The Society’s Half-Yearly Meeting will be held in the Officers Club, Colchester (a short walk from Colchester Town station) on Saturday 7th October 2023. For those arriving by rail, please note that Colchester Town station is down a short branch line from Colchester station.
It is a very pretty little branch and I advise anyone who can arrive that way to do so, assuming they can manage quite a steep walk up to the Club from there. Allow 30 minutes for the walk to the venue via the underpass beneath the busy roundabout and you should arrive well inside that time! The postal address is Colchester Officers’ Club, Londinium Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 7NU for those using a satnav for part or all of the journey, and there is car parking close to the Club (£2)
One of the speakers will be Andy Grimmett, who will be sharing some of his huge collection of images from the 1920s-1960s. There will be a strong Essex/GE presence and he might even sneak in some GE/GN Joint pictures too. He is intending to include a “Where’s This?” interactive section which promises to be a bit of fun and informative too.
We shall also have a talk on the Newmarket–Chesterford Railway. It has been addressed very comprehensively by Ruth Ivimey-Cook in a previous meeting, and I am assured the talk by a different speaker this time will show some new images and also reveal some facts about the line to further broaden our knowledge of this pioneering route in our region.
09.30 Hall opens for setting up.
10.00 Hall opens to members: Raffle Tickets, GERS sales from Barry Jackson, second-hand books etc.
10.25 Our Chairman Peter Walker opens the meeting.
10.30 Presentation by Andy Grimmett, giving his illustrated talk ‘’A Miscellany Of Images on the GE Section; 1920 - 1965’’.
11.30 Refreshment Break. Sales stands & Raffle Tickets.
12.00 Presentation by Geoff Brockett of the RCTS “Railway Images In East Anglia; 1990 – 2010”, illustrated by slides from Geoff’s extensive personal collection.
13.00 Lunch break. Sales stand re-opens.
14.00 GER Society announcements.
14.15 Presentation by Alan Denney on “The Newmarket and Chesterford Railway including the Cambridge Connection”.
15.30 Raffle Drawn, Final circulation and Clearing up.
The venue offers a fine buffet lunch at £14 per person. This must be pre-booked via 07939 567838 or email secretary@gersociety.org.uk and please give at least a week’s notice, although you can pay on the day. Alternatives are: to walk back down the hill to buy something; bring a packed lunch. Teas and Coffees will be available as usual, and the venue has a licensed bar.