kePesmf?.. ILL ONLY BEING THE ANNUAL JOURNAL OF THE DOWNHILL ONLY CLUB WHICH WAS FOUNDED IN WENGEN ON 7 TH FEBRUARY 1925. HON. EDITOR: K.D.FOSTER, M.B. E., LEABROOK WORKS, WEDNESBURY, STAFFORDSHIRE £dit
efore he can answer back. He can also tilt at people or institutions of which he happens to disapprove with a reasonable certainty that <strong>the</strong> law of libel will not be invoked. As we hope that this will be our last chance to catch our readers' eye we should like to pay tribute to those who have helped us during our years of office. First and foremost our printers, Joseph Wones Ltd. of West Bromwich, who seem to take as much interest in <strong>the</strong> production of <strong>the</strong> journal as we do ourselves, and who have amiably recognised that this is a non-profit making publication and have kept <strong>the</strong>ir charges down to <strong>the</strong> very minimum. Then we have Maurice G. Parker Ltd. of Birmingham who have supervised <strong>the</strong> production of <strong>the</strong> blocks and The Lucas Engraving Co. Ltd. who have made every block we have used. Finally, The Standard Catalogue Co. Ltd. of London have brought about a very considerable increase in <strong>the</strong> number of British advertisements. We have throughout had unfailing support from Dr. Zahnd of <strong>the</strong> Wengen Kurverein and of <strong>the</strong> various Presidents and D.H.O. Committees under which we have worked. Thank you, everyone. Readers will notice that our final act on behalf of our successor has been to obtain sanction for <strong>the</strong> extra expense involved in using larger and more readable type. The fact that <strong>the</strong>re has been a simultaneous increase in subscription for new members is purely coincidental. P.R.O. Paul Hepworth is ano<strong>the</strong>r Club Official who feels <strong>the</strong> load of advancing years and who has <strong>the</strong>refore resigned his post as Honorary Treasurer after holding it since 1945. In this case Hedley Gardner has stepped into <strong>the</strong> breach, and if an equally suitable candidate can be found for <strong>the</strong> vacancy advertised in <strong>the</strong> preceding paragraph <strong>the</strong> Club will indeed be fortunate. Only those who, like <strong>the</strong> writer of this note, have been connected with <strong>the</strong> running of <strong>the</strong> D.H.O. since its foundation can realise <strong>the</strong> full debt that <strong>the</strong> Club owes to Paul. Apart from his duties as Treasurer, Paul has worked unceasingly as <strong>the</strong> Club's Public Relations Officer and has been quite shameless in exploiting, for <strong>the</strong> benefit of <strong>the</strong> Club, <strong>the</strong> fact that he is on terms of personal friendship with every Swiss worth knowing in <strong>the</strong> Oberland, as well as with all <strong>the</strong> backroom boys of British ski-ing. Fortunately he was persuaded, against his will, to remain on <strong>the</strong> Committee. FESTIVE UST over 200 Members and <strong>the</strong>ir guests J attended <strong>the</strong> Club's 29th Anniversary Dinner Dance which was held on 24th November, 1954, in <strong>the</strong> Savoy's Lancaster Room. Maybe <strong>the</strong> slight drop in attendance was due to <strong>the</strong> event Page Fourteen taking place on a Wednesday instead of <strong>the</strong> usual Friday. Generally speaking, <strong>the</strong> provincial customers dislike travelling up to London in <strong>the</strong> middle of <strong>the</strong> week; also some of <strong>the</strong> London members, for <strong>the</strong> best of reasons, recoil from <strong>the</strong> idea of going to <strong>the</strong>ir offices an hour or two after <strong>the</strong> dinner is over. The meal was one which could not have been obtained in o<strong>the</strong>r parts of <strong>the</strong> Savoy for <strong>the</strong> modest 27/6 charged for <strong>the</strong> tickets, and <strong>the</strong> tournedos were a welcome change from <strong>the</strong> turkeys and hens of <strong>the</strong> austerity years. Our President, Sir Adrian Jarvis, proposed <strong>the</strong> toast of The Guests and started with a brief review of <strong>the</strong> Club's successful year. He <strong>the</strong>n went on to offer a special welcome to <strong>the</strong> Club Guest, Sir Malcolm Trustram-Eve, and also to D.H.O. member Miss Pat Smy<strong>the</strong>, who had come straight from <strong>the</strong> plane that had brought her back from her triumphs in Belgium. Sir Malcolm, replying for <strong>the</strong> guests, started by criticising <strong>the</strong> paucity of <strong>the</strong> adjectives used by this department when reporting <strong>the</strong> speeches of previous Club Guests. He stated that reference to back-numbers proved that <strong>the</strong>se were always referred to as ei<strong>the</strong>r "amusing" or "entertaining". To dispose of this point straight away we would say that skilful, dexterous, adroit, expert, apt, deft, accomplished and masterly was what his speech was. It was, we think, <strong>the</strong> first speech that Sir Malcolm had made to a ski-ing organisation since handing in his portfolio as President of <strong>the</strong> S.C.G.B., and he was evidently no longer apprehensively aware of <strong>the</strong> General Purposes Committee breathing down his neck. He referred to this publication's irreverently coined nickname "Aunty Scgba" and also to its occasional criticisms of Aunty. These criticisms had, Sir Malcolm said, caused a good deal of irritation in certain quarters but he gave it as his opinion that <strong>the</strong>y had had a healthy effect and said that <strong>the</strong>y had been kept "just within bounds". Now that we come to think about it, he ra<strong>the</strong>r stressed that "just". Sir Malcolm ended by quoting (at a most appropriate moment in <strong>the</strong> proceedings) <strong>the</strong> schoolboy's translation of Tant pis tant mieux as "Aunty has been out of <strong>the</strong> room; Aunty feels better". The speeches were ended by Mr. Fritz Borter of <strong>the</strong> Palace Hotel who also spoke in <strong>the</strong> highest terms of <strong>the</strong> Club's achievements and, harking back to Aunty Scgba, he asked what is <strong>the</strong> adjective for Aunty corresponding with "avuncular" for Uncle ? We were still pondering over this philological problem when <strong>the</strong> party broke up at about 2.45 a.m. The next Dinner Dance will be held at <strong>the</strong> Savoy on 25th November WHICH IS A FRIDAY.
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