March 2018

KIRTON AND FALKENHAM WI
Next meeting: Thursday April 12th at 2.00pm in Kirton and Falkenham Village Hall.
Demonstrator: Magdalaine Snowdon.
Subject: Hats and flower making (Hands on).
Trading Stall: Miscellaneous.

MARCH MEETING REPORT 2018
This year we are celebrating the 97th birthday of Kirton and Falkenham WI. While the actual anniversary is not until the autumn we have taken to marking the occasion at the March meeting so that it does not clash with our Annual General Meeting in November. As is the custom on these occasions we invited members from local WIs to join us, as well as our advisor from the Suffolk East Federation. In the past, every meeting used to start with a rousing rendition of the song ‘Jerusalem’ but now we only sing it once a year at our birthday meeting in order to keep up the tradition. I think, on this occasion, the older members could still remember the words!

For about the fifth time in the last few months our advertised speaker was unable to attend, so Mr Colin Hopper, the ‘magic man’, stepped in and saved our bacon, as he had already done once before back in September. Mr Hopper, a professional magician, spoke to us on ‘The History of Magic’, which proved to be a fascinating subject, taking us from the time of the early cavemen, via ancient Egypt and the famous Houdini, up to the present day. Colin explained that magicians have always been prominent in society as they provide an element of mystery and awe. While not giving away any trade secrets, he described some of the tools in the magicians kitbag and illustrated their use with interesting tricks. He went on to tell us that performers have recourse to deception, illusion and the alchemy of showmanship in order to baffle their audiences, so much so that in the 1970s some standard spoofs were rebranded as ‘paranormal’. He explained that there had never been such a thing as the Indian rope trick; that, in fact, this had been a wheeze dreamt up by someone from behind a desk in the 1880s. Colin concluded his highly entertaining talk with a demonstration of mind reading to illustrate the points raised throughout the afternoon and thus, as intended, left us totally discombobulated!

After the speaker had finished we entertained our guests to a wonderful tea provided by members, including a magnificent birthday cake baked and iced by June Wells. The meeting concluded with some brief business in which we discussed our future plans, including the proposed visit to Newmarket Races.

A Colvill, V BinesAs is the custom on these occasions we invited members from local WIs to join us, as well as our advisor from the Suffolk East Federation. In the past, every meeting used to start with a rousing rendition of the song ‘Jerusalem’ but now we only sing it once a year at our birthday meeting in order to keep up the tradition. I think, on this occasion, the older members could still remember the words!

For about the fifth time in the last few months our advertised speaker was unable to attend, so Mr Colin Hopper, the ‘magic man’, stepped in and saved our bacon, as he had already done once before back in September. Mr Hopper, a professional magician, spoke to us on ‘The History of Magic’, which proved to be a fascinating subject, taking us from the time of the early cavemen, via ancient Egypt and the famous Houdini, up to the present day. Colin explained that magicians have always been prominent in society as they provide an element of mystery and awe. While not giving away any trade secrets, he described some of the tools in the magicians kitbag and illustrated their use with interesting tricks. He went on to tell us that performers have recourse to deception, illusion and the alchemy of showmanship in order to baffle their audiences, so much so that in the 1970s some standard spoofs were rebranded as ‘paranormal’. He explained that there had never been such a thing as the Indian rope trick; that, in fact, this had been a wheeze dreamt up by someone from behind a desk in the 1880s. Colin concluded his highly entertaining talk with a demonstration of mind reading to illustrate the points raised throughout the afternoon and thus, as intended, left us totally discombobulated!

After the speaker had finished we entertained our guests to a wonderful tea provided by members, including a magnificent birthday cake baked and iced by June Wells. The meeting concluded with some brief business in which we discussed our future plans, including the proposed visit to Newmarket Races.

A Colvill, V Bines