SCARA Annual Reunion Lunch 2023 report

SCARA 2023 Annual Reunion Lunch - Thursday 9 November 2023

International Students House (One Park Crescent, London)

Another splendid turn out for the 17th SCARA Annual Reunion Lunch with 90 members and guests attending.  The atmosphere was vibrant with everyone there clearly enjoying the opportunity to catch up again with friends and colleagues.  It was great to see some new faces as well as the return of regulars.  

All the catering and bar arrangements went very smoothly with an excellent hot and cold buffet, and lots of it.  There were many takers for seconds.

Roger Brown was greatly missed following his very sad and untimely death earlier in the year, but it was wonderful to have his delightful widow Jackie with us, representing Roger.  We very much hope she will be able to join us for future lunches.  

SCARA Chairman David Cross relayed SCARA President Robert Woods’ apologies for being elsewhere (some exotic holiday location) and read out a charming letter from Lady St. Johnston accepting SCARA invitation to continue as Honorary Vice President and apologising for absence due to problems with her balance but wishing the attendees well and hoping to be able to join us again in the future.

We were delighted to welcome our Guest Speaker Jeremy Nixon, the Global CEO of Ocean Network Express (ONE), the new joint venture company founded by the K Line, MOL and NYK Group companies.  He gave an outline of his time with P&O Containers and P&O Nedlloyd, and subsequent career to date. He then went on to summarise his views of the state of the container shipping market, rounding off with a brief, and amusing, ‘promotion’ of the ONE organisation, and its pink (sorry magenta) ships.

The lunch was a thoroughly enjoyable event.