Members of Clydebank Sub Aqua Club-past and present, with family and friends, enjoyed a memorable 50th Anniversary Dinner Dance at The Beardmore Hotel on the 29th October. Chairman Gordon Anderson welcomed guests to this milestone event and then outlined the evenings activities consisting of a splendid 3 course dinner with wine, coffee, cake and mints, 2 raffles for the very generous gifts kindly donated by a number of diving and other retail outlets plus donations from a number of individuals. We also had a speech from a founder member to look forward to, namely Jack Morrison, who, he insisted in telling me, was a very young boy at the time!!!!!

It was great to see a number of members from the past; Ali Abubakar, Jim Montgomery, Pat and Archie McQueen, Stewart and Hazel Watson, Ronnie Scaglioni, Victor Devine, Douglas Lamont, and Mark Don, to name but a few plus a number of more recent members such as Gerry Regan, John Devlin and Jerry Queenan.

The 50th Anniversary cake was cut by our longest serving member Jack Morrison and another founding member Bill Harris. They looked a lovely pair holding the knife over the cake. Enough said about that I think

After dinner Jack Morrison gave a most enjoyable speech. He reminded us how Clydebank Branch came in to being with people helping each other and a few individuals helping financially to bring the fledgling club in to existence, and how this has continued over the years right up to our latest acquisition of a very well equipment boat.

He then went on to show us a very useful piece of kit which was available prior to dive computers. This was a set of small, coloured balls which rose at the correct ascent rate. If the diver rose at the same speed s/he would be ok! The set of "instructions for use" of these balls, which Jack read out, was highly amusing but far too risqué for this report.

After well deserved applause for Jack the raffles were drawn with a number of members keen to win the star prize of a Cressi BCD. The winner was John Devlin, one of our newest members who indeed needs a BCD to start off his personal stock of equipment. Lucky him! Eventually all the prizes were raffled away with a number of guests walking off with more than one prize-lucky, lucky them!!!

We also had a looped photo slide show running from a computer on to a projection screen showing members past and present, young and old, and in some cases a bit older still. It seemed to go down very well.

The rest of the evening was spent with guests circulating around the tables catching up with friends and acquaintances they hadn't seen for years or perhaps just a few weeks. I think a certain amount of drink was also consumed. (Clydebank divers hardly touch a drop, normally!)

Finally, thanks must go to Gordon Anderson our Chairman for contacting all the organisations who very generously donated prizes for our raffles, and last but by no means least, our thanks to our Treasurer Michelle Morgan who organised the whole highly successful event. 







Hopefully we will all meet again at the 60th!?!? 

The article above appeared in the Clydebank Post on 12/10/11. Details and photos supplied by our website and Jack Morrison.