TALBOT OWNERS' CLUB A.G.M.
RAF COSFORD, SHROPSHIRE

The gods of the weather smiled down on the first AGM of the newly-formed Talbot Owners Club held at RAF Cosford and the Valley Hotel, Ironbridge. As the meeting was starting, Christine and I were standing in the sunshine beside our stricken Talbot which had just dramatically blown its head gasket about 20 miles short of our destination. While awaiting arrival of AA rescue we were treated to an entertainment of two cock pheasants having a comical, but to them obviously serious, fight amidst the growing corn. A buzzard circled overhead (or was it a vulture?). The AA service was faultless and we, plus Talbot, were wafted home in comfort. After transference of our impedimenta to the Toyota we set off on our second attempt to reach Cosford. This was achieved pretty speedily via the motorways which were mercifully uncluttered. We sneaked in halfway through the meeting to be greeted by a blast of Tannhäuser at about 1000 decibels and nine on the Richter scale. Of course the only two free seats were right at the front so an inconspicuous entry was impossible. We never did discover the relevance of Wagner to the TOC - perhaps he was an early posthumous member (was the Ride of the Valkyrie achieved on a Talbot?). We had missed the business part of the meeting but were there for the waffling section which aroused our admiration for the patience, tact and control of our Chairman, David Booth, as he orchestrated the cut and thrust of a heated debate. All was eventually amicably settled, as there was no evidence of barging and shoving as we assembled in "three large semi-circles" for a group photograph, courtesy of our resident photographer, Tony Ward. Christine and I had looked forward to the conducted tour of the museum but due to our late re-start we missed that and our lunch, but we were fortunate to have time after the meeting to visit the two hangers housing the experimental and combat aircraft. Definitely the stimulus for a more prolonged visit in the future.

We followed James's immaculate directions to the Valley Hotel at Ironbridge and were delighted on our arrival to see the wonderful setting for this comfortable and welcoming hostelry. We were allocated a very nice room in the annexe which, to our amusement, contained a four-poster bed. There must be something special about this type of bed - perhaps someone, someday will enlighten me! After pre-prandial drinks we assembled in the main dining room for the great gastronomic event. The service was excellent, the food superb, the speeches brief and the company most congenial. The recipe for total success. Lucinda had devised a fiendish quiz to be completed during our repast. It consisted of a narrative charting the vicissitudes of our Chairman's other life with gaps in the text to be filled by the names or models of motorcars, allowing for a certain amount of poetic licence. The competition and the bottle of wine were won by a brainy consortium headed by Mensa candidates Jame Fack and Cecil Schumacher. Our little table - ourselves and Chris and Hugh Mackintosh aka "The Inclements" - lost out by half a point but such is the twist of fate. By the way does anyone know what David did to the senator's wife in that hot tub?

There was some simply stunning silverware (notice the alliteration here) on display, which was duly awarded to the deserving recipients at the termination of the dinner. John Young awarded his eponymous trophy to John Ward for outstanding services to the Talbot cause both at Ingestre and the AGM. Anne Rawlings awarded her trophy, named in memory of her late, distinguished husband Anthony, to Graham Mellish for the preservation, presentation and usage of his delightful 14/45 Weymann saloon. That was more or less the end of a truly remarkable day - a group of friends gathering to thoroughly enjoy each other's company and common interest. And so to try out the four-poster!

Sunday morning dawned and we didn't need a wake-up call as the very vocal plumbing burst into action from various corners of the annexe. Val and Stuart had devised a lovely scenic route with a mild competitive element to our final lunchtime halt at the Down Inn at Chetton. This proved to be a really nice pub where the obliging management had allowed us to partake of a light lunch in our own dining space. David attempted to read out the answers to the clues in Val's navigation test, but after he had made a cock-up of the first one gave up and settled instead for announcing the winners. These were Cecil expertly navigated by Lucinda and they duly received their prizes of delightful Ironbridge mugs.

After final "goodbyes" we made an uneventful journey home after what can only be described as a triumphant first AGM of the revived Talbot Owners Club, graced by the most beautiful weather of the year so far.

Our grateful thanks are due to all those whose hard work went towards making the weekend such a memorable success. David for being the complete Chairman - his charm, warmth and friendship permeated the whole meeting. John and Lucinda aided and abetted by Tony and Diana and James for all their dedicated organisational work, much of it inconspicuous but vital to the smooth running of the occasion. Val and Stuart for their organisation of the Sunday run and lunch. One can only have the greatest admiration for Val's calm and cheerful demeanour after her traumatic ordeal prior to the AGM. A lady of great courage and fortitude of whom the TOC can be proud.

And so we look forward to our next convivial gathering when I am sure we shall maintain the friendly ethos of the TOC. Happy "Talboteering" to you all!

John Talbot-Cooper