Former guides relive Swiss visit

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A nostalgic night recalling memorable aniversary visit twenty five years ago

FORMER members of the 3^rd Wick Girl Guide Company turned back the clock at a reunion at the Norseman Hotel in Wick, recently, marking the 25^th anniversary of their memorable holiday to Switzerland.
The reunion was a resounding success, everyone catching up with old friends who had shared the special experience. There was much hilarity as they dipped into the old log books and viewed photos taken at the time. Everyone was agreed that the itinerary, the beautiful weather and spectacular scenery had contributed to making the holiday, an exciting and memorable experience.
Moira Gunn, party leader and District Commissioner at the time, welcomed 23 members of the original group.
She said she was delighted to see everyone, particularly those who had travelled from Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Orkney especially to attend.
Apologies and good wishes were passed on from several of those who were disappointed that they couldn’t be there. Dunnett’s bus drivers Willie Grant and Alistair Gunn were fondly remembered and Moira paid tribute to the late Mrs Margaret Campbell whom she described as a special person – so supportive, reliable and conscientious. She also acknowledged how helpful the other leaders had been and made the point that the venture would not have taken place without Mrs Rena Oliver, a fluent French and German speaker with experience of organizing school trips. The leaders all agreed that the behaviour of the girls had been excellent throughout, despite the long journeys in the very hot weather.
The arrangements for the 11-day holiday were fairly straight forward as it had been booked through a company specializing in school trips. When the group, accompanied by eight adults, arrived at their hotel, in Leysin, Switzerland – to the sound of music from a rock concert reverberating across the valley, accompanied by a most impressive display of laser beams and fireworks - the company’s representative provided the leaders with information about the area and gave them passes for activities such as swimming and ice- skating. The excellent support from the girls’ parents, who had raised £3,500 in the previous six months, meant that several extra outings could be planned.
The main highlights included visits to Our Chalet at Adelboden, the Gruyere cheese factory, Chateau de Chillon and a steamer trip across Lake Geneva to Montreaux. Other outings included visiting the spectacular Trummelbach falls, travelling to Aigle on the funicular railway, reaching the summit of la Berneuse by gondola car and taking the longest cable car trip in the Alps to the top of the Schilthorn, where photographs were taken beside the famous revolving restaurant.
On the return journey the hotel for the overnight stop was located in central Paris enabling the group to experience the beauty of Paris at night and a trip on a Bateau Mouche on the Seine. Then in the morning, with Mrs Oliver navigating, the girls enjoyed a bus trip round the city centre, with time to ascend the Eiffel Tower before setting out on the final leg of their journey home. Near Calais they were allowed a quick trip to a French Hypermarket to buy lunch before boarding the ferry.