So… what do you do when you’ve finished the formal business of your second AGM in 9 months, in the friendly surroundings of the Duke’s Head at the top of the Wandle valley?
Well, you might pause to reflect on what you’ve just told everyone about a very good 2008 for the Club: fishing trips, Riverfly, flow deflectors, Annual Dinner, media coverage, this blog itself, and friendships forged on every scale from round-the-corner local to truly international.
You might look round at pints being downed, fish tales told, plans hatched for ever-more-ambitious expeditions and habitat improvements, and think “Yup, we’ve got something good going here…”
Then, if you’re really lucky, you’ll hand over to a techno-savvy Member of the Club who’s put together a pair of truly classic “Reel of the Year” and “I Caught This Fish” powerpoint slideshows.
Grip ‘n’ grin shots go to the public vote, but there are 3 clear winners by the end:
1st prize: Magda and her beautiful Avon roach (her very first fish!):
2nd prize: Adrian and his stunning, fin-perfect Wandle trout:
3rd prize: Jed and his gorgeous Wandle barbel (this man knows how to catch ’em!):
Next year, you can see this getting really competitive (can we book your powerpoint skills again, Mr O’Brien?)
But for now it’s time to thank everyone who’s helped get the Club this far, above all our retiring Committee Members: Treasurer Charles Bates, and Riverfly stalwart Anthony McLelland.
And then hit the bar for (just one more) toast to the Wandle’s one-armed, one-eyed fish-mad Admiral of the Victory…
“Horatio Nelson: to the Immortal Memory!”