Talk about a great evening as speakers deliver their topics

Alex Rintoul chaired last week’s meeting of East Kilbride Speakers Club.

Harvey Littlejohn delivered the first speech. Poetic Injustice, in which he gave an hilarious account of the life and work of Dundee’s William McGonagall, famous for his amusing poetry, and his rivalry with the lesser known but equally funny poet Henry Shields from Kilmarnock.

A moving account was then given by Betty Sneddon of the feelings and emotions generated in the three astronauts who crewed the first space flight to land men on the moon.

The audience were then intrigued by Chris Smyth as he gave a history of the construction of the channel tunnel; revealing that the project was first proposed in 1802 and tunnelling began in 1882, was abandoned a few years later with final construction beginning in 1986.

The final speaker to the podium was Peter Kerr, who told the very amusing story of his commitment to sport and exercise from his boyhood adventures in the back courts of the Glasgow tenements through his only, albeit contest winning, attempt at pole-vaultingwhen serving in the RAF to keep-fit classes in later life.

Ken Murray’s impromptu topics received full answers from individual club members and George Stevenson gave valuable advice on the evening’s proceedings.

The next meeting of the club will take place on October 20, and details can be obtained from secretary Paul Munday on 01355 223894.