Social Outing 20th October 2012

A large number of people, 60 in total turned out for our annual Social Outing and what a day we had. The brain child of our organiser Wesley Lamont who planned a really enjoyable day. Meeting at the Donnelly Group’s Vauxhall garage in Dungannon we were kindly treated to tea/coffee, sandwiches and scones, all courtesy of the garage. Many thanks must go to proprietor Terence Donnelly and their general manager Geoffrey Lamont for their generosity. We had a lovely surprise when our club member Geoffrey Livingstone brought along his recently acquired immaculate J40 pedal car and his two little sons Josh and Robbie to demonstrate it.

Suitably refreshed and after a lot of banter we split up. One group (all ladies) went for a browse around the shops at the Linen Green at nearby Moygashel. From all reports they had a great time, so much so that 4 of them lost track of time and nearly forgot to leave (no names will be mentioned). Evidence of how good a time the ladies had will become clearer when husbands get their credit card statements. Rumours are going around that Wesley is feeling guilty at all the expenditure incurred and if receipts are produced he may pay for all. Don’t hold your breath !!!

The other group (including some ladies) made their way to the Bush for a visit to Trevor Haydock’s museum. It’s difficult to put into words how amazing this museum is. It really is a life times collecting; from large classic articulated lorries, most of which have been lovingly restored by Trevor himself, right down to miniature model cars and there were literally 100’s of these. No matter how many times you went around, each time you found something new. Then you look up and the walls are lined with automobile signs from years gone by. Hanging from underneath the loft were numerous ‘light-up’ signs depicting lots of various car and parts manufacturers from the 60’s and 70’s. On hand all the time was Trevor and his good friend Eric Patterson to tell stories about the exhibits. Another surprise lay in store when mid afternoon Trevor’s lovely wife Ada appeared with tea and tray bakes for all.

What a nice gesture. If you missed the event all is not lost. Just visit our website (www.upwac.co.uk), go to Gallery and enjoy looking at all the pictures. Thank you Trevor, Ada and Eric for providing us with a brilliant afternoon’s entertainment. No entry fee to the museum was charged but the UPWAC were proud to be able in a small way to repay Trevor by donating £100 to the blind, a charity very close to the Haydock family.

All too soon we had to leave and go to the Cohannon Inn where both groups met up for our evening meal. The buzz and banter was evidence that everyone had enjoyed a great day out. All were thanked for attending the event. For some this was their first time at a UPWAC event. We hope you enjoyed it and will return and maybe even consider becoming a club member for 2013.

Finally to the main man. Thank you Wesley. You had an idea – Provide a social day out with enjoyment to suit all tastes. Let’s put it simply, you certainly succeeded and we hope you deservedly took a lot of pleasure at sending the large turnout of 60 people home very happy. Please do it again next year.

Godfrey Crawford