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GORGEOUS WRECKS GXR SHELLHOLE
The Gorgeous Wrecks GXR Shellhole meets on the first Monday of every month with the exception of January at the Pretoria High School Old Boys Club, Queens Crescent, Lynnwood, Pretoria at 19:30hrs. Further details can be obtained from the following:-
Old Bill Moth Bruce Michler 082-3385826
Dep Old Bill Moth Bob Jones 083-4559489
Adjutant Moth Joan Jones 083-4559489
Paybill Moth Dave Berry 012-9932504
Visitors are welcome!
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The April meeting was held at Pretoria High School Old Boys Club with ten blokes in attendance. The meeting was run under the chairmanship of the Dep Old Bill Bob Jones as Old Bill Bruce Michler was away on a well deserved holiday in the Southern Cape.
Moth Bob Jones mentioned that he would be attending a meeting of the PHSOB Club executive meeting and he would hand the letters from the Shellhole requesting the re-establishment of the Memorial Room. (Kindly read the report on the opening of the Memorial Room at the end of this article).
The Deputy Old Bill informed the blokes on the floor that the Annual Wrecks Bowls day will take place on 22 May 2008 PHSOB Club from 08:00hrs onwards. Those ardent bowlers in the area are welcome to put in a team. Should you wish to enter kindly contact Moth Bob Jones on the number mentioned above.
The District Potjiekos competition takes place on the same day as the bowls day which is 22 May 2008 at Evenden House, the home of Pretoria District. The will also be entering a team in this event.
The annual D-Day parade organised by the Wrecks will take place at Evenden House on 6 May 2008. Plaques will be placed on the Wall of Remembrance during the parade in memory of members of the MOTH who have answered the Sunset Call.
Moths Bruce Michler and Dave Berry will be attending the GHQ meeting in Durban in May 2008. A training session on the new Smartedge financial package has been organised by the National Treasurer which means work for those going to Durban.
Sgt Maj Smous Venter was in a good mood and let the blokes off the hook when it came to fines. However Smous won the Whisky Draw and donated winnings back to the Shellhole. Thank you Smous! It is worth more than the fines.
Moth Willie Green mentioned that he had obtained donations of R10,000.00 each for the Mothwa Haven and SM Cottages. Thank you Willie for a job well done!
The Toast to the Moth Order, Gorgeous Wrecks Shellhole and Absent Friends was given by Moth Eddie Penzhorn.
The first of the Casa Mia War Games took place at 1 Regiment Noord Transvaal on 19 May 2008 and by all accounts a good day was had by all with the Wrecks requiring a lot more practice for future events. The eyes are not as good as they used to be.
Deputy Old Bill Bob Jones closed the meeting in true Moth tradition whereupon the members slaked their thirst in the tavern where stories were told in harmony.
"WHEN YOU’RE GOOD, YOU’RE GOOD, WHEN YOU’RE A WRECK YOU’RE THE BEST"
" The Crossed Rifles Shellhole which was founded by a group of Old Boys of the Pretoria Boys High School in 1959, prominent among whom was Dave Reeves the present Transvaal Provincial Old Bill, has since its inception by courtesy of the Pretoria High School Old Boys Club been privileged to hold its monthly meetings at that Club. On Sunday afternoon 26 September, at a ceremony organised by the Shellhole, Mr C Ritson the President of the Old Boys Club and Chairman of the Old Boys Association as well as of the Council of the School Memorial Trust, formally opened and handed over a memorial room in the Clubhouse as a Dugout for the future use of the Shellhole and thereafter unveiled the School Roll of Honour (containing the names of Old Boys who perished in the 1914/18 and 1939/45 Wars) to commerate the occasion. The Reverend A J Western then dedicated the Room and the Dugout. This was followed by a short but moving address by the Headmaster of the School, Mr Malcolm Armstrong, and a message of goodwill by Deputy District Old Bill, Ronnie Green, on behalf of the Province and District. Guests present included members of the Club and of the Old Boys’ Association and of the Council of the School Memorial Trust (which had contributed generously towards the cost of providing this Dugout) as well as the Crossed Rifles Lady Billie, Mrs Versfeld, and members of her Executive, District Old Bill Frank Bingham and his adjutant Jack Cox, and wives of members of the Shellhole. After the Ceremony the guests were appropriately entertained by the Shellhole and thus came to a fitting end, a memorable day in the history of the Shellhole. – Ian Moore : Paybill. "
Note: It would appear that this ceremony took place on 26 September 1976 according to information from previous minutes of the Shellhole. Due to the falling number of members of Crossed Rifles Shellhole the Shellhole then amalgamated with Grenade Shellhole in the late 1980’s and was known as Grenade Crossed Rifles Shellhole. In 2001 Grenade Crossed Rifles Shellhole approached Gorgeous Wrecks Shellhole with a view to amalgamation and in 2004 the Gorgeous Wrecks – GXR (Grenade Crossed Rifles) Shellhole was formed.