2013 Convention

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Stevie P
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2013 Convention

Post by Stevie P »

Further to a recent conversation regarding a No. 21 bus in London with Charles; the subject of the 2013 Convention raised its head.

There were a few commemts last year that it was a little intense so I thought i might start the ball rolling by throwing in a few thought starters;

Re. the convention I think it may be useful to get all participants to get more involved (if possible). I remember Duncan pointing out that he has done little. (Perhaps it may be worth asking him if he would like to suggest a topic of his choice to discuss/throw to the audience).

I also thought it may be worth considering asking everybody to tell the story of how they became Wheatley-ites , what was their favourite book & why. Do they go to other conventions? If not why has DW been chosen above all others?
It needs to be more informal rather than a lecture theatre atmosphere. (A round/Oval table maybe?? Rather than separate groups?? )

Perhaps ask all the team to name one thing that has prompted them to be at the convention on a regular basis. Has DW affected their lives (marginally even).

Another random thought – why not have a field trip one year and a convention the following year rather than two events a year. I only mention this as we may be running out of things to cover if we do not get more new blood.

It would be good to know what you consider worthwhile to improve/alter the current set up.

I quite liked the book reading idea that we did a few years ago but limit it to say, no more than two pages each. Then explain why that book was chosen. The remainder of the audience could try to guess the title being read. (Our overseas readers could even submit their choices and I would be happy to read them out on their behalf) The correct guesser gets a big wet kiss from the reader (optional!!).

Your thoughts would be invaluable.

All the best

Stevie P
Charles
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Post by Charles »

Thank you Steve for starting the ball rolling again ... with three months to go, I think this is exactly the right time for us to firm up on the agenda ... especially if there is any hope that one of our number (I wonder who I'm talking about ???) might be tempted to produce yet another stunning souvenir Convention programme !

One thing I should mention concerns the trip down to London that was mooted ... possibly to have lunch at Rules, and to visit the Churchill War Rooms. I have Ken Cope's permission to mention that Viv has had a major operation (Viv - a huge 'get well soon' from all Convention members !) and would not be able to make a London trip from Elstree.

I think therefore we should leave that for another time. As Ken observes, it would anyway make the subject of an excellent Field Trip ...

I look forward to everyone else's thoughts and opinions ... if we can develop and finalise the agenda by mid/end September (say), I think it would be very helpful ... we will have some new arrivals joining us (at least two so far; maybe more), and I think they would certainly appreciate knowing 'what they have let themselves in for' !

Kindest regards to all .... I'm enormously looking forward to seeing friends old and new at the sixth Convention !
Charles
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Post by duncanpaul17 »

I think Stevie P has some very good ideas in his post.

As Steve suggests we could all take the lead in a discussion subject, eg how we came into Wheatley?, why have his books disappeared when others such as Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle are still readily available?

I think his idea of a Convention one year and a field trip the next is also worth strong consideration.

I have previously posted the idea of a group reading of one of the Crime Dossiers, in lieu of an after dinner film, as I think we may have exhausted all the good ones available.

Whatever we decide to do I am looking forward to meeting you all again, and hopefully some new faces too in November.
ken68
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Post by ken68 »

hello all and a BIG get well soon to Viv.
some good ideas there steve and duncan, though i have this picture running through my mind now of me standing up and saying "hi my name is Ken and i am a wheatleyholic!" :-D . so if there is no other plan for the early afternoon i think a spot for how we all came to DW is a good idea.
if other members have them and don't mind them getting used i suggest an after dinner round of board games in one of the rooms. we could split into groups depending and who wants play what.


i know its been done else where but what about a DW mastermind, one round on a specialist subject and another on DW general knowledge? or recalling the BBC series of the greatest Briton some of us present a case for who they feel is DWs greatest character and then a vote? they don't have to be done very seriously but in a light hearted way.
obviously both these would need some preparation so can maybe be considered for the next convention.
with a look toward the long term maybe we could allocate certain times of the convention to certain projects or teams, i.e start the convention with an open floor for any new items that we have collected and feel may interest the group. or a report from anyone who has visit a site of Wheatley interest. then we could have a report on the DW "mysteries", cardinals follies, stillwaters the missing part of the car chase in TDRO etc. we could form little groups to explore these kinds of things.
also there should be a to-do list and we could discuss this and volunteer for anything we feel is in our area of expertise. for instance i still feel we can get some kind of response from sir christopher lee. then there is future field trips and if anyone has a particular item they want help with for a future agenda they are preparing they could ask for help.

or as a totally out there idea we all take turns at "hosting" a convention. each person if they wish could take a turn at organising the agenda with as little or much help as they need from whoever is willing to help!

there is still a lot to make our little gathering worthwhile we just have to realise that the structure is evolving. as soon as richard mentioned it last year i knew what he meant, the structure was very formal. not a bad thing in the early years but now we have established a bond we should be able to relax and be more fluid.
we ALL bring our own thing to the group however little we feel we do ( and i am speaking as one who feels they have to input more in future) and as we go forward i am sure we can find loads more to explore and share.

the convention is one of the highlights of my year and i would hate to miss it but i understand time can be precious so if it had to be sacrificed for a field trip then with heavy heart i would agree, reluctantly.

ken
Stevie P
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Post by Stevie P »

Charles wrote:Thank you Steve for starting the ball rolling again ... with three months to go, I think this is exactly the right time for us to firm up on the agenda ... especially if there is any hope that one of our number (I wonder who I'm talking about ???) might be tempted to produce yet another stunning souvenir Convention programme !
Hi all, re the above convention comment from Charles; whilst I am flattered at the kind words offered I would be grateful if we could instigate a rotational system of writing the convention reports. Charles & myself have discussed this idea before and Charles very kindly took this task on last year. Prior to this I had written all the previous reports. We curently have 12 (sometimes more) regulars that attend the convention so if we were in agreement with the rotating idea we would all do this once every 12 years. Your comments would be appreciated and a volunteer for this year would not have to do this again for many years. Would those of you willing to participate please let Charles and/or myself know asap and we can set the scene for this year and the future years..

P.S. I am still reading the DW books and issuing the reports. I am currently well into 'The Prisoner in the Mask'. There is now only another 18 books to read !!
Charles
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Post by Charles »

Hi All,

I think we've had a number of excellent suggestions here for things to do at the next - and at future - Conventions, and I for one think that the idea of everyone taking turns at the Chairmanship of the Convention and at developing the agenda in rotation is an excellent one.

I know everyone will be too modest to volunteer themselves to go first, so I hope none of you will think it amiss if I am bold and make a suggestion ?

I would like to suggest Ken G would be the ideal person to do this for the sixth Convention. He has attended every one (with Mary !), has always provided that little (or large) something 'extra', and has I think made more suggestions for ways we can shape Conventions for the future than the rest of us put together - although I think all ideas put forward are terrific.

Anyone agree ?

Ken - no pressure ( :D !) - how would you feel about being first with the baton ?

All best to all as always !
Charles
ken68
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Post by ken68 »

Hello everyone, I am flattered at Charles trust in me and hope that I can come even somewhere close to providing us all with the memorable convention that Charles has laid on for us for last five years.

If the first thing I could ask of everyone is that anyone who has an item for the agenda or thinks they could have one prepared would send me some brief details and an approximate running time.

As time goes on i will post progress here, although not to much😌.

Anyway I won't drag on any longer. I understand that we have all the regulars and some new faces for this year so looking forward, not without trepidation, to our gathering and helping to make it as enjoyable as ever.

Ken
Charles
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Post by Charles »

Dear Ken,

Thanks for saying 'yes' !

From my side, if you want, I could do a short piece on the search for DW's possessions if you thought it would be of interest, and I'll be happy to bring some things for the 'travelling Museum' - what I have particularly liked about that, incidentally, is that more and more people are bringing their 'special pieces' along and talking about them !

Good luck - the sixth Convention will be the best ever !
Charles
ken68
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Post by ken68 »

Thank you Charles. Not sure it will be best ever but I think we can all make it an enjoyable experience.

I for one would find a piece on your searches fascinating so if you can give me a running time I will add it to the agenda.

Ken
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Post by ken68 »

i seemed to have been barred from the library for a while so a quick update for everyone as it isnt long now until the big day.
the convention agenda is nearly set and ready to be sent to our very own art an design man steve w. we have one 30min slot available if anyone has anything they feel they could contribute to this slot please feel free to contact me.

ken
Darren
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Post by Darren »

Wow - just a 30 minute slot to fill. I can't wait. Can we use that 30 minutes to go to the bar?
Regards,

Darren.
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Post by shanedwyer »

Seconded!
Steve Whatley
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Post by Steve Whatley »

Hey, does this mean you two guys are coming to the Convention this year?

You sound like my kind of DW fans!

I'll vote for that proposal on the proviso that it is the last item before dinner.

We could just squeeze it in before the traditional 'Cocktail Hour'!!![font=Times New Roman] [/font]
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Post by Darren »

Actually, Ken, I do have an idea if that 30 minute slot is still available. I don't seem to be able to contact you via this forum. Messaging has been disabled. If the slot is free, email me at daznugent@sky.com and I will reply with my idea.
Cheers.
Regards,

Darren.
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Post by shanedwyer »

I most certainly am attending this year Steve. Booked, paid and looking forward to it.
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