Tempus Pro Lunchatthecamposio

The Cox sporting her t-shirt with the CFAC & VC in celebratory mood after luncheon

The VC in borrowed headgear & CFAC, who had obviously decided that stripes were out this year.

The Vice Chairman is on the Lincoln leg of his tour, and managed to make time in his busy schedule to take the Chair of the Fine Arts Committee for an alfresco luncheon chez Campo with his parents. Bomber Bader-Campo was up to no good with his Brownie, and thoughtfully captured the occasion in order that it can be shared with the outside world. Vivat Campos, and may the sun always shine on the Witham.

Tempus Pro Ninethbirthdayio

The Secretary holding court in a pub with a complete stranger during a recent visit to Burford, and enchanting everyone she met

The Mollster is 9 today. Many happy returns of the day to our soulful Secretary, who is no doubt looking forward to her first Henley as much her Chairman looks forward to it on an annual basis.

Vivat Mollster, who we are looking forward to seeing this weekend.

Tempus Pro Onlinekitio

"Custom fit zephyr" - Members only!

The Chairman is delighted to announce that the Godfrey-produced WRC kit is now available to buy on-line by clicking on the following link.

It goes without saying that kit is only available to purchase by members of the club. After all, we wouldn’t want to find anyone else sailing under false colours, would we?

Tempus Pro Welcomehomeio

Reunited at Howards End

The VC, contemplating drinking the absent Captain's share as well as his own, whist sporting the Chairman's spare blazer. Well, you can never have too many...

We haven't missed each other much, as you can see

"Are you threatening me?"

Ruby preparing for her French trip with an improving and educational bib.

The CWSC in spirited form

The VC at Howards End

The Chairman is delighted to present for your inspection photographic evidence that the VC, CWSC and CFAC have all arrived in Blighty. Not that they are staying for long, however, as at time of writing, they are due to fly to France for four days for a short tour of the French part of continental Europe. However, during their brief visit to London earlier this week, the VC & CWSC managed to further damage the balance of payments figures with the VC hammering the MCC’s claret reserves at Lord’s yesterday lunchtime, followed by the contents of the Chairman’s champagne fridge back at Howards End last night. Admittedly, the contents of said fridge only ran to two bottles, but these were demolished in swift succession, with the VC & CWSC so enamoured with the Chairman’s pith helmet that they both insisted on being photographed in it. Ruby was probably going to insist being photographed in it, but she was somewhat grouchy yesterday evening, due in no small part to being on the other side of the world to the one she knows. The First Lady was also on comparatively euphoric form, having passed her food standards audit with flying colours, although the pith offered no such novelty value to her on this occasion. To say it was good to see them back in Blighty would be an understatement of Olympian proportions, and we are very much looking forward to seeing them all at the Carter garden party next weekend. Especially as your correspondent could barely see by the time the Carter’s left yesterday evening……

The drawbacks of responsibility (welcome home)

The Chairman is delighted to announce the arrival in Blighty at 4.00pm yesterday of a flight containing the Vice Chairman and the Chairs of both the Wines & Spirits & Fine Arts Committees. The journey, over which the Vice Chairman was understandably anxious when speaking to his Chairman recently, went very well, and when asked for marks out of ten as to how well it went, was scored an “eight” by the VC. You will also be delighted to note that that in spite of the distractions of a young child, the VC & CWSC did not go thirsty on their flights, as apparently, they managed 8 cans of beer & two bottles of wine on the course of their journey. Each. “Well, we couldn’t really get stuck in with Ruby being there, could we?” the VC said yesterday evening. Never a truer word said in jest, Vice. Welcome home.

Tempus Pro Greendoorio

Who lives in a house like this? Three guesses.

The First Lady & Chairman outside Howards End prior to the revamp

A home fit for a First Lady

Here's one the Mother-in-law potted earlier

As members with a keen eye will note, Howards End has had an external facelift. So, to commemorate the first visit to Blighty by the Chair of the Fine Arts Committee (and her parents), the Chairman has painted his front door green and the exterior white. Let’s hope that she has not been too traumatised by her parents misbehaviour during their flight to the UK.

For members who have expressed an interest, I am also delighted to reproduce photographs of one of the pots recently planted by my ecclesiastical Mother-in-law, the Bishop of Burton, who tried to gatecrash a lunch held by the Archbishop of Canterbury to no avail during a recent visit. Like daughter like Mother, I wryly observed. Let us hope the First Lady fairs better at Henley this year.

Henley 1996 – The one with the tents

The Captain of Boats and Vice Chairman dodging the showers in the Stewards' Enclosure

The Captain in his decorated trousers at our Camp(o) site, the CWSC similarly attired, and the First Lady, a vision in gray marl.

The VC before his breakfast, the CWSC during hers and "Turbo"

The year we camped with the Campions, and the second (and final) year of Dicky Millward’s brief association with the WRC. Having just left University, your Chairman was so poor that he only managed to take 8 photographs, which singularly failed to include him on any of. The Captain was duly captured on film with his beard, however, and in rather fetching patterned loose “trousers” which I shall be presenting as exhibits in the forthcoming trial for which the fashion police are currently amassing evidence.

Courage mounteth with the occasion

The young lady in red, is bouncing with the VC...

The Chair of the Fine Arts Committee is about to spend 24 hours on an aeroplane with the VC & CWSC. The VC is understandably nervous. After all, Ruby looks like a hell-raiser, as I’m sure you will agree….

Coming soon....

New kit supplier, revamped club graphics

The finished article will contain an embroidered badge & Pimm's logo

More kit than you can wave a stick at. With embroidery to boot. Courtesy of Godfrey. Nobody does it better......

Henley through the years : 1999 - The 10th Anniversary Cruise

The resident members of the WRC moored opposite the fireworks display - Henley 1999

The First Lady, Treasurer and Chair of the Wines & Spirits Committee waiting for the fireworks

Here's one the Campo's made earlier - Chairman, Captain, Treasurer and the new club flag



The Treasurer and the VC taking the air

The Captain fulfilling his obligation to ablute in the Thames.

Ah, 1999. The year of the boat trip and the unveiling of the club flag, thoughtfully made with the loving hands of the Treasurer from an old hospital blanket and a selection of other recycled fabrics, thus proving the green credentials of the WRC if any proof were necessary. We enjoyed mixed weather on the trip, but as we arrived in Henley on Saturday morning at about 10.30 and cruised under Henley Bridge, the sun came out, and as we left on Sunday, it started to rain. Honestly – I don’t make this up. Well, not much of it anyway.

Something else I haven’t made up (well, I couldn’t) is the contents of the letter of complaint the Captain (Secretary at the time) wrote to Hoseasons to illustrate our gripes with the boat we hired. By means of illustration, I shall repeat extracts of the text here in full. Please bear with me, and you have my assurance that time spent reading this is time well spent.

Tempus Pro Areyousittingcomfortablyio?

6th July – 1st letter

"From the Secretary, BH Campion WRC
FORMAL COMPLAINT 1999 HOLIDAY 02 JULY – 05 JULY MAID HELENA

We are a small rowing club that hired the above vessel for Henley Royal Regatta. We had an enjoyable experience over the hire period and plan to make this an annual event. This is in spite of, rather than because of, the boat hire problems we encountered…..although clearly booked for six persons, with a supplement of £57.20 paid, full facilities were not provided for six persons. Particularly, there was only seating for four….Within three hours of leaving the boatyard the boat broke down…on 4th July the hot water system broke down, leaving us without washing facilities for the final 24 hours……….on the final morning the water system broke down, leaving us no water at all for the remaining period."

The Captain initially concluded in point 8

“We feel an acceptable level of compensation would be to reimburse us for the extra person supplement, the car parking fee and for the percentage of the holiday when our accommodation was not up to the standard agreed in the hire agreement ie 42% of the total remaining cost. By my calculations, this equals £288.61. Any additional display of good faith, on top of this sum for the inconvenience caused will, of course, be gratefully accepted….we invite your comments before taking this to the Travel Industry Ombudsman.”

How do you think Hoseasons responded? Well, cutting out extraneous waffle, their letter concluded

“For obvious reasons, we do not like to see any of our visitors unhappy, and whilst we do not feel the compensation you have requested is justified, we are pleased to offer a 10% reduction off the hire charge of a future holiday with us….”

You may recall (or may be delighted to note) that the Captain riposte was swift and cut to the core. The Treasurer was pregnant, had been left unwashed for a period of time and was cheesed off. So, after alluding in his own immortal fashion to “the Health & Safety hazard that was Maid Helena for that last 12 hours”, the Captain concluded

“We hired your cruiser for six people over a 66 hour period. We suffered three breakdowns, delays, inadequate accommodation, lack of washing facilities and drought. The inconvenience of such ignominies over such a short period is obvious. Then to offer us a 10% reduction on future bookings with you when we were so patently dissatisfied with the last one was insensitive in the extreme. You have provided us with no adequate explanation for this offer and our desired level of compensation of £288.61 remains appropriate.”

The Captain knew he had written a cracker at the time. In his letter to his Chairman, he wrote “I particularly like the “drought” bit! PS You don’t happen to know if there is a travel industry ombudsman, do you. No? Thought not….never mind!”

I seem to recall we got a cheque for £158.18 in the post in a matter of days

Henley through the years - 1992 : Charlotte's last Henley

The Antiopdean Ambassadress, our lapsed member, the VC & the Captain of Boats enjoying snifters on an all-weather surface (which was handy bearing in mind the weather)

The Antiopodean Ambassadress resting aftter a long lunch. A long way away from the enclosures, that is.

The Captain in profile in an unspecified Henley pub

The founders of the Witham Rowing Club, Henley 1992

Can it have been so long ago that the Antipodean Ambassadress departed our shores? Well, let us fondly remember those halcyon days involving trips to Costco to do the catering for the festivities and parking in the tennis court enclosure somewhere near Reading (well, it was nowhere near the Regatta, anyway). Charlotte, like many of the jeunesse doree, decided that her future destiny lay away from the shores of good old Blighty, and although her presence is missed on club occasions and especially at Henley, we fondly remember her most recent Henley (we never say “last” in the WRC, except in this blog title), and the first photographs in the club archives of the “blue” period.

Other notable highlights of the year included the Captain having his travelcard confiscated by an over-zealous ticket collector (something to do with a misunderstanding about trying to buy two first class tickets with one travelcard) and it was the first year the Captain and Chairman gained access to the Stewards’ Enclosure, the VC having secured his passage 12 months previously.