Royal Oak of Kent Branch Newsletter
Successes
50 Year Membership Lunch
Fifteen 50 year members and their partners were entertained
at a lunch on 20th June at Bromley Court Hotel by Royal Oak of Kent
branch.
Branch 50th Anniversary Celebration Dinner Dance &
Cabaret
Royal
Oak of Kent celebrated 50 years as a Court/Branch on
31st January 2009 with a Dinner Dance & Cabaret at
the Alexandra Suite, Swanley with 145 members and guests attending
it was a very successful evening, good food, lively entertainment
and most of all good company, we were pleased to have Phil
Shorthouse a branch member as our toastmaster for the evening. Our
guests were David Howell Regional President of London &
Southern England with his wife Rita, Membership Director UK Steve
Dilworth and Siobhan his wife, Membership Manager Lizzy
Carrington-Porter and Charter Officer Cyril Levitt accompanied by
his daughter Rosemary. It was also a great pleasure to have
representatives of all the branches that have existed in Kent in
attendance.
(photo above) Standing: Siobhan Dilworth, Steve
Dilworth, Phil Shorthouse, Alan Norris, Malcolm Harris, David
Howell
Seated: Sheila Harris, Sheila Norris, Rita
Howell
Royal Oak received its charter on 29th January 1959
and was one of the first Courts in Southern England. Forester
membership grew so quickly in the late ‘50s early ‘60s that even
more Courts as they were then known were born.
Royal Oak gave birth to Court Laxton Tudor
in 1961, subsequently Royal Thane in the Thanet area became a
Court. Ken Caplan the district manager and his team were working
hard in the Medway area which was growing in population and many
new Forester members were recruited it became evident that a
new Court was needed in that area and Laxton Tudor was split to
form the new Court Kentish Garden, yet again Laxton Tudor was
divided in the early ‘70s to form another Court in the
Dartford/Gravesend area, by this time membership growth had slowed
down and this move was not so successful, although the Court
survived for several years thanks to the hard work of its officers.
With ever growing costs Laxton Tudor officers decided that the
finances could no longer sustain the activities the membership
deserved and asked for permission to rejoin their parent Court and
was reunited with Royal Oak of Kent in the 1980s, although this
upset some members this move proved to be a good one as there were
many more volunteers to do the organising, sadly time is taking its
toll and the officers are getting older so new blood is needed in
the branch if it is to survive, otherwise there will only be one
Branch in Kent based in the Canterbury/Thanet area and I am sure
this would make it very difficult to serve the membership so please
can we have some younger volunteers to carry on. We will of course
be there to guide you if necessary. It is not all hard work and
speaking for myself and I am sure most of the others who have
served as officers and committee members it has been an enjoyable
experience and we have made long and lasting friendships.
The Branch over the 50 years raised in excess
of £100,000 from collecting foil, stamps, newspaper and
participating in local fetes organizing raffles, tombola’s etc for
local and national charities including:
Guide Dogs for the Blind, RNLI, British Heart
Foundation, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Diabetes UK, Mr. Pastry, Spina
Bifida, Leonard Cheshire Homes, Kent Air Ambulance, Antony Nolan
Bone Marrow Trust, Jimmy Saville Stoke Mandeville Appeal, Lewisham
Hospital Baby Unit, Queen Mary’s Hospital Baby & Hematology
Unit, Bexley Club for Disabled, Scots, St John Ambulance Cadets,
Greenwich and Bexley Cottage Hospice, Helen Allison School for
Autistic Children and Demelza Child to name but a few,
which I am confident has made a difference to many lives.
£308 was raised from the raffle at the
anniversary dinner for Diabetes UK.
If you have a few hours a month to help run the branch,
please give us a call and I am certain you could make a difference
too.


1
2
3
1. President with the Royal Oak original charter
and Charter officer Cyril Levitt ( who died in
July)
2. Having fun at 50th Anniversary
3. Sheila Norris - Having fun at 50th
Anniversary

Cheese & Wine & Quiz

This event was held at St Saviour’s Church Hall in Eltham on 3
April 2008 and was well attended by 56 members and
guests.
Many thanks to Malcolm & Sheila Harris
for their hard work in putting on this event. There were nearly 30
different cheeses to taste as well as sausage rolls, pate,
tomatoes, celery etc and apples & melon. There was a variety of
wines including alcohol free, red, rose & white to sample as
well as soft drinks for those who had to be careful. The quiz was
interesting and there were prizes for the winners as well as the
team at the bottom of the table.
£105 was raised for the Demelza Child Project in Eltham.
Sheila & Peter Turner
Trip to Althorp House

On 12 August, 48 members came along to spend a
day experiencing 500 years of history at Althorp, the home of the
Spencer Family.
We explored the wonderful house - discovering
beautiful interiors and one of Europe’s finest private collections
of furniture, pictures and ceramics.
We also strolled through the peaceful gardens and visited the
Diana Memorial before going onto to see the Diana Exhibition which
was a reflection of her life and work – this included many of her
beautiful dresses, a film about her early life and over 1,000 books
of condolence on display, all signed at the time of her death.
Malcolm Harris said “We had a fabulous time, and were able to
get an excellent discounted entry rate for our members for this
trip. Why not join us for our next trip and enjoy a great day out
with us!”