52 members enjoyed a Spring day for the Spring Lunch and AGM at the Victory Services Club. It was a lively crowd, catching up with rafikis and making new ones. The VSC laid on an excellent curry lunch, with all the trimmings, and we then heard from our member, Bettie Morton, MBE, about her journey from the Pokot Valley in Kenya, to Buckingham Palace to receive her award. It was a fascinating talk, about the women who had most influenced Bettie’s live and the importance of education for girls in Kenya.

A selection of photos are below:

Our Northern Lunch at the Tempest Arms, Elslack, near Skipton was attended by 23 members and guests. An excellent curry was enjoyed by all, followed by delicious mango ice cream. We had a very successful raffle which raised £162 for our Benevolent Fund. Sadly Jenni Mayer, our hardworking organiser, missed this year for the first time in over 25 years but she will be back next year.

There was a joyful reunion between three members and two guests, who had all been in Mombasa together in the early 2000s.

Our Hampshire Lunch was well attended with 30 members and guests enjoying a delicious curry cooked by our member Luise in the familiar setting of Burley Village Hall in the New Forest. The bar and bring and buy were well patronised and we held a successful raffle for our benevolent fund. Much chat among the rafikis!

The Refectory at Guildford Cathedral was full of colour on a glorious day for our Summer Lunch which incorporates the Surrey/West Sussex area lunch. Nearly 50 friends old and new joined us for the usual tasty curry. Marion Munge brought her colourful collection of kikapus, kikois and jewellery for sale; there were lots of second hand books and cards available; and a table full of excellent raffle prizes. Kevin Patience brought along an interesting First World War model train We raised a substantial sum for our Benevolent Fund, and had a lovely day doing so.

Long Sutton Golf Club was again the venue for our Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire Lunch and 34 rafikis gathered to enjoy a first class curry. For the first year in ages, our previous organiser, Morag Owen-Burke, could not join us as she has moved to be near her daughter in Cornwall. Much missed, but those who came enjoyed an excellent curry, a raffle, book and plant sales, and many memories of days gone by in East Africa.

We had a very enjoyable lunch at an excellent curry restaurant in Kidlington. Ovisher looked after us very well and although few in number, like all rafikis, we were full of chatter and memories of Kenya.

We had a very jolly Spring Lunch and AGM at the Victory Services Club on Tuesday 26th March. Fifty members and guests attended and enjoyed a talk on Extraordinary Characters in East African History from our member Dr Christine Nicholls. The VSC excelled themselves with the most delicious curry lunch. There was much chatter and laughter as old friends met up and new friends were made.

Our annual Hampshire lunch at Burley is the last one we cater for ourselves and this year our member Luise Cornes made us a delicious typical Kenyan curry complete with Kachumbari and all the trimmings. Thirty one members and guests enjoyed the day, browsing books for sale, bring and buy, and African Rainbow’s wonderful selection of African wares.

On 1st October 26 of us met at the Tempest Arms in Elslack near Skipton for our Annual Group Lunch. We were treated to an excellent curry with trimmings and enjoyed the company of friends old and new.

Another very wet day for the Summer Lunch, but 40 of us made it through the traffic jams to enjoy an excellent curry lunch at the Refectory at Guildford Cathedral.

There was lots of happy chatter and catching up.