At the March meeting of the Hondón Valley Branch, members heard from the President, Lt Col Pete Lodge MBE, on a variety of recent events involving Armed Forces personnel and veterans.
He paid tribute to the Forces Wives Challenge raising money for The RBL. The ladies have been in Chile and after undergoing 10 days altitude acclimatisation training, they climbed Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano in the world at 6893 metres above sea level, to raise awareness of loneliness and isolation. He praised their courage and determination.
Members also heard from Peter Broadbent, a previous Branch President, whose humorous reminiscences revolved around the magazine Campo he started in 2001. One item that caused much mirth was the following
“Beverley, the 6 year old daughter of friends, was asked where her grandparents lived. She replied ‘They live at the airport. When we want them, we pick them up. When we’ve finished with them we take them back to the airport.’ “
In the social time we commemorated “World Forest Day” and members took part in a quiz testing their knowledge of the rain forest and its inhabitants/flora and fauna. Next month members will be showing their creative skills when they compete for the “best decorated egg” and the Easter Bonnet competition.
Further information on future events and meetings is available from the Secretary (hondonvalley.secretary@rbl.community) The Branch meets on the third Tuesday of each month. New members will be made most welcome and it is not necessary to have an Armed Forces connection in order to join in and take part in any of the Branch events.
For community support, please ring 676 45 17 80.
Our photo shows members just prior to completing the quiz.
