ANTWERP BRITISH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION vzw Maandelijkse Newsletter – maart 2016

Verschijnt niet in juli Verantwoordelijk uitgever:

Mary Ann Marinus, Oude Beurs 33, 2000 Antwerpen Afgiftekantoor 2000 Antwerpen 1

POO8284

CONTENTS

Dates for your diary ................................ 2

From our Chairman ................................ 3

Thought for the month ............................ 3

Membership matters ............................... 4

Get well soon ............................................ 4

Subscriptions reminder .......................... 5

Subscriptions received ............................ 5

Advance Notice : ..................................... 6

Spring Walks ............................................ 7

Musical Notes ........................................... 8

The Oresteia at DeSingel ....................... 9

Saved by an Onion ................................ 10

Pun Time ................................................. 11

Calling all Rugby fans .......................... 12

SuDokus .................................................. 13

March Quiz ............................................. 14

March Crossword .................................. 15

Useful Information ................................ 16

Belgie-Belgique

P.B.

2000 Antwerpen 1

8/4322

2

Dates for your diary

ABCA events in BOLD type

2nd

-6th

March Lotto Arena : Cirque du Soleil

25th March Stadsschouwburg : Clouseau

26th March ROMA : “Broadway in Borgerhout” – info Roma

27th March Easter Sunday !

31st March Stadsschouwburg Antwerpen : “The Frank Sinatra tribute concert”

Advance Notice:

10th

April ABCA : Easter lunch, hotel Basiliek

16th April SportPaleis : Music Show Scotland

27th

April ABCA : AGM & Open Evening

22nd

May ABCA : MAS guided visit exhibition “Antwerp à la carte”

ABCA Antwerp British Community Association: For payments, call Margaret du Maine on 03 651 32 24 For membership matters, call Nadine Hechtermans on 03 480 34 77 (evenings) Open Evenings: The Highlander, Stadswaag 21, 2000 Antwerpen (03 226 91 80)

ABIW Antwerp British & International Women: http://www.abiw.org/. MtS Missions to Seafarers: contact Rev. Brian Millson on 03 605 41 88 RBL Royal British Legion, info Bob Chambers on 0474 282843 St.Boniface St Boniface Anglican Church: contact Fr Wagstaff SSC on 03 239 33 39 BATS British American Theatrical Society: contact Tom De Beckker:

email: debeckkertom@hotmail.com

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From our Chairman

Dear Members, Easter is the last weekend in March and that’s also when we’re putting the clocks forward – it’s great to think Spring is nearly here. Unfortunately the Tram de Lux outing planned for March will have to be postponed due to problems the organisers are having with De Lijn. The AGM will be at the end of April as usual. For those of you who have not yet had the opportunity to renew your membership, now is a good time to do so.

With best wishes,

Mary Ann Marinus

Chairman

Thought for the month

"The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity."

Sir Winston Churchill

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Membership matters

Get well soon

Penny Law is in Stuivenberg for rehabilitation after a foot operation and both Zoë Muller and Louisa McColgan are unwell and housebound. We wish them all a speedy recovery.

R.I.P. It is with great sadness and with heavy hearts that we have to inform you of the

passing of Paul Roche. Paul was a long standing member of the British Community.

We also regret to announce the death of John Houston, who was a member, first in his capacity of chairman of the BBCA, later as member in his own right.

Change of Address

Heather Hartung’s new address is as follows: Turnhoutsebaan 598 B. 15 2110 Wijnegem Her telephone and email address remain unchanged

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Subscriptions reminder

The subscription for 2016 is due from the 1st of January. If you have already paid, you may ignore this message, otherwise:

Single subscription: €20 Double (2 at same address): €34 Please transfer to the ABCA bank account BE11 2200 3243 8048

Subscriptions received

The following have already paid their subscriptions for 2016 (received from 22nd January to 21st February 2016): Georges Block

Bill & Jill Burgum-Barnard Raymond De Backer Mabel & Bob De Bruycker-Baker Ann & Paul Desseyn-Flynn

Michael Dury

Gerry & Rita Gallagher-Daems

Nadine Hechtermans

Dora Jolly-De Ruyter Raphael Kloeck

Gwendoline J. Libbrecht, M.B.E. Don Margretts

Lila McCoomb

Brian Millson

Monika Morse

Jim Pochetty

Alison Rose R.S. Thompson

Frank Tickle

Germaine Van Asten

Nicole Van den Steen

William Westcott Marjorie Williams

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Advance Notice : Easter Lunch, Sunday 10th April,

hotel de Basiliek – 12.30 for 1pm

Aperitif Scallops “Noilly-Pratt”

Filet of Lamb with grain mustard Dauphine potatoes and mixed vegetables

Easter ice cream Coffee and refreshments

Wine etc.

In addition there will be a special musical treat. Nicola Miller, a British soprano who sings with the Vlaamse Opera, has kindly agreed to entertain us. Besides some famous operatic arias, Nicola will sing songs from George Gershwin, Ivor Novello and numbers from various musicals. More details about Nicola can be found on her website: www.downtoearthdiva.org Cost for the Easter Lunch is €37.50pp for ABCA members and €39 for non-members – it is free if you are over 75 and a long-time ABCA member. Payment, if relevant, should be made to the ABCA account N° BE11 2200 3243 8048. Your transfer should be made by 5th April. If you haven't received your personal invitation yet, it could be because we don't know that you have reached your 75th birthday…

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Spring Walks

The Minnewaterpark

With spring just round the corner (we hope), it’s time to get out and about in the fresh air. Belgium is rich in beautiful parks and the south of Bruges boasts the lovely Minnewaterpark. In the centre lies a lake called 'Minnewater' or the Lake of Love. It’s a canalised stretch of water used as a reservoir to keep the canal waters at a constant level. However there’s a romantic and tragic legend attached to this lake.

The story has it that a young and pretty girl named Minna was in love with Stromberg, a warrior from a neighbouring tribe. As was often the case in those days, her father was against the match and arranged for her to marry a man of his choice. Minna escaped and ran into the forest. When Stromberg finally found her, she died of exhaustion in his arms. The sun rose and Stromberg made a dam in the river. In the dry bedding he dug a grave for his lost love then covered her body with a blanket of water lilies and stayed with her a full night. After that, he let the water stream again. Soon the grave of his beloved Minna reflected the heavenly blue sky. Then Stromberg rolled a heavy black stone onto the riverbank and he hacked the letters Minna’s Water into it. And because the name ‘Minna’ meant ‘love’, this also meant The Lake of Love.

Lovers who cross The Bridge of Love over the lake will be rewarded by their love becoming eternal.

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Musical Notes

As some of you may know, Antonio Pappano, a pianist as well as a conductor, was Music Director of La Monnaie in Brussels and held the post from 1992 until 2002, when he was named music director of the Royal Opera House (ROH), Covent Garden. Pappano was the youngest conductor ever to lead the orchestra of the ROH, accompanying both the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet.

Maestro Pappano has also been principal guest conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and in 2005 became music director of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He was knighted in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to music, and was also made a Knight Grand Cross of Italy's Order of Merit. On 17 January 2013 he received the Incorporated Society of Musicians' Distinguished Musician Award and in 2015 he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society. Sir Antonio is making a rare but welcome return to Belgium, when he will be conducting the magnificent Chamber Orchesra of Europe on March 23 at DeSingel arts centre in Antwerp.

The programme will consist of works by Mozart, Richard Strauss, Gabriel Fauré and George Bizet. The renowned oboist, conductor and professor, François Leleux, is the soloist for the Richard Strauss piece. The Chamber Orchestra of Europe (COE), established in 1981, is administratively based in London. The orchestra comprises around 60 members coming from all across Europe. The players pursue parallel individual careers as international soloists, members of eminent chamber groups and as tutors and professors of music. At 19h15 there will be a free introductory talk prior to the concert which starts at 20h00. A real treat for lovers of classical music.

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The Oresteia at DeSingel

The Death of Clytemnestra

Romeo Castellucci is an Italian theatre director, playwright, artist and designer. Since the 1980s he has been one part of the European theatrical avant-garde. He earned his diploma in set design and painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna and founded the Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio, the full name of the great painter known to us as Raphael.. Since then, his company has received numerous awards and is considered to be one of the most radical contemporary theatre groups in Italy and Europe.

In 2003 Castellucci became director of the theatre section of the 37th edition of the Venice Biennale, and in 2008 he was one of two "associate artists" at the Festival d'Avignon, and created three pieces inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy. The trilogy was considered by the French newspaper Le Monde to be "the best play and one of the ten most influential cultural events in the world for the decade 2000-2010".

The first part of the trilogy, the Inferno was also performed at DeSingel some years back and now Castellucci has returned to give us his reading of Aeschylus’s Oresteia. The ancient Greek tale of revenge, retribution and guilt is as powerful today as when it was first performed at the Dionysia festival in 458 BC where it won first prize. The family drama of the House of Atreus sees queen Clytemnestra murder her husband Agamemnon out of revenge for the death of their daughter, Iphigenia. This is turn leads her surviving children, Elektra and Orestes, to plot and execute her murder in turn. The play then becomes a conflict between emotion and reason –between divine passion and the upholding of the law.

At DeSingel

March 10, 11, 12 at 20h00

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Saved by an Onion (Submitted by Raymond De Backer)

In Canada a woman is crediting an onion and the quick work of two people at a convenience store, with saving her life after she was stung by bees. Bonita Lynn Nichols, who is allergic to bee stings, had gone to visit a friend when she was stung three times. Her legs stiffening and dizziness setting in she struggled to the local service station and convenience store and asked for the remedy she has always used to treat bee stings – an onion. One man offered to call 911 but Nichols asked for an onion instead. Allergic reactions to stings can be deadly and those who suffer allergies are advised to carry EpiPens which deliver adrenaline to counter allergic reactions. However onions are one of a list of home methods used by some who claim they work in treating stings. Kathy Gallant and Sydney Ellis were working in the store and saw that Nichols was in bad shape. Said Gallant: “We got some onions right away from the shelf, Sidney started cutting them open and I was trying to squeeze the juice of the onion on the lady’s leg, which wasn’t easy.” Nichols said she will be eternally grateful for their help and admired them for not questioning using an onion. They gave her a bag of them afterwards and refused to take payment. It’s not unheard of to use an onion to treat local irritation from a sting but few doctors would recommend it for anaphylactic shock. Nicols said she used to carry an onion in her handbag but had got out of the habit as she hadn’t been stung in years. It’s a habit she’s now got back into.

11

Pun Time

1. The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi. 2. I thought I saw an eye-doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian. 3. She was only a whisky-maker, but he loved her still. 4. A rubber-band pistol was confiscated from an algebra class, because it was a weapon of maths disruption. 5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery. 6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering. 7. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie. 8. A hole has been found in the nudist-camp wall. The police are looking into it. 9. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. 10. Atheism is a non-prophet organization. 11. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.' 12. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me. 13. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab centre said: 'Keep off the Grass.' 14. In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes. 15. If you jumped off the bridge in Paris, you'd be in Seine . 16. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. One turns to the other and says, 'Dam!' 17. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too. 18. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says, 'I've lost my electron.' The other says, 'Are you sure?' The first replies, 'Yes, I'm positive.' 19. I'd tell you a chemistry joke, but I know I wouldn't get a reaction.

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Calling all Rugby fans

past and present ! Mr Marc Ruiters of the Belgian Rugby Federation is desperately looking for archive material

on the 'Antwerp British Sport Club ', and of the 'Antwerp British Rugby Club'. This it appears would have been the very first (!) rugby club in Belgium dating back to 1919 and playing in Wilrijk. The Belgian Rugby Federation is putting on an exhibition in July 2016 on the history of Belgian rugby and are desperately looking for information on this club. This Antwerp club would have been active till about 1937. Should anyone have photos or information whatsoever – all is welcome. Marc Ruiters Belgische Rugby Federatie 0478 35 98 13 marcflic@hotmail.com

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SuDokus

March puzzles

February answers

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March Quiz

1. Which US state is named on the label of a Jack Daniels bottle? 2. A phlebotomist extracts what from the human body? 3. What is the female equivalent of polygamy? 4. How many feet are there in a fathom? 5. Granadilla is another name for which fruit? 6. Nariyal is the Indian term for which nut? 7. Who was president of Vietnam from 1945-54? 8. In which county of the UK is Bramber Castle? 9. What type of animal was inside Sputnik 2 when launched into orbit in 1957? 10. Who was the eldest of the Marx Brothers? 11. What type of creature is a dugite? 12. What are the first names of English novelist G K Chesterton? 13. In computing what does DMA normally stand for? 14. Who painted The Water Lily Pool? 15. Which vitamin is also known as pantothenic acid?

February Answers

1.Ian Brown; 2. Brain; 3. Dongguan, China 4. A toilet 5. London 6. Binary Digit 7. Number 1 Canada Square 8. Scunthorpe United / Torquay United 9. 4 ft ½ inches 10. Ruby 11. Apatosaurus 12. Silver 13. Presidents Cup 14. Bowls 15. Cycling

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March Crossword

Across 2. Person that settles (7); 7. Disgusting (4); 8. Yellow cheese coated with red wax (4); 9. Interior (5); 10. Trader (6); 11. Hang loosely (6); 12. Not wet (3); 14. Mounted combat (5); 16. Transport (5); 18. Attach by stitches (3); 21. Flowing out (6); 23. Rule (6); 24. Large cat (5); 25. Enormous (4); 26. Female sheep (4); 27. Member of a senate (7) Down 1. Vent in the earth's crust (7); 2. Toss (5); 3. Coloured (6); 4. Arrogant (6); 5. Boat race (7); 6. Worries (5); 13. Regret (3); 15. Arm coverings (7); 17. Gave new title (7); 18. Darkening of the skin by sunlight (6); 19. Amount a thing weighs (6); 20. Counterfeit (5); 22. Tree insect (5)

February solution

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Useful Information

Patron: HM Ambassador to Belgium Committee for 2015/2016:

Chairman Mary Ann Marinus Oude Beurs 33 2000 Antwerpen tel: 0486 646 941 (pm only) maryann.marinus@hotmail.com

Vice Chairman Penny Law Geestenspoor 113 2180 Ekeren tel: 03 542 20 71 drpenelopejanelaw@hotmail.com

Hon. Treasurer Margaret du Maine Miksebeekstraat 104 2930 Brasschaat tel: 03 651 32 24 mdumaine@scarlet.be

Secretary Nadine Hechtermans Lispersteenweg 219 2500 Lier tel: 03 480 34 77 nadine.hechtermans@telenet.be

Committee Member Jill Barnard Baggenstraat 14 2140 Borgerhout tel: 0474 432191 jillbarnard2000@yahoo.com

Committee Member Stephanie Hughes Maarschalk Gerardstraat 21, bus 1 2000 Antwerpen tel: 0484661331 stephanie.hughes@ua.ac.be

Newsletter Editor Madeleine Richardson Prins Boudewijnlaan 84/3 2610 Wilrijk tel: 03 230 49 47 madeleine.richardson@telenet.be

Benevolent Matters Dora Jolly Hollandstraat 38 2060 Antwerpen tel: 03 232 71 15 aljolly@busmail.net

Anglican Church St Boniface Church Grétrystraat 39 2018 Antwerpen tel: 03 239 33 39 chaplain@boniface.be

Webmaster:

brian.paul.edwards@gmail.

com ABCA Website: www.abca-antwerp.be e-mail address: ABCA_Antwerp@yahoo.com

ABCA recognizes the diversity of belief in contemporary British society and accordingly directs members wanting to contact other faith groups to the “Gids Levensbeschouwingen Antwerpen”/Multifaith Antwerp guide, published by the Stad Antwerpen. Information on www.antwerpen.be - tel 03 338 3115.

ABCA Bank Account number is BE11 2200 3243 8048. Annual subscription: Single: € 20, Double: € 34. Donations towards our benevolent work are welcome. Please feel free to submit items for inclusion in the newsletter, such as poems you particularly like, anecdotes, stories about Antwerp, hints, suggestions. Items must be submitted to the editor by the 20th of the month for inclusion in the next edition.

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