Minutes of a meeting of the SPG held in the Gosforth Hotel at 8pm
On Tuesday 11th August 2015.

In attendance: Brian Angus, David Appleton, James Henry, Mary-Clare and David Robinson, Chris Wright. Apologies: received from Clive Bloxham and Adrian Morley.

 On arrival Brian, whilst generously ordering the first round of speciality ales as usual, asked the barmaid why his favourite, "Rivet Catcher", was no longer served.  She replied that the Company that made the brew had gone into liquidation, although it was unclear if this amusing pun was actually intended. Several members felt the need to eat, and a number of bacon rolls were ordered, although David Appleton gave in to temptation (claiming he hadn’t had dinner) and ordered the impressive All-Day Breakfast.
 

Early discussion centred on gardening topics, including those important perennial problems, how do you get weeds out of block-paving? And, do neat tomato plants taste better? Concern was expressed that the proposed alterations to the High Street-Salters Road junction would make parking more difficult for members, although Brian was of the opinion that sufficient space would be available on adjacent side- streets. This raised the issue of security. An apparent reduction in car theft was noted, but many offered their distressing experiences of previous losses, including a remarkable admission by Mary that it once taken her three days to notice her car was missing.
 

James revealed that he had recently seen Sir Len Fenwick visiting the Chief Executive of Queen Elizabeth Hospital. This prompted some feverish speculation regarding this visit’s significance, given the recent reorganisation of South of Tyne laboratory services. James noted pointedly that there seemed to be a relative abundance of pathologists north of the river, and Brian countered with what seemed to be an unnecessarily controversial statement regarding the need for ‘experts’. Fortunately, Mary lightened the mood with reminiscences of choreographing Sir Leonard during a pantomime at the Freeman Hospital; members agreed that it was difficult to imagine such events happening now, and that we had lived through a ‘Golden Age’ of camaraderie in the NHS which sadly now seemed past.
 

Following a further round of Mordue Brewery’s ever-reliable ‘Workie Ticket’, David A demonstrated yet again his remarkable facility for remembering characters from the Medical School past by recalling the Scots anatomist Doug Halley, and his perhaps surprising interest in the cell kinetics of the avian salt gland. This prompted others to recollect anatomy lessons with Halley’s colleague Tommy Barlow, a master in the use of the blackboard, and to reflect on other time-honoured educational methods such as the viva, now cast aside in the name of that over-rated concept, Progress.
 With the effects of the demon alcohol now kicking in, conversation strayed into the potentially difficult area of politics, particularly the subject of the Labour Party and Republican Party leadership elections, but on this occasion members showed admirable self-restraint, and a discussion of the proficiency of various television interviewers was followed by expressions of regret that we were unlikely to see the extraordinary American politician, golfer and professional Scotsman Donald Trump put on the spot by Jeremy Paxman.

  Further ‘deep’ and learned discussions on migration, the two World Wars, Hiroshima and Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands led to a general feeling that we were well on the way to resolving many of the world’s major problems, but unfortunately for the rest of mankind our reflections were interrupted by the clock striking 10.