few days holiday in sunny Cornwall either before or following the Reunion, but regrettably, there were insufficient numbers available on the Friday to make the Bridgeman BBQ viable.

• Our President - Tom Eaves - was unable to be with us, as he was in the Far East, and two postcards sent from Hong Kong were read out during the AGM.

• Several new members came along, meeting old friends from nearly fifty years ago, but an additional pleasure of the reunion is that we all share common memories, even if in different years, and soon find that a new face becomes a firm friend.

• Copies of the fifth book of the Association's history and Members’ memories were handed out to all those attending, and the Associate Members were each presented with a bottle of 'San Mig' beer.  Accompanying Members no doubt offered good advice on the best way to consume this!

• Old photographs were very much in evidence, with members helping to identify faces in several groups but, as is always the case, several names remained on the tips of our tongues. 

• Dave Gresswell brought a computer and projector and we were entertained to a continual showing of many old photographs of Hong Kong, LSW and other familiar places now held on a CDROM.  For those members not yet on the Internet, he demonstrated how the 367 website looks and works, encouraging members to send in their photographs. 

• Paul Youd produced an excellent enlargement of a photograph of Little Sai Wan taken in 1981.

• The now traditional group photograph  has been added to the Associations archives.

• Of course, the reunion was essentially a time for sharing old memories – many repeatable but some only emerging after the lubricating effects of alcohol!  

• All being well, next year’s reunion will be held at The Gateway Hotel, where accommodation is also available. The hotel is close to the old RAF station at Elvington near York. Elvington was a Bomber Command base and now a great air museum. 

• As some of us used to say “See ya doon thar.”