1970 Medical Reunion
It did not take long on Wednesday 18th May 2011 for memories of Graduation and periods of residence in hospital to be rekindled. The 41 years since MB BCh BAO were conferred seemed to have passed very quickly as the members of the class turned up at Radisson Blu Roe Park Resort near Limavady.
This was the first get-together since 1995, when it was held at the Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle.
A total of 61 graduates attended the two-day event, out of a Class of 105, and with partners there were 109 for dinner on Thursday 19th May.
All of the delegates received a Yearbook containing profiles which they themselves had written and submitted. This was edited almost single-handedly by Kathleen Logan. There was also a folder of information on Queen’s University, provided by the Alumni Office who, in the person of Adele McMahon, had made the initial contact with the graduates. To boost the tourist appeal we also supplied information on the beautiful North Coast of counties Antrim and Londonderry.
Wednesday was all about meeting old friends, eating, drinking (cautiously), charging the batteries. A photo of the group was taken.
On Thursday we heard a few talks in the morning:
Session 1- Chairman: David Mudd
WELCOME and a silent tribute to the nine members who have died since graduation.
Mike Colohan: In a different place or how my undergraduate years did not prepare me for General Practice around the world.
David Bell: Scientific basis of weight loss and basic differences in the sense of humour between Belfast and Birmingham (Alabama).
Craig Martin: Is evolution really scientific? Rekindling the debate between Darwin and Denton.
Alan Jacques: Piano recital, including the Sonata quasi una fantasia by Beethoven (moonlighting again, Alan) and a side-splitting send-up of Ann Summers’ spring collection.
Session 2- Chairman: Mike Colohan
Liam Scott: Harry Ferguson - Aviator. A beautiful short film of Liam’s working model of the plane which completed the first manned flight in Ireland.
David Mudd: Then and Now : Illustrating the changes in the Medical School, the personalities and the Belfast hospitals over the last 40 years.
Alex McClenaghan: Borneo, Rainforest and the Orang Utans. An impassioned plea for control of precious environments.
Peter Munro: Birds and the Natural History of the World. An impressive collection of the rare and the beautiful.
Chris Mathison: The Missionary Air Fellow ship in Uganda. How a small contribution can mean a lot to the rural African population.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON
An array of activities had been arranged and there was a good uptake. Only a few went for the siesta or visited the all-day coffee shop.
Tour of Historic Derry: Walked the walls and heard the history, war and all.
Hampstead Hall, Derry: A National Trust listed garden at a Georgian House.
The Corrymeela Community: A visit to Ballycastle to get up to date with the activity of the Peace and Reconciliation Centre.
Walk to the plateau and Binevenagh ; led by Emmet Devlin.
Golf at the Radisson.
THURSDAY EVENING
We started with a reception, serenaded by Lucy Kerr (Harp) and proceeded to Dinner, when the principal speaker, proposing the toast to The Class of 1970, was Dr. Ian Adamson OBE. His introduction described him as a paediatrician, politician and polyglot. The speech contained frequent references to all of these qualities plus a liberal helping of Ulster humour.
To reply we invited Professor Henry Halliday FRCPE, one of us, you might say. This brought together two colleagues in Paediatrics, practitioners in West Belfast, and drew out many reminiscences and a fitting tribute to “Absent Friends”.
Incidentally the prizes for golf were won by John White (gentlemen) and Maire Hegarty (ladies).
Long conversations into the night and perusal of our Yearbook impressed us with the diversity of careers, personalities and interests shown by the class of roughly 100 people. Most have retired from Medicine but very many are finding secondary careers, having been released from the treadmill, as it were. We owed a lot to our teachers in Queen’s and in the wards of our hospitals, all over Northern Ireland. The tables at dinner were designated John Henry Biggart etc. We were the children of his medical family. What a ball we had at Roe Park! If we are fortunate we may meet up again in a few years. We said “Au revoir” but not Goodbye.
Committee: Kathleen Logan, David Mudd, Mike Colohan, Roger Cromey, Joe Rainey.
