WELL-KNOWN MUSICAL CELEBRITY IS MOVING AWAY FROM THE TORREVIEJA AREA
Susan Brace Guest, currently the organist at the La Siesta Church, is moving further north and in doing so leaves a big gap needing to be filled.
Sue was born in Llanelli, South Wales. She worshiped at St. Paul’s Church and as a teenager was deputy organist.
She read music at Reading University and after 2 years of piano teaching, studied viola and piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Sue worked as a viola player in the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon, Portugal and for ten years with the Welsh National opera. She has also free-lanced with many other orchestras and music groups.
Sue, together with husband Ted, retired to live in Spain in 2002 and for ten years was the piano accompanist for the popular Torrevieja Gilbert & Sullivan Society.
Since 2009 Sue has been the organist at the La Siesta Church which is an Evangelical Church of many denominations and which enjoys an enviable reputation for good singing. The choir, in particular, will miss the experience and talent of Sue. On March 24th, Palm Sunday, the choir will be singing Beethoven’s Hallelujah Chorus from his oratorio “The Mount of Olives” and the accompaniment for this work is extremely difficult but Sue makes it sound so easy!
If there is anyone reading this who enjoys a challenge and would like to take up the position of church organist/pianist please contact Mr Charles Smith in the first instance on tele: 96 679 0398.
TORREVIEJA GOLF SOCIETY
At Lorca Golf Resort on 11th March.
This was our first ever visit to the Dave Thomas designed course located at exit 17 off the RM 11 motorway mid way between Aguilas and Lorca.
Most players met initially at the Lo Monte Hotel in Pilar de la Horadada to travel in convoy and after a fairly uneventful journey apart from an encounter with a stray dog taking his early morning constitutional in the inside lane of the AP 7 toll road, we all arrived safely at the course 1 hour 15 minutes later.
This a very well designed and scenic course but is quite challenging for high handicap golfers as it is necessary to hit long and straight off many of the tees to ensure you carry ravines which lie between the tee and the fairways. There are some memorable holes, however, not least the par 4 15th hole with its island green completely encircled by water being particularly impressive. The course are offering very competitive green fee deals to attract visitors and for an away day trip it is well worth a visit for Society groups.
On the day it was decided to play a 4 ball team Stableford waltz but due to a number of late cancellations three teams, with 3 players only, required a “ghost” player to add to their scores and this proved to be a critical factor in deciding the winning teams. Geoff Walters, Ron Smith and Ron Davis from the final 4 ball were designated to act as ghosts and after checking the cards the 2 leading teams each featured a ghost player although their contributions to the winning scores were somewhat different. The winning scores were:
1st Dean Charles, Chris Byron, John Connolly and Geoff Walters with 83 points.
2nd Geoff Branton, John Saunders, Bob McShane and Ron Davis with 81 points.
Geoff Walters, Ron Davis and Dean Charles all donated their prize money to the Captain’s charity fund.
Nearest the Pin prizes were won by Charlie Rodgers, Bob McShane, Roy Welburn, Chris Byron and John Edwards with Charlie, Bob and Roy each recording a 2 to share the 2’s prize fund.
Next week on Monday 18th March we will be playing an individual Stableford Competition for the Stan Boyles Memorial Trophy at Saurines de la Torre and members will be able to check their tee times on the web site or the notice board in the Portobello Bar in Campoverde.
Contact: Geoff Walters, Secretary, Tel 966 763 369 or email [email protected]
Static Naval Model Building and Remote Control Exhibition 2013
9 March – 14 April 2013
This new edition will be made up by over 254 models which have been lent by 21 associations from the whole Spain, making of this Torrevieja’s exhibition the second most important in Spain, just after the Madrid’s one. Among all ships exhibited, 22 are new and there will also be two huge dioramas. The main novelty of this eighth edition will be a set of navy model vehicles which will be represent 25 real Navy reproductions.
In this edition, the public will be able to see models of any type, from war ships to galleons, frigates, tug boats, fishing boats, lateen sailing boats, submarines or cruisers, making a tour all over all navigation times up to the present.
Place: "los Aljibes" Exhibition room
Date: 9 March – 14 April 2013
Opening hours: "los Aljibes" exhibition room opens from 10 am to 2 pm and from 5 pm to 8 pm (closed on monday).
PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITIION AT ASTURIAS
PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITIION AT ASTURIAS
Easy Horse Care and Little Pod Association have been invited to have book stall at a photographic exhibition on Saturday 16th March there will be a photographic exhibition at Restaurant Asturias, Punta Prima, from 12 noon to 5 pm.
This will feature photographs and art work by Jess Calke who is visiting Orihuela Costa.
Jess is well established and has gained her qualifications from the UK Royal Photographic Society.
Her latest range of work is being shown for the first time internationally at this exhibition.
Jess’s photographic preferences lie firmly within the natural world. Her experiences have drawn her back to the earth’s creatures each time she’s deviated. This has most recently been cemented by her largest single body of work taken on safari in Tanzania.
Her style has traditionally been that of pure photography, untouched, as seen through the eye of the camera during that split second of time. Recently however, she has been drawn in by the techno march. This has led to diversifying to create and build images which merge her skills of the natural world with additional techniques. This culminates in producing a distinctive inaugural series of larger than life Big Cat canvases.
Jess's work has and is being featured in various National Trust properties in England
Jess has invited two local Charities to share in her day. The Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre and Little Pod Association will be holding a book and merchandise sale.
Little Pod is hoping to raise much needed funds to enable Pia a young Podenco to have an operation to straighten her front leg.
Torrevieja desalination plant nears completion
The Torrevieja desalination facility in Spain will provide fresh water for human consumption and water supply for irrigation purpose
The government of Spain has announced that the Torrevieja desalination plant is nearing completion and will soon begin producing water for drinking and irrigation purposes.
Located in the seaside city and municipality of Torrevieja, in the province of Alicante, south-east Spain, the desalination facility will undergo tests before commencing production.
The Torrevieja facility is expected to provide water to about 400,000 people and for irrigation to 8,000 hectares of agricultural land.
The facility is operated by Mancomunidad de los Canales del Taibilla, a company responsible for water supply in the area, and will provide treated water to 34 municipalities in the province, reported The Leader.
Constructed at a cost of €300m, the plant will convert seawater into freshwater using reverse osmosis technology.
Upon completion, the plant is expected to produce 240,000m³ per day of freshwater, as well as 80hm³ per year of water for irrigation for the Canal del Campo de Cartagena and the Pedrera reservoir.
In order to meet the increased demand for water in future, the plant has been designed to produce up to 36,000m³ per day and 120hm³ per year.
The project was delayed by three years due to political uncertainty and other issues.
TORREVIEJA GOLF SOCIETY AT MAR MENOR ON 4TH MARCH
Another cold, wet and windy day for our latest visit to our home course Mar Menor Village for our Captain’s Charity Day. It was decided to play a mystery pairs Stableford competition with partners being drawn at random on conclusion of the round and with one exception, despite the miserable conditions, everyone managed to complete their rounds and get back to the sanctuary of the bar at Route 66 where a grand raffle was held. It is pleasing to report that a further 145 euros was raised to add to the Captain’s ever increasing fund and Dean Charles, the Captain, announced that he now had in excess of £1200 in hand for his chosen Charity, Marie Curie Hospice in Liverpool. With another 2 months of his year to go it is hoped that this total is further increased and he thanked the members for their continued generosity.
With regard to the competition, unsurprisingly scores on the day were, with one notable exception below average, but our Swedish lady member, Yvonne Fogelin, certainly showed the men the way with a splendid individual score of 38 points and deservedly won a prize for the best individual score in Category 2. Amazingly the players with the six next best scores were all drawn together and the prize for best aggregate Pairs Stableford score was awarded to Geoff Walters and Ron Smith on count back over the last 9 holes. The full list of winners on the day were:
1st Geoff Walters and Ron Smith with 66 points.
2nd Quentin Williams and John Edwards with 66 points.
3rd Roy Welburn and Charlie Rodgers with 65 points.
Best Individual score in Category 1 was won by Quentin Williams with 35 points.
Nearest the Pin prizes were won by John Edwards, Geoff Walters (2), Tommy Clarke and Ron Beales and the 2’s fund was shared by Geoff Walters, John Mitton and John Edwards.
Next week on Monday 11th March we are making our first ever visit to Lorca Golf and Country Club and unless members have advised the Secretary of their intention to go direct, they should meet at Lo Monte Hotel, Pilar de la Horadada, no later than 8.30 to travel in convoy.
Contact: Geoff Walters, Secretary, Tel 966 763 369 or email [email protected]
TORREVIEJA LADIES DARTS ORGANISATION
Ladies Pairs - This week the Ladies of the League gathered at the Black Dog, in Torrevieja, for the annual Ladies Pairs Competition.
A well supported competition, and through to the first quarter final Caroline Shepherd & Rose Bligh against June Howarth & Ann Wharton, with June and Ann winning through to the Semi-Finals.
Through to the second quarter final, we had Shirley Stephenson & Sue Casey against Sheila Clements & Jane Kelly, with Shirley and Sue winning through to the Semi-Finals.
Through to the third quarter final, we had Margaret Boden & Marie Dowson against Julie Musa & Jackie Tomkinson, with Margaret and Marie winning through to the Semi-Finals.
Through to the last quarter final, we had Linda Coyne & Noreen Dobbs against Kylie Burgazzi & Joy Don, with Linda and Noreen winning through to the Semi-Finals.
The first Semi-Final between Ann Wharton & June Howarth and Sue Casey & Shirley Stephenson, was won by Sue and Shirley. The second Semi-Final between Margaret Boden & Marie Dowson and Linda Coyne & Noreen Dobbs was won by Margaret and Marie.
The nail biting final, leading to all 5 legs being played was finally won by Sue Casey & Shirley Stephenson. Congratulations to Sue and Shirley this year’s Ladies Pairs Champions. Well done to you both.
Hot Darts
Marie Dowson 140 + 100
Joy Don 140
Shirley Stephenson 125
Margaret Boden 115
A good evening was had by everyone, and thanks go to Kevin and Lucy for hosting the evening. I would also like to thank Kath Walker, who stood in for Margaret Morris and did the Raffle for us, and further thanks again to Matt Burgazzi who kindly helped out with the chalking. Thank you everyone, because without this help, the evening would not run quite so smoothly.
10th Anniversary Presentation Dinner
I am delighted to announce that Kevin Reardon, from the Leader Newspaper, has kindly agreed to attend this year’s special anniversary presentation dinner, as our Guest of Honour, and, we look forward to seeing him on the 11th May at the Quesada Country Club, at the usual time of 19.00 hours for 19.30 hours
(Presentation starts at 19.30 hours prompt). Menu details have already been issued to Captains
In the meantime, well done everyone, keep up the good work, and enjoy your darts.
Pam Horton
96 571 0066
Ladies Darts Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.
"House" for instance, is feminine: "la casa."
"Pencil," however, is masculine: "el lapiz."
A student asked, "What gender is 'computer'?"
Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether "computer" should be a masculine or a feminine noun.
Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.
The men's group decided that "computer" should definitely be of the feminine gender ("la computadora") because:
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic.
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.
(THIS GETS BETTER!)
The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine ("el computador") because:
1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on.
2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves.
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time, they ARE the problem; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.
The women won.
HAPPY DAYS G.S. @ RODA.26TH FEB.
30 happy golfers met at Roda for our annual Oldies v Young match with a pairs better ball format, Nigel Cawthra captained the young team, and Kedric the Oldies, who without exception managed to find both the course and the 10th tee.
(Our start) but sadly that was the Oldies high point as the "young ones" romped home by 5 matches to 3.
One of the best scores of the day was posted by our fix sec, Kevin Wenn, his score (in stab) was 43 pts, "Fantastic", our oldest player, Don Martin got a N.P. just one day before an eye operation, Terry Jay (Top Costa Blanca Singer) played his best ever game and wound up on the winning side, later he performed for us at Marinasol Restaurant.
The winning team were, Tony Wilson, Chris Blown,Jeff Luke, Kevin Barratt,Nigel Cawthra, Mitch Pandya, Kevin Wenn, Steve Naish, Patricia Hanna, Liam O'Brian, Margaret O'Brian, Doug Jones, Amin, Bob Eccles, Terry Jay.
Over 50 players, wives, husbands, boy friends and girlfriends went to Marinasol Restaurant for the superb meal, (chicken or steak) free to members, we had a great evening with the fantastic Terry Jay singing (middle of the road,no rap!) Ronnie Mac was presented with a bottle of wine for the help he gave us by withdrawing from the young team (odd number) to play on 1st mar. Thanks Ronnie.
Many thanks also to the Chefs and all the girls at Marinasol for making it an evening to remember.
Next Game, 12th mar, at Paraleja (ind sta ) Payments at Marinasol mon 11 th @ 5-6pm. Happy golfing, Robin (the scribe) Adams.
TORREVIEJA GOLF SOCIETY
Mick James Memorial Trophy at Corvera 25th February.
After the very pleasant weather experienced last week we again endured a very cold and windy day for our first ever visit to Corvera Golf and Country Club for the inaugural playing of the Mick James Memorial Trophy which was generously donated by his widow.
Mick James, one of our most popular members, regrettably passed away in 2011 and the Society are honoured to be able to perpetuate his memory by playing for this trophy annually in future.
The Corvera course was designed by the Ryder Cup Captain, Jose Maria Olazabal and is well worth a visit for Societies, as the green fees are very competitively priced and the facilities are excellent. Whilst the course is probably not at its best during the winter months, due to the grass being in dormant mode, it was nevertheless in excellent condition for the time of year although most players had difficulty with the slickness of the greens exacerbated by the windy conditions.
The competition on the day was an individual Stableford and the first winner of the splendid trophy was the Secretary, Geoff Walters, who was the only player that managed to play to his handicap registering 36 points. The full list of winners on the day were:
Category 1: 1st Geoff Walters with 36 points.
2nd John Edwards with 31 points on count back better back 9 holes.
3rd Alan James with 31 points.
Category 2: 1st Roy Hills with 34 points.
2nd Roy Welburn with 32 points.
3rd John Saunders with 31 points.
Nearest the Pin prizes were won by John Steer, Tom Clarke, Ron Beales, John Saunders, Alan James and John Connolly but no 2’s were recorded on the day.
The football card draw this week was again won by our resident Swede, Sonny Edling.
Next week on Monday, 4th March, we return to our home course, Mar Menor, for the Captain’s Charity Day and members are requested to remember to bring a prize for the raffle to be held on conclusion of play at Route 66. Tee times can be ascertained by accessing the web site or referring to the notice board in Portobello Bar in Campoverde.
Contact: Geoff Walters, Secretary, Tel 966 763 369 or email [email protected]