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DorkingHallsReport

DORKING HALLS MONDAY 22ND MARCH 2010 (By our delegate, Brenda Conway)As your Mayford WI rep I attended the Spring Surrey Federation meeting at Dorking, and I was accompanied by a new WI member Sheila Osgood.As It was my first visit to Dorking Halls, I was amazed at the day’s organisation, and the number attending (in excess of 750 WI members). Having purchased our raffle tickets and taken note of the displays in the Martineau Hall, and where I had to drop the Denman envelopes we entered the packed main hall, by sheer luck we managed to find two seats together. The meeting was opened promptly at 10.30 by our Our retiring Chairman Valerie Arnold who introduced the platform delegate members, and the normal business of annual report financial status etc was quickly dispensed with.We were then treated to our first speaker a talk by Ruth Bond of the National Federation. Ruth outlined her work, and said she had managed to read four books on her various train journeys to special meetings. Her position had taken her from her local WI in Rutland initially, to a wonderful array of visits, including an invite to No.10 Downing St, for a Twitter Christmas Party, on behalf of the WI (she jokingly mentioned that the mince pies and chocolate Yule log served, were below WI standard) She had also been to Malawi where she saw the poverty of a nation where only 7 hospitals existed, and many young women died in childbirth through lack of basic medical care and information. Our ACWW funds through our foreign currency donations showed just how much can be done to help those women so much less fortunate than ourselves. A really good presentation by a fellow WI member.The next speaker was A member of the National Pharmacy Association, who talked of the importance of taking our medicines as prescribed, never trying (or borrowing ) other peoples prescriptions. & most important of all checking and throwing out all the out of date tablets in our bathroom cabinets. She also pointed out that reading all the notes in the medicine before taking it was not advisable. If you did have a reaction after taking the medicine for 24 hours, then of course a study of the leaflet, and a call to the doctor, or chemist was then advisable. Many Pharmacies are able to give advice, or give a medicine review in private if requested, but they could not prescribe any medicines without a prescription or a doctor’s approval. She took many questions from the audience, but a rather humorous lady ‘s request about large unswallowable tablets and medicine bottles that could not be opened prompted her to say that if necessary we could ask for our medicine to be in liquid form in easy opening bottles. We were then entertained by Jean Gable, Geraldine Horne and who are known to many of us as the Golden Girls, and sometimes as Jean Gables entertainers Words & Music. It was a great way to end the morning. After our lunch break, our honoured guest Speaker was Simon Weston, the young guardsman who at 20 years old, was badly disfigured and injured in 1982 in the Falklands Conflict on the St. Galahad. This man whose life seemed at an end - after many operations, on his face and hands, could not see then what his future held,. He told us of his mother’s determination and family’s devotion, and a visit from someone from his old regiment gave him a reason to go on and go out and meet others, and help less fortunate people. His tours to various parts of the world and his introduction by others to what has become his triumphal fight over adversity. Simon told how he eventually met the pilot who bombed his ship, and his forgiveness and acceptance of his enemy, this was truly awe inspiring. He married in 1990 and has three children. He rightly received the OBE from her Majesty and his future vocation now goes from strength to strength. He spoke with humour, and candour about his journey from that fateful day. And he pressed how important it was for us all to fight through any adversity or tribulation that we may meet. And try to turn these to our advantage. He received quite rightly a standing ovation after his talk. He has written various books which were on sale and hopefully he returned to Cardiff where he lives having enjoyed his day as much as we did.. Brenda Conway March 23rd 2010

Listen to an Interview with Simon Weston At DorkingHalls

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