25 January is the anniversary of the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns. He is widely regarded as Scotland’s national poet but each year his life and works are celebrated worldwide.
This year, for the very first time, the International Womens Club Breda decided to mark the occasion with its very own Burns supper and to use the opportunity as a means of raising money for our chosen charity, Het Bonte Perdje.
We are lucky enough to count several Scots amongst our members which added to the genuine Scottish feel of the evening. The Shaw, MacMillan and Carmichael tartans had been dusted down and were proudly on show for the evening itself. Members (& their partners) were welcomed outside the Waalse Kerk to the sight and sound of a Scottish piper .
Once inside the church, we were treated to beautifully decorated tables, with tartan accents, and invited to sit down to a four-course meal prepared by the fabulous Fiona Lang, an amateur, but truly amazing, Scottish cook. During the course of the meal, we were treated to interventions by Sandy C., our out-going and in-coming President, the Chairman of Het Bonte Perdje, a toast to the lassies from Mr Jules S. and a suitable risposte, on their behalf, from Mrs. Seonad L. The highlight for many was the arrival of the haggis, brought in by the cook and paraded around the room accompanied by the piper, followed by the address to the haggis. Guests were then invited to take a fork and come and taste from the plate before being served separately with their very own plateful of traditional haggis, tatties and neeps.
Somewhere between the main course and dessert, we were encouraged by Kriss to purchase many (very many!) raffle tickets for the wonderful reproduction of the Monarch of the Glen, painted by Vicky very talented husband Martin. Once Kriss felt that she had sold as much as she could, the painting was finally raffled and won by a fellow guest. Kriss then proceeded to auction a bottle of Canadian whisky (a fair imitation of its Scottish cousin) and a traditional Scottish drinking bowl. Nicole M., who came down from Harlem to support her former club, made the winning bid of €90.
We would like to thank EVERYONE who went truly beyond the call of duty to make this evening the success it was. A huge and warm thanks to Angela S.who put the whole evening so perfectly together and also, of course, to Fiona L., Martin B., Sandy C., Jules S. and Seonad L. without whom the evening would have gone with a fizzle rather than a bang! Kriss S. – we salute you and your amazing sales techniques. Without you we would not have even got close the stunning €1056 raised mainly from the raffle and auction. And finally, we thank you the IWC members who were either there on the evening or supported our charity through the raffle.
Boom & Bloem
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Boom & Bloem for providing us with some beautiful flower decorations for the tables on Burns Night for our charity supper.
We encourage all our members to visit this marvelous florist’s which produces amazing bouquets and flower arrangements.
boom&bloem
St. Ignatiusstraat 52
4817 KN Breda
Tel: 076 – 520 56 54
International Women's Club Breda 