Our 88th Annual dinner, now renamed as the Jock Burnet Annual Founder’s Dinner took place on Wednesday 22nd March 2017 at the Royal Automobile Club 89 Pall Mall.
Attended by over 250 Jesters including our patron HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the dinner was huge fun and we were entertained by an excellent speech from The Right Reverend David Urquhart, Bishop of Birmingham and a Jester since 1977.
The Annual Dinner is also the occasion where the Jester of the Year award is presented, being the Jester statue figure presented by the US Jesters many years ago and kept on display at the RAC club.
The Jesters Club President gave a very amusing description about how the award came about, tireless service to the club, etc., and said that amongst the requirements for the award were a) you had to be a Jester and b) you had to be present on the evening. Turning to HRH he said, “you sir, seem to qualify on both these counts” and presented him with the award. HRH seemed genuinely pleased, got up and gave a marvellous speech saying that whilst he hadn’t played squash for more than fifty years he recalled his time in the Navy, serving in Burma and how he and a colleague rampaged through the woods and villages, and kept finding abandoned squash courts where the floors had been ripped up. Until they finally came across one that was intact and kept it to themselves for the occasional game whilst they were stationed there. Possibly a bit embellished but it was well told, articulate and audible in a room filled with over 250 people.
Next year’s dinner will be held on Tuesday 6th March 2018, again at the RAC Club.
The Committee very much hopes that the Annual Dinner will continue to be well
supported and application forms will be emailed out to all members nearer the time but if you have any queries, contact info@thejesterclub.org
Photos kindly supplied by Jester Tim Edwards, see more at https://timedwards-photography.pixieset.com/jestersdinner2017/ (pin:1134, if needed)