Shrigley Association Reunion 2007

July 20th to 22nd.

Complete Report
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AGM Minutes Cemetery Book Launch Cemetery Service Concert


2007 S.O.B
The group of Old Boys at Savio House on Sunday Morning

Other photos can be found in slideshows which open in new windows by clicking on the links below

AGM Book Launch Cemetery Service Concert

John Burke's account of the Cemetery Service is here
Service

THE JUBILEE CONCERT (by Paul Barnes)

The Annual Concert of the Association was again held at Savio House on the Saturday evening of the Re-union weekend.  It took on a whole new significance this year as we celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of our President and dear friend, Fr. Albert Carette SDB.  The compere, Paul Barnes, produced a printed programme featuring photographs of Fr. Albert, his long CV of movements over 87 years, and a list of Concert items to rival any previously held.

Concert

Kevin Dean at the piano accompanied various singers and led a rendition of songs popular throughout the several decades of Shrigley’s existence.  Bernard O’Neil played his Salesian ’Deck of Cards’.  Keith Dransfield related the appropriate monologue, ’Albert and the Lion’.  And Fr. Provincial, Michael Winstanley, delighted us with his singing and guitar-playing of a couple of old favourites.

‘Volunteers’ from each of the four Houses competed against each other and Fr. Albert by trying to second-guess him in a game of ‘Blankety Blank’ on the theme of Shrigley, what else.  Tony McCarthy won for Fisher and received a prized bottle of wine.  Not to be outdone, Fr. Albert was presented with another bottle of wine from a Salesian foundation that makes its own wine near Bethlehem.

The highlight of the evening was a power-point presentation, prepared by Paul Barnes - a ‘This is Your Life’ of Fr. Albert.  Not content to listen and enjoy, our President delighted in commenting on every slide as it appeared.  At one particularly poignant moment Paul presented him with a piece of stone from the Shrigley quarry - a close relative of all those Fr. Albert had helped to carry up the drive when the Church was being built in the 1930s.  At the end Fr. Albert was presented with a CD of the show and a suede-bound book in which dozens of people had written messages of congratulation and appreciation.

The final surprise was an A3 laminated front page of the Macclesfield Times headed ‘Fr. Albert Carette is Macclesfield Town’s oldest signing!  87-year-old Bolton signing set to make home debut’.  This related to the late discovery of Fr. Albert as a brilliant footballer, supremely ironic in that earlier in the evening he had listed football as one of his pet hates! Click to view the Scoop of the Year

A wonderful evening came to an end with a ‘Good Night’ of appreciation from Fr. Albert and a rendition of the Salesian School Song.  We all waved goodbye with ’Ad Multos Annos’ ringing in our minds as Bro. Donald drove our precious President back to St. Joseph’s in Bolton (which he affectionately calls the ’Knacker’s Yard’).

Savio Hse Group
Shrigley Association Members at Savio House, Sunday Morning 22.07.07