Our meeting on June 12 opened with a number of apologies for absence, an announcement by John Doyle about the next Bell Tower appeal event, a rant by Bob Young about the delay in completing the steps for the Abbey Bridge, and the traditional jokes of President Jim Cox.

We then sat back to be entertained by one of our newest members, the irrepressible Cliff Blackborrow. “Who are you” asked someone. To which Cliff replied “I’m not who you think I am!” And this proved to be a recurring theme of his presentation which demonstrated what a remarkable man he is, having progressed from somewhat deprived origins to becoming the UK Product Manager for Panasonic.

Born in East London in 1930, Cliff described his schooling as undistinguished, although he did finish second – from bottom! He, like many of his generation, vividly recalled his wartime experiences, the blitz, of being evacuated, and even being injured when his family’s house was bombed. He married Joyce, his childhood sweetheart, and they have a daughter Fiona who is clearly a source of comfort and great pride for both of them. Later, he served in the Army and spent time overseas – 5 hours on the Isle of Wight! Whilst in the Army he teamed up with his sergeant, both of them playing guitars. They actually appeared on the TV programme, Opportunity Knocks, with Hughie Green.

After some years in gents’ hairdressing, where he honed his interpersonal skills, he went into selling – the early photocopiers. Then on to work for Sharp, the Japanese manufacturer, where he had a spell in Hong Kong. He was then head-hunted by Panasonic, working in Japan and eventually promoted to be their UK Product Manager. He interspersed his presentation with lots of humour and humility.

By the time he finished, we all agreed he is not the man we thought he was. He is clearly a thoughtful and determined character who has benefitted from the University of Life and does not take himself too seriously. We thanked him for sharing his experiences with us.

Next week June 19, we will have our summer lunch at the Kings Court Hotel in Alcester and then on June 26, our guest speaker will be the helicopter pilot, William Lewis of Cheltenham.

We meet every Thursday at 10am at the Ecgwins Club in Evesham.

CHRIS DONOUGH