The first half was speckled with humorous anecdote and this man was not at
all afraid to admit defeats along the very varied path of life he has so far
trodden. From adviser and close confidant of one of the most famous prime
ministers of all time – Margaret `Iron lady` Thatcher , to his many and varied
documentaries and appearances on political programmes to his regular columns on
many subjects in the news paper media.

In the second half he answered questions from the floor which again displayed
his polished, yet never compromising, expert way of communication-his replies
never too complicated but succinct in the extreme.

This was truly a spectacular coup for the society – Cindy Hardy continues to
amaze us with the sheer calibre and variety of the artistes she manages to bring
to Clacton throughout the winter period.

Jennifer Kersey.

]]> http://clactonartsandlits.com/blog/286/michael-portillo-3012012/feed 0 http://clactonartsandlits.com/blog/282/the-waiting-list-is-now-open http://clactonartsandlits.com/blog/282/the-waiting-list-is-now-open#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:21:06 +0000 Doug http://clactonartsandlits.com/blog/?p=282 Clacton & North East Essex Arts &
Literary Society

The Princes Theatre, Town Hall, Clacton on Sea, Monday nights 7.30pm

October to March, 16 Evenings of superb entertainment for little
more than £2.70 per evening for members or £10.00 for individual performances at
the box office on the night. (Admission after 7-15 pm for box
office tickets)

Information about the Society can be obtained
from the Membership Secretary: Mrs S. Bishop, 66 Melbourne Road, Clacton on Sea,
Essex, CO15 3JA, The waiting list  is now open with a view of joining the Society in the coming season,
stating October 2012.

The season came to a rousing close, on Monday night at the Princes theatre, with

the return visit of the ever popular London Festival Opera and their presentation `A Christmas night at the opera.`

Very ably accompanied by Jenny Trew at the piano, they gave an evening of light operetta , the ladies in sumptuous dress of the Victorian era and the men complimenting them in suitable male evening attire of the period. .

The stage `set` was the inside of a huge theatre, with tiered boxes and a lovely decorated Christmas tree completing the theme for this festive time. We were invited to join in with the carols in the second half.

Another very memorable event followed by the traditional `mince pies and hot  mulled wine.`(very welcome on a chilly night)

The next meeting is on January 15 when `Hatstand Opera` will present a `tongue in the cheek` look at this medium through the theatrical ages.

Jennifer Kersey.

He started his lecture by describing how he lost his passport and
luggage on Bulawayo station and yet managed to get into Botswana and set up camp
with thirty young people.   On their first night in the bush the camp was
“attacked” by hyenas but they survived unscathed.   That was the first of many
adventures.   The audience were enthralled by his stories and were very
surprised to learn that there are only 43 lions in Botswana but 60,000
elephants.

During the second half of the programme, David told the story of
Sir Seretse Khama and his wife, Ruth, and the problems their marriage caused
among politicians as she was a white woman in southern Africa where this was not
permitted.

The evening was sponsored by Mark Mobility Centre..

                                   Audrey Owens Press Officer

`Bent`-bias, tendency , inclination, to one’s heart’s
content…………
`Broad`-widely encompassing, extensive, of stated
breadth,
manifest,bold……………

I think that aptly describes the outstanding talents of the
Broadbent
family(three brothers and a cousin with the same surname)
who,
in this instance, are together known as `Stringfever.`
Their lovely,
smart, stage outfits, the humour (well balanced at all
times) superb playing
of the modern string instruments(with their
multiple sounds and no wires
anywhere to be seen)-each one a
`veritable virtuoso` in his own right!

No bad language needed, no judges’ panel, with their
inane
comments, no jungle-……`oh, what a joy to share this
magical
experience-I can easily see why they were voted as favourite
artistes
last time they visited us!`

Of special note was the point where Cindy and Patricia(do they
have
hidden musical talents?)were invited on to the stage for an
incredible
rendition of Ravel`s Bolero, whereupon all four were playing on
one
instrument-absolutely(and I’m always careful howI use that
word)
unbelievable and as the Americans would have us credit
every
movement in life-AWESOME!!!

This was a night of triumph-all who left were busy chattering
about it
and I`m sure it will come into conversation in a wider context
for
some time to come.

What else can one add to a perfect evening-Cindy and her team
have
amazed us yet again.

Jennifer Kersey.

The Broadbents, Giles, Ralph and Neal together with their cousin,
Graham, gave a scintillating evening of music on their five and six-stringed
electric violins, viola and cello.  Their energy was incredible and the music
marvellous.   They offered such contrasting music as Vivaldi, the Beatles,
Brahms, Ravel and some of their own compositions.   A great highlight was their
Movie Themes Medley in which the audience had to guess the films from which the
snippets came.    The most spectacular item was Ravel’s Bolero when all four of
them played it on the cello – standing on chairs and sitting on the floor – the
result a chaotic and evocative event.   They completed their programme with the
History of Music – in 5 minutes.   This was a masterpiece of compilation which
everyone loved.   As an encore they played The Lark by Dinicu, changing
instruments with each other.   Fantastic!

The evening was sponsored by the West Cliff Theatre.

Audrey Owens Press Officer

His lecture was divided into two parts, the first being a history
of the Port of London from Roman times to the present day.   This was a truly
interesting picture of London especially when photographs were available to
compare the great docks of the late 1800s to the present day use, such as Canary
Wharf and the City Airport.
After the interval, Captain Williams told us many
tales of his adventures in piloting ships in the Thames Estuary up to London
illustrated with pictures of some of the enormous ships he had handled
successfully and delightful anecdotes about awkward ships’ captains who resented
the pilot on the bridge.    It was a truly happy evening which was enjoyed by
everyone.

The evening was sponsored by Reader Offers Ltd of Colchester

Audrey Owens  Press Officer

She spoke with great conviction and is further proof that under tremendous pressure, the human spirit can survive-it was a shame that if finally resulted in them parting some time after being re-united.

Both their lives were irrevocably changed by this huge event and they were no longer the carefree couple they were before this happened.

Knowing her many connections within the media, I personally felt that the evening would have benefitted from some `stills` and a selection of the mass of video and television coverage given at the time-however, the evening was yet another very entertaining and tot ally engrossing event.

Jennifer Kersey 25-10-2011

The programme started with a film about John McCarthy ending with his release on 8 August 1991. Jill, then, related her very moving story of her feelings when he was kidnapped and of the many friends who helped her establish the Friends of John McCarthy and all the efforts they made to keep his name before the public despite the complete disapproval of the Foreign Office.

She spoke of her journeys to meet the various other hostages who had been released and learned that John was alive.   However, the Foreign Office did not believe them.   It was the release of Brian Keenan who had actually been with John in Beirut which got reaction from the Foreign Office and led to his eventual release.

It was not a story with a happy ending as the years of struggle led to the eventual parting of John and Jill in 1994 after they had written ‘Some Other Rainbow’  together.   The parting was amicable and John later married.  Jill now works for  various charities including the Macmillan Cancer Support and with the British  Lung Foundation.

The evening was sponsored by members of the Society,Mrs Freda Leech and her daughter and son-in-law, Meryl and Peter Brown.

Audrey Owens  Press Officer