Magherafelt Event at St Pius College Friday 31 May to Sunday 2 June 2024
Not even the sunny weather we experienced all weekend could beat the warmth of the welcome from our dedicated hosts Paul & Lesley who greeted us at the gates of St Pius X College. With the always effervescent Lesley handing out the welcome sheets and Paul parking vans faster than Michael Dunlop on his electric scooter it was not long before we were all in position and the event underway. Luckily there were no ramps about the school or he might have been more like Evil Knievel.
Friday night kicked off with a well-attended and above all well received Members Meeting where our Chairman David gave a summary of our great progress to date. More importantly however was the opportunity to hear the thoughts and opinions which came forward from the membership and which are vital to the success of any club. As David promised all will receive due consideration so “stay tuned for the next exciting instalment!” Mind you excitement soon followed with Paul & Lesley’s Deal or No Deal. In what might be best described as Bargain Hunt meets the local farmers market, we witnessed an almighty head-to-head of hardened dealmakers tried to best auctioneer Paul. But in the end, everyone went home a winner especially our Stella who took home the big one. A little background music was the order of the day as members relaxed and conversation flowed before we were all safely tucked up in bed.
Come Saturday morning Captain Paul & Sergeant Lesley were dutifully standing guard at the front gate and there they remained all weekend attentive to the members and waving hello and goodbye as we headed off to exercise both our legs and their retail muscles down the town. An unexpected treat was the opportunity to see a number of rare cars as they made their way to and from a local exhibition. Italian glamour, German speed and American muscle were all on display and for the purist an RS200, but none could beat the VW Camper which was waved down the street. DJ Joe took position on Saturday night and with the two young Butler ladies setting a furious pace it never let up. The line dancers, waltzers, quicksteppers and jivers took up the challenge, and although Roy & Evelyn ran them close, none were match for The Phantom Dancer of Downpatrick who made a triumphant return to the dancefloor and took his show province-wide.
Sunday morning Coffee & Tea courtesy of Margaret & Geraldine was made all the better for some lovely traybakes from Lesley and fuelled the conversation that was still flowing since Friday night. But stop it must as Paul took to the floor to thank us all for coming and handed over to our Vice-Chair Joe who immediately gave thanks to Paul & Lesley for their dedicated work through the entire event to resounding applause. A swift recap of the event was in order but the main takeaway was a reminder of what is literally a flagship event for us up in the North-West when we visit the Maritime Festival. Boats, stalls, singers all await along with a complementary BBQ on Saturday evening for members. So on to Hillsborough we roll where Tom & Julie eagerly await their guests with the combination of a Castle, a great park, walks and some of the best-known eating houses in the province. What more could you want for another great weekend with The Ramblers.
Gary & Yvonne.