Busman's banquet
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THEY were all in high spirits in the Connaught Rooms on Thursday evening at the annual dinner of Confed. It seemed that most of Britain's busmen were out on the town. Wilf Blundell gave an accomplished performance on his spoons. Others swopped stories in every corner. In fact, it was one of those nights for reminiscing.
Jim Skyrme presented the first three honorary members of Confed with their diplomas. They were Sir John Spencer Wills, Morris Little and the Confed chairman John Birch. He said that it had been considered when creating honorary membership to strike a medal, but since no one had been able to pin anything on the three in their life this was considered inappropriate.
"In addition to the diploma,said Jim, "they now get one free meal a year and a copy of the newsletter." Before he returned to his seat, Jim joined the free meal men when John Birch conferred honorary membership on him and presented him with a diploma.
Seated at the top table were dignitaries from all branches of the transport industry.
The busmen even had the good grace to invite David Bowick, chief executive of the British Railways Board. How BR is losing money with such a smooth-talking chief executive I'll never know. He gave a very convincing rail/ bus/bus/rail integration sales pitch, but it didn't quite con the men from Confed.
He suggested very kindly that fellow guest Sir Reginald Wilson might have the answer to the fuel crisis if we all took up this mode of transport.
Sir Reginald is an avid hill walker, but the last word came from John Birch. He reminded his guests that Confed was an amalgamation of the passenger industry's major associations and had something of a biblical connection.
"We have the lion lying down with the lamb, and the leopard with the kid, and somewhere it says a little child shall lead them. I wonder if that was meant to be Denis Quin," he asked?"