Attending the KCOBA New York Banquet last month was quite a treat. It was springtime in the Big Apple and there was a still a bit of a chill in the air. The familiar sights and sounds brought back many pleasant memories of the time when I lived there decades ago.
The banquet was held at a hall known as Antuns. My wife and I stayed in a hotel one block away. Linval Hinds recognized me. He and I started KC in form 1-Delta way back in 1962. We had not seen each other since school. It was quite a moving reunion.
The Canadians were very much in evidence at the banquet-they had at least one table, maybe more--and I had opportunity to meet Toronto chapter president, Lance Seymour, and Secretary Dale Keizs. It felt as if I had known them for a long time.
On that evening, the New York Chapter honored the many cricket greats KC produced over the years. You can read a report on the banquet elsewhere in this newsletter.
A few weeks after New York, the Atlanta chapter’s banquet was held at the Holiday Inn. Our theme was “A Salute to Women” and quite fittingly, our guest speaker for the evening was Beverley Manley. Sylvia Henry-Ashley and “Jaydee” Tomlinson were our two honorees and both received awards for community service.
Banquets are fine affairs-but they are expensive. The New York ticket was a cool $90 for one person! I think it would be safe to say that the venues take the lion’s share of the revenue generated at these affairs.
I’m not complaining as there are some perks that go with these things. My wife was happy to see a Broadway play the day after the New York banquet. I had the pleasure of getting to know Beverley Manley at the Atlanta banquet and we are like family now.
