VOL. 66, NO. 5 - aafi-afics - UNOG

The Amicale must go on …In 1994, Ed Sackstein established the Amicale du Soleil and found a formula that worked. A lunch on fixeddays, no fussing with reservations and registrations, assurance of meeting other retirees, informal, open toall. He chose the Café du Soleil, a landmark restaurant dating back to 1824, the second oldest in Geneva,where the food was good, the prices moderate, the management welcoming.And of course, Ed was the genial host, the Roi Soleil himself.Over thirteen years, more than two hundred colleagues have attended these lunches; persons wanting tomeet their friends and talk and gossip; persons in need of human company; persons seeking new friends orwanting to talk about what was going on in the world and in Geneva..Some people went regularly, someoccasionally.Well, thirteen years is a long time to play host every first and third Wednesdays of the month. Who canwonder that Ed Sackstein has decided that at the end of this year, he must pass the torch to someone else?One can only thank him for what he has done for so many years, rendering a service to our wholecommunity.Naturally, there was great dismay in the Amicale and agonized cries from the faithful and the casual: they allfelt that the Amicale must continue.The work is not difficult and will certainly not infringe on anyone one’s personal life style or activities. Butwhat is important is that these volunteers will be helping to maintain this valuable service open to the entirecommunity of international officials in the Geneva region..Last minute. Ed Sackstein writes:Aamir Aliwith the unanimous supportof the AAFI-AFICS CommitteeDear Amicalers,Following the announcement that I plan to ‘close the garden gate’ on my experience with the Amicale groupafter more than 13 years, several volunteers (Rosemary Bell, Jean Broggini, Oscar de Vries) have quitemiraculously come forward to help ensure that the Amicale will survive after all and will continue to bringpeople together.I am very heartened by this wonderful development and most grateful to these people, as surely are each ofyou. Please share this news with others. The group will continue as usual until New Year. After that, I planto occasionally join in the fun as from 2008.Please receive my best wishes for the coming holiday season.NEWS FROM THE ASSOCIATIONSBAFUNCS, UNITED KINGDOMIn accordance with its system of rotating the major Annual General Assembly events between differentregions of the UK, BAFUNCS had chosen Eastbourne in Sussex for its 30 th Annual General Assembly,Reunion and Banquet, where the participants met at the Cavendish Hotel on 11-13 May 2007. This was ErikJensen's last Assembly as President of BAFUNCS, a function he had occupied for six years; his successor,Sir Robert Jolly, was elected by acclamation. Sir Richard was an Assistant Secretary-General of United32