AMERICAN Independence Day always falls during the regatta and this year it was on Saturday.
As usual, Henley’s best-known American resident Brian Flattery and his wife Marian held a party at his Warfe Lane boathouse home overlooking the finishing line.
Apart from friends and neighbours, the guests included a crew from Brian’s alma mater, Gonzaga College High School in Washington, which competed in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup but failed to make the final.
Normally, Brian takes centre stage and reads the American Declaration of Independence to his guests before commemorating the Boston Tea Party by tipping a packet of tea over his balcony and into the Thames.
This year, however, he handed the speech-reading duty over to an actor, performed the honours to rousing cheers. My thanks to the Flatterys for their hospitality.
I also attended a party at the Remenham Lane home of Peter and Pat Sly, which is situated half way along the regatta course. Their garden and terrace was filled with around 80 family members and friends, including some from Peter’s old club, the Tideway Scullers.
Also there was actress and former Magpie presenter Jenny Hanley, who lived locally for many years but moved to Middlesex a few months ago. Jenny, the daughter of comedian Tommy Hanley and actress Dinah Sheridan, told me she was well and recently met up with Mick Robertson and Douglas Rae, two of her co-presenters on the Seventies ITV children’s show, for the first time since 1980.
lDespite the scorching temperatures for the regatta, the previous month was only slightly warmer than normal. Denis Gilbert recorded an average daytime temperature of 21.9C at his Shiplake weather station, just 2.4 degrees above the 30-year average. It was much drier than average, with 29mm of rain opposed to the average of 54.5mm.
Published on 13 July 2009
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