January 2018 Newsletter

Chairman’s Notes

As Mark Twain remarked about his own demise, rumours about the the Midlands Retirees Club closing were somewhat exaggerated. We have a new committee:

Ray Bradshaw, Dave Compton, Michael Fabianski, Paul Gover, Terry King, John Milton, John Rickman, Richard Short, Gary Wooding.

Of course, the new committee will have to be ratified at the Club’s AGM, which is provisionally planned for 19th March at the Royal British Legion Club in Knowle.

The club lives on, but discerning readers will be struck by the lack of ethnic, age, class, gender and occupational diversity of our new team. This is not to castigate the old, white, middle-class, alpha-male, ex-engineers who have been kind enough to volunteer to be on the new committee. Given the nature of the MRC membership we could hardly be otherwise. It is rather to ask that female members and wives of members step up to the plate** and volunteer to join the committee. If that is too much of a commitment, perhaps they would join our event planning meeting on February 5 at IBM Warwick at 10:30.

At the last meeting we went round the table asking for suggestions for events for 2018.

Over half the events proposed were engineering related, car plants, railway depots, factory visits and the like.

Come on! help us out. If you feel you are able to offer your help, please email me at jriscman@gmail.com. #MeToo

John Rickman
Chairman (acting)
IBM Midlands Retirees Club

** to move into position next to home plate in order to bat or more prosaically: Take action in response to an opportunity or crisis.

Sub-Groups of Retirees Club and Employee Club

IBM Retirees Rambling Group

The IBM (Warwick) Rambling Club is now a subsection of the IBM Midlands Retiree Club. Any member of the Midlands Retiree club is welcome to join our subsection. Our subs are £5 per person per year. Our programme consists of a meal in late February, a monthly ramble with a pub lunch using own transport and an AGM in December. The meal for 2018 will be held at Micatto (Italian) in Warwick on Thuesday 27th February. In the past we have shared a trip using coach transport with retiree sightseers in May or June - this year there is the possibility of a week-long trip in June.

Any retiree who would like to give us a try, can come along on one of our monthly walks without needing to join. Meal subsidies are available only to members and not for those joining us on a trial basis.

Go to a list of the planned walks for 2018 and other information.

For more information, please contact Terry King, terryaking@hotmail.com.

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IBM Retirees PC and Technology Group (founded by Harry Green)

The IBM Retirees PC and Technology Group meets every alternate month for a lively discussion on PC and technology topics in the digital age. There are usually one or two specific presentations given by members or by outside speakers, which the members of the Group have requested. We try to provide a reasonable balance between PC “techie” topics, new technology, and topics of a more general nature such as digital television, Internet telephony and digital photography. So whether you are a newcomer to the PC or a more experienced user, we hope you will find something of interest. You are very welcome to join us.

Go to meeting dates and other information.