Great Yarmouth 
Gilbert & Sullivan Society

Society News and Events - Archive

Society Christmas Dinner 2005
The Christmas Dinner was held at the Hazelhurst Hotel on Friday 2nd December 2005 and was well attended by members, patrons, friends and their families. Many thanks for Wendy Gooch for organising the event and to everyone who provided entertainment on the night.

2005 Concerts
We performed two concerts this year, the first at Wangford Church on 28th October and the second at the Chapter House in Gorleston on 2nd November as part of the St Andrews Festival. They were entitled ‘Over the Bright Blue Sea’ with a strong maritime theme to coincide with the Nelson bicentenary celebrations. We were very well received at both venues and our thanks go to our MD Stella Brownsea, our accompanist, Karen Smith, the narrator, Joan Wardle and all the soloists who did us proud as well as Dorothy Pearce and Helen Steed for arranging the programme.

Condolences - Autumn 2005
It is with great sadness that we announced the death of Maurice Payne who passed away at the end of June 2005. He had been a staunch member of our Society since 1986 and was an asset to our bass line. He never missed a production or concert and was also our librarian for many years. Our sincere condolences go to his widow Stella who is also a great supporter of our Society. He will be fondly and sadly missed.

Condolences - Summer 2005
It is with great sadness that we announced the deaths of two of our past members; Brenda Meare who sang soprano leads for several years and Nancy Berry, one of our Life Members. Nancy was an active member of the Society for many years, playing various principal roles and was Secretary from 1980-88.

GOOD FRIDAY COFFEE MORNING 2005
Over 30 members, patrons and friends gathered at Vivian’s house for the annual Good Friday Coffee Morning. As always, it was a welcome chance to socialise and chat at a time when rehearsals are becoming ever more concentrated. A big thank you to Vivian for organising the event which raised £84 for Society funds.

Great Yarmouth Gilbert and Sullivan Society - 'How it all started'
Bernard Gooch, one of our life members, has written a history regarding the formation of the Society and the first 25 years. For those who do not know him, Bernard Gooch was co-founder of the Society and its first Musical Director and later President.
Active members will be able to purchase a copy of this book at rehearsals from Paul Gooch for £4.50. For non-singers and other interested parties please contact Paul for further information on (01379) 740858. 

Happy Birthday to You!
Congratulations to Amy Maund who celebrated her 80th birthday on 12th March 2005. Thank you to everyone who attended her Birthday celebrations and especially to the dozen or so members who sang to her. 

WEBB IVORY CATALOGUE 2004
Thank you to everyone who ordered items from the Webb Ivory catalogue which has helped to raise £85.75 for the Society. Many thanks go to Helen Steed for her hard work in organising this very useful fundraiser which raises a tidy sum each year.

Society Christmas Dinner 2004
The Society’s Christmas Dinner at the Hazelhurst Hotel in Great Yarmouth was attended by the largest ever number of members and friends who all enjoyed the excellent food, good service and sparking company. Thank you to to Ken and Joan Wardle for organising the Dinner and making it so successful. Unfortunately, the evening was marred because several members were unable to attend due to a car accident (and the resulting tailbacks) on the way to the venue. We wish Helen Thwaites and her friend Georgina a speedy recovery from their injuries and are grateful that Helen, Chris and Jennifer Steed managed to walk away from the accident suffering from nothing more serious than shock.

Summer Social Events 2004
Three fundraising social events were held this summer, starting with a BBQ at Keith and Pat’s on the 4th July, followed by a Wedding Anniversary Garden Party at Dorothy and Anthony’s on 31st July. The trio of Summer events concluded with Afternoon Tea at Ken & Joan’s on the August Bank Holiday. Thanks to everyone who attended and especially to the hosts for their hospitality.

2004 Concerts
We have performed in concerts this year, on Friday 18th June at Mautby Church as part of their G&S Flower Festival and on Friday 25th June at Fritton Lake. Both were very successful concerts so a big Thank You to everyone involved in the arrangements and all who took part. A special Thank You to our MD, David Kett for all his hard work playing the organ and conducting at the same time!

Founded in 1954, the Great Yarmouth Gilbert & Sullivan Society celebrated its

throughout 2004

To mark the occasion, we held a
Golden Jubilee Dinner
on 6th March 2004 at the
Royal Masonic Rooms, Great Yarmouth.

127 singing members, patrons, life members, ex-members, supporters, friends and their sisters, cousins and aunts joined us to celebrate our Golden Jubilee.

Productions by other Societies
The Waveney Light Opera Group in Beccles (which boasts many members from our Society amongst its ranks) performed ‘The Corporate Mikado’ from 21st to 24th April 2004 in the Beccles Public Hall. Sullivan’s music remains intact in this new version of an old favourite but it has been given a very modern twist whilst still retaining Gilbert’s wit and humour. This version won high acclaim when it was first released and WLOG was only the third society to have performed it in the UK. The Eastern Daily Press (the local newspaper) loved it so congratulations to all involved.

Society's Christmas Dinner 2003
The Society’s Christmas Dinner at the Hazelhurst Hotel in Great Yarmouth was attended by 33 members and friends who all enjoyed the excellent food, good service and sparking company. Thank you to to Ken Wardle for organising the Dinner and to everyone who helped make this the most successful Christmas Dinner so far. 

WEBB IVORY CATALOGUE 2003
Thank you to everyone who ordered items from the Webb Ivory catalogue which has helped to raise £93.48 for the Society. Many thanks go to Helen Steed for her hard work in organising this very useful fundraiser which is getting bigger and making more money each year.

2003 Concerts
The Society performed two concerts this Summer, in St Edmunds Church, Costessey on 20th June 2003 and in the Wangford Festival on the 26th. Both concerts were well supported by large and appreciative audiences.
We had mixed fortunes for our two Autumn concerts. Despite extensive advertising and a lot of hard work by Meriel and Neville, the audience turnout for the Harleston concert was very disappointing. However, the concert at Felmingham was very well supported by an appreciative audience who enjoyed it so much that they hope to bring a coach party to see The Gondoliers!
Special thanks to our MD, David Kett and our accompanist, Nova Teasdale who once more travelled long distances to play for us.

Summer BBQ - Sunday 13th July 2003
Due to Channel 4’s ‘Pop Beach’ on Great Yarmouth sea front, the venue for the Summer BBQ was relocated from Baron’s Court to Ken and Joan’s. However, this did not affect numbers and members and friends enjoyed great company and glorious weather. Many thanks to Ken & Joan for their hospitality, Maurice for cooking the food and to Ann for running the raffle. The afternoon raised £93 for Society funds.

BEETLE DRIVE AND FISH AND CHIP SUPPER
The Beetle Drive and Fish and Chip Supper on Saturday 22nd February 2003 was enjoyed by many members, patrons and friends. We were delighted that Hazel Thackray was well enough to rejoin her G&S friends after so many years. As well as being a fun evening, £100 was raised towards Society funds.

Thanks for your Generosity!
Congratulations to Anthony Pearce who has been awarded a crystal plate by the National Blood Service at a special presentation dinner for donating 75 pints of blood over the last 43 years.

Summer BBQ - Sunday 8th September 2002
The Summer BBQ at Baron’s Court on 8th September raised £80. Many thanks to Maurice and Ann Jeckells for the lovely food and to all who came for the convivial company. Good fun was had by all.

Congratulations and Thank you's
Congratulations to Suzanne Long who has passed all her exams and is now certified to teach and to her daughter, Hannah, who obtained excellent GCSE exam results. Well done to them both.

Congratulations also go to Wendy Gooch who has her miniatures paintings on display at the Assembly Rooms, Norwich from 23rd September to 5th October 2002.

Ted and Amy Maund would like to extend their grateful thanks for the love and friendship they have received since Amy’s heart operation. She is recovering well and was able to attend the Summer BBQ on 8th September.

Wedding Bells
Congratulations to two of our performing members, Chris Steed and Helen Pearce, who got married for real on 15th June 2002. The couple have already had three practice runs at marriage, as Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum in 2000, Fairfax and Elsie in 2001 and Frederick & Mabel in 2002.

Congratulations also go to Ken and Joan Wardle who celebrated their Ruby Wedding in May

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Jeff Burgess, a stalwart supporter of the Society for over 20 years both on and off the stage.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Viv, sons Stuart and Eric and all his family.

In April we were also informed that Helen (Nell) Leggett had also passed away at the grand old age of 98. She had a beautiful soprano voice and we celebrated her 80th birthday in May 1983 at the dress rehearsal of ‘The Gondoliers’ on the stage at the Windmill Theatre.

2002 Concert at Woodhall Spa
Great Yarmouth Gilbert & Sullivan Society hit the road on 8th June 2002 and performed a concert entitled 'Regular Royal Queen'  in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire. The concert was at the request of our furthest travelling singing member, John Sabberton who lives in the town. The concert was very well supported by members and audience alike and it was a thoroughly enjoyable day for everyone who took part. Many thanks to to our MD, David Kett who worked so hard to bring out our best and to our guest accompanist, Nova Teasdale for her brilliant piano playing and good humour.

BEETLE DRIVE AND FISH AND CHIP SUPPER
The Beetle Drive and Fish and Chip Supper on Saturday 23rd February 2002 was enjoyed by 38 members, patrons and friends from 8 to 80+ years old.As well as being a fun evening, £132 was raised towards Society funds.

Thursford Christmas 2001 Spectacular
The Society organized a coach trip to Thursford’s famous Christmas Spectacular for 1st December 2001. It proved to be so popular that all the tickets were sold within days and there was a waiting list in case anyone dropped out!
The show was as spectacular as it claimed and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

PETTICOAT LANE
The Petticoat Lane fundraising event featured a whole range of stalls, from bric-a-brac to a cake stall to a tombola. Refreshments were also on sale.
Thank you to everyone who donated items to sell, manned a stall or came along and spent their money. It was wonderful to see so many singing members and patrons throughout the morning. The event was very successful and raised £142 for Society funds.

A MINIATURE SUCCESS !
Congratulations to Wendy Gooch who has been invited by the Royal Society of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Engravers to take part in their national exhibition in London. This is the first time she has been invited to display her work in the annual exhibition which took place at the Westminster Gallery from 16th to 25th November 2001. Well done Wendy!

It is with deep regret that we announce the death of Bill Huxley on 4th August 2001 at the age of 81. Bill was a Life Member of the Society, sang as lead tenor for many years and was also a well-liked and respected Chairman from 1960 to 1965. The funeral was held at St Andrew’s Church on 13th August 2001 and our thoughts and sympathies are with his widow Sheila at this time.

Progressive Lunch - Sunday 29th July 2001
What is a Progressive Lunch? The Starters are served at 12.30pm at one member's house and when that course is complete, everyone moves to the next house for the Buffet Lunch. The Sweet course is served at yet another venue, finishing at the last house for tea and coffee (with cheese and biscuits if you have any room left!) The Progressive Lunch was a great success and everyone who attended spent over 5 hours of a Sunday afternoon enjoying the great weather and convivial company as well as eating and drinking their fill. In addition, £88.40 was raised towards Society funds.

BARN DANCE - Saturday 7th April 2001
This popular event with buffet supper and raffle was a great success, good fun was had by all and we raised £280.50 for Society funds.

GOOD FRIDAY COFFEE MORNING 2001
The Good Friday Coffee Morning has become an annual event and is a welcome chance to socialise and chat with friends at a time when rehearsals are becoming ever more concentrated. This year's event was well attended and raised £60.

We would be pleased to quote for concert bookings. For more information please email us at the address below or write to the Secretary (click here for details)