Yes, it was a splendid day, one which I hope others enjoyed as much as I did. It brought me up with a jolt to see so many of you with your grown-up or growing up familes. Some of the children who tried sculling had the same idiosyncrasies as their father had some years before - and indeed the fathers had not lost the rowing faults or the good points of style which they thought they had forgotten.

It was most kind of you all to club together to buy a mobile phone for me. As many of you probably remember, I get on quite well with gadgets, but this particular one I had resisted (just!). Whilst I do not plan to use it a great deal, it has already proved invaluable on several occasions, notably when it helped to make the running of the Bluefriars Head (q.v) slightly less of a headache than usual. I am most grateful.

I was sorry that the invitations to the occasion did not filter through to everyone. I have already suggested to one or two who missed it that they might like to come to one of the dinners that Bluefriars holds at Leander Club at the end of each April. They are good opportunities for crews to get together (like the 1946 crew did two or three years ago).

This seems a suitable place to let you know how to contact me so that you can send articles for next year's newsletter, which could be made all the more interesting by contributions from a greater number of people. Julian Bewick; 1 Church Cottages; Monkton Combe; Bath BA2 7HB: Phone 01225 723583 Fax 01225 722033 Mobile (thanks to all of you) 0831 746300 e-mail: jmb@mccs.demon.co.uk

As mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter, articles reached me this year by fax and by e-mail. After the faxed article had been typed out, it was later sent to Nepal by e- mail for proof-reading! I am compiling a list of Monktonians who have e-mail addresses. If you send a message to me indicating that you would like to be added to the list, I will send a message back with the complete current list. I hope this will encourage you to exchange news and to send me articles. I will pass any non-rowing news on to the Editor of the OM Gazette - Peter LeRoy, who is also a supporter of Bluefriars. For interest, this is the list of those who attended the day's events. Many came with wives and familes.