July 15th 2024
THE CENTENARY GALA DINNER held in the Newton Hotel on Friday 9th May proved to be a great success. The attendees – 220 in all were welcomed with pre-dinner drinks before going into the main ball-room , which was beautifully decorated in Nairn County colours. The host for the evening Ian Thain welcomed all and introduced the Top Table who were piped in to loud applause.A high quality 4 course meal was served and followed with tea, coffee, etc. The meal was followed with a Business Card Draw and the Premier raffle draw before the first speaker Willie Allan took charge. His witty and at times hilarious speech went down with all guests. The Auction, which is a major part of the event and a main source of income for the club was held in two parts. One immediately following Willie and the second part after the second speaker John Gahagan. John's speech, although different from Willie's was also a great success and again he received a huge round of applause. Using the services of a professional Auctioneeer makes a huge difference to the running and fund raising event. We were fortunate to have again one of the best – Ian Tholmie from Dingwall and Highland Marts. His abilities to spot bidders, move things on and show his profession at its best was an act in itself! All in all a brilliant evening with £28,600 raised! Robert Manson
