FROM THE CHAIR
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s I write the memory of the Summer Ball remains fresh and I would extend my thanks to all involved in making the evening such a success. The novelty of formal dinner without auctions, draws or raffles was commented upon and it was an especially nice way to end a busy season of social events, many of which were highly successful in raising funds for ICING. Further to the donation by the RGBB of SR250,000 to ICING being the proceeds of the RGBB Golf Tournament I received a formal letter of thanks from Lady Patey which is published overleaf. Owain Raw-Rees Chairman
Saudi Arabia remains the place to do business in with British exports to KSA now exceeding those to China and Trade Missions from the UK remain an important feature in our diaries. The Saudi Government continues to spend on infrastructure – power, water, health, education and transport. This in turn has boosted confidence in trade with retail sales increasing and also increasing private sector spending on imports. This stimulation of economic growth is a strong commitment of the Government and will also endeavour to address the ever present challenge of creating job opportunities for Saudi nationals. I appreciate that many of the members of the RGBB are not involved with nor represent British business interests, however their presence as representatives of the United Kingdom is an important aspect of promoting Britain - as we await the appointment of the new Ambassador we all in our own ways act as ambassadors for Britain and thereby indirectly the promotion of UK plc! On a very sad note the RGBB has lost in relatively quick succession three of its members - Julian Cottenden, John Lappin and Roger Webb. All three were regular supporters of the RGBB and also keen supporters of various activities within the British community and their deaths will be deeply felt by their families, friends and colleagues. Our lives here in the Kingdom as expatriates are in comparison to many others, more than comfortable and the deaths of these three friends are timely reminder to us all that nothing can be taken for granted and we should be ever mindful of our good fortune. (continued overleaf)
Julian Cottenden
John Lappin
Contents From the Chair ..........................1 QBP Photos...............................3 BBA Notes .................................5 BBG Notes ................................7 SIG Update................................8 Healthcare SIG........................10 Health Matters .........................12 IT SIG ......................................15 Education SIG .........................16 Security Sig .............................16 Feature Article Who says you’re too old? ........18 Family Visit ..............................21 Summer Ball............................22 Saudi British Society visit ........24 RGBB Sports...........................27 ICING Update..........................28 New HMA for KSA ..................33 Sudoku ....................................33 Al Alamiya launch ....................34 Thanks from the BISR ............34 ZUM back in KSA ....................36 Members Hobbies Owain Raw-Rees ....................38 UK Gossip ...............................40 Letters to the Editor .................43 Welcome new members ..........43 And Finally...............................44
Advertisers Our thanks to the following advertisers. Without their support we could not publish. Please give them yours AASC.......................................14 Arabian Homes..........................6 AlKhozama Hotel.....................20 AMEX ......................................32 AXA ..........................................9 BA............................................42 BAE Systems ..........................37 BMI ............... Inside Front Cover British School Riyadh ..............35 InterContinental Hotel .............. Inside Back Cover SABB ..........Outside Back Cover SESE.......................................26 Sheraton Hotel ........................19 Spacemaker ..............................4
Roger Webb RGBB News 1
Owain Raw-Rees
Chairman owain.raw-rees@axa-gulf.com
The RGBB 2010-2011 Board
The RGBB Secretary, Jane Brierley can be contacted on tel: 00966 1 488 00 77 ext. 2263 on Saturdays or secretary@rgbb.org
Marcus Cleverton Deputy Chairman marcuscleverton@sabb.com
Laurence Callow
laurence.callow@almarai.com
Luke Bowen luke@arabianc.com
Gary Richardson
Nicola Quick
richardsonksa@hotmail.co.uk
nicola.quick@talk21.com
Writing of good fortune, on behalf of the Board and the membership of the RGBB I have written to Andrew Mead to offer congratulations to him on his appointment in the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours List to be a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire “for philanthropic activities in Saudi Arabia”. This acknowledgement of his superb charitable work in support of “International Children In Need Group” (ICING) is most timely. His work in support of the British community in both business and social guises is well known and I am sure that all of his friends and colleagues will be delighted with this news. This recognition of his commitment to charity and the community is highly deserved and I hope will be a source of pride to him and his family. The end of the school term approaches and the holidays, for many, beckon and it remains for me to wish you all an enjoyable and peaceful summer. The RGBB News is compiled by Andrew Mead at MMSL in cooperation with Jumana House, Riyadh. A full page advert is charged at SR3500 and a half page at SR2000. Discounted figures of SR3000 and SR1800 are given for a three edition commitment. To contribute to the next edition, please contact Andrew Mead on 0506 271 151 / andrew@sbtd.co.uk or Luke Bowen on 0505 448 912 / luke@arabianc.com RGBB News 2
Ian Hay
ianhay@sabb.com
Ian Crawford Ian.Crawford@baesystems.com
Paul Williams Embassy Representative paul.williams2@fco.gov.uk
BBA
Notes from the Eastern Chair
Geoff Fennah MBE Chairman, British Business Association Eastern Province
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ummer is here and the temperature is over 45 degrees C and I expect many are drifting off for their long awaited vacations. It certainly continues to be a hectic year with Eastern Province continuing to be very busy and clearly not hit as badly by the recession as other places. We have also had the added distraction of the General Election and the installation of a new Government and now look forward to the World Cup. Come on England. Sadly we said goodbye to HM Ambassador Sir Wiliam Patey KCMG and Lady Patey who left Kingdom prematurely to accept a new challenge in Afghanistan. For sure they will be missed for their contribution across the Kingdom over recent years. I know Sir William welcomes the opportunity to make a difference in this Afghanistan and we wish him every success in this new venture. Turning to the Association, I am pleased to report that the Committee was returned to office unopposed at the AGM in April. Membership is currently running at 160 with new applications coming in every month. The Jubail group, led by George Dinic, continues to be active and hold regular monthly dinners including a very pleasant evening recently at Jim’s in Bahrain. On the business side, our successful series of
monthly dinners continue to be very popular and in May we welcomed Mike Eddison of the Society of Will Writers who provided an excellent review of the considerations and pitfalls to be aware of when planning your estate. A morbid subject but nonetheless relevant to everyone. In March, the British Trade Office hosted the third Saudi-British Business Week and what a fantastic event it turned out to be. Almost 60 UK businesses participated in the event and preliminary indications are that some useful opportunities were identified. The BBA contribution to the week was a Celebrity Dinner with football legend Tommy Docherty as guest of honour. Tommy turned out to be quite a character and very entertaining with everyone in attendance having a memorable evening. It was pleasing to raise over SR28,000 which was donated to the International Children in Need Group (ICING) charity. Congratulations to the British Trade Office, Al-Khobar on a very successful week. I know that they all put a tremendous amount of effort into the arrangements and deserved the success. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the BBA or need to contact us then feel free to call me directly, send an e-mail to our Secretary (Pamela) at bbakhobar@ather.net.sa or via the website www.bbaep.com
Pictures - Clockwise from right. Geoff Fennah with Tommy Dochery at the BBA celebrity Dinner evening in March. Dr Abdullah Dabbagh, CEO Maaden, who addressed the monthly meeting in February. HMA Sir William Patey and Neil Wilson from the BTO inspecting some of the exibitor materials at the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce event Anita Wakefield from Cambridge College withMumtaz Abdullah from the BTO during Saudi British Business Week
RGBB News 5
BBG
Notes from the BBG in Jeddah
Edward Ogilvie BBG Jeddah Chairman
Below: Pictures from the QBP in Jeddah
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ince our previous Chairman, Brian Hawley, stepped down at the BBG AGM earlier this year to focus on new challenges up the coast in Yanbu, I am honoured to be able to introduce myself as the new Chairman of the British Business Group in Jeddah. As a bit of background, I have lived and worked out of the UK for the past 20 years taking up my first job abroad in Dubai in 1990 before moving to Saudi Arabia in 1993. Soon after my arrival in Jeddah, I joined the BBG primarily to facilitate networking contacts as well as to better understand the essentials of doing business in a country like Saudi Arabia. In 2006 I was elected to the Committee where I served as Membership Secretary for two successive years before becoming Deputy Chairman in 2008. A key objective I have set for my tenure this year as Chairman, working together with the BBG Committee and in partnership with our colleagues at the British Consulate-General, is to focus on business development opportunities within the membership as part of the group’s remit to promote the growth of British goods and services with Saudi Arabia. In this regard, we now have a new role on the Committee of Business Liaison Secretary. In addition, we have initiated the concept of co-opting members to actively assist the Committee, for example, by creating working groups which provide a networking forum for BBG members with interests in selected key business sectors in the Saudi market. The first such Special Interest Group (SIG) focuses on the Finance sector. A further SIG for Engineering & Construction is scheduled to meet early in July and we have plans to set up a Retail/ fmcg/ Marketing Services SIG after the summer. Watch this space for further details or, if you want to get in touch with us directly regarding any aspect of business liaison activities, please contact Angela Brazier at bbg.business@bbg-jed.org
Given the relatively buoyant nature of the Saudi economy, and in particular in the Western Region, it is perhaps not surprising that we have seen a steady growth in membership numbers which currently stand in excess of 250. While the majority of our members are British nationals, we continue to generate interest and applications from non-British nationals (for Associate membership) and from Saudi nationals (for Saudi Affiliate membership). For further details regarding membership of the BBG, contact Sam Thanvi, Membership Secretary, at bbg.membership@bbg-jed.org Finding the right balance of business and social activities for our members within an essentially business-focused group like the BBG is not easy. However, with the organising ability and experience of our Events Secretary, John Lockhart, and with the able support of our Committee members, the BBG usually gets it pretty right. Recent events have included the Survivors’ Ball (celebrating the annual sports challenge between the BBG and our American counterpart, the ABJ. This year’s challenge, by the way, ended with a win:win or, more accurately, a draw.). We also regularly arrange speaker meetings (the most recent being a presentation on the implications of the UK Bribery Act 2010. A complex and highly engaging topic!). On a lighter note, a Summer Quiz is planned for July – always a popular event for those members who are in Jeddah at this time of year. If you think you might be passing through Jeddah and want to check out any available BBG functions, please drop a line to john.lockhart@synovate.com In conclusion, I wish a safe, happy and relaxing summer to all those and their families who are travelling at this time. If you want to reach me regarding the British Business Group in Jeddah, please do not hesitate to contact me at bbg.chairman@bbg-jed.org or via the BBG website at www.bbg-jed.org
RGBB News 7
SIG Update
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ince the last RGBB Magazine, there have been some considerable developments regarding the SIGs and the Business Development Committee, and these are as follows:I now have the following SIG Chairmen in place. The contact email addresses for the SIG Chairmen of each of the SIGs above are as follows:Aviation
Paul Dugan, OBE, FRAeS paul@nvi-me.com Education & Training Tony Calderbank ajcbank@yahoo.com Financial Services Sebastien Long sebastienlong@sabb.com Healthcare Philip Taylor philipofriyadh@hotmail.com Information Technology Mark Allen mark@dnjcorpit.com Safety & Security Jeremy Mann jeremymann@sabb.com
I hope that those of you who have attended the SIG meetings will have found these not only enlightening and valuable, but perhaps a little entertaining too. If you haven’t joined you should! These meetings are always a good opportunity for Members to network and make themselves known to respective SIG Chairmen, so please come forward and get to know a few like-minded Members and maximise your membership benefits. If you wish to join any Special Interest Group, a maximum of two (2) per Member, please let me know by emailing: nicola.quick@talk21.com and I will send the relevant SIG form for completion. The first Meeting of the Business Development Committee took place on 27 April 2010, where I was voted as Chair of the BDC. The Minutes of this Meeting have been distributed by our RGBB Secretary. Nicola Quick RGBB Board Member - Special Interest Groups
Searching for Economic Necessity in the Kingdom
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round 25 members of the Financial Services Special Interest Group (SIG) gathered on Sunday May 24th for an informal evening of networking and discussion. Guest speakers Paul Gamble, Head of Research at Jadwa Investment, and Ewan Walton, Partner & Managing Director of Executive Search & Selection at KPMG, spoke about trends in the local labour market and recruitment in the second meeting of the SIG in 2010. The evening was generously hosted at the residence of Tim Dearden, Head of UK Trade & Investment for the British Embassy.
Saudi Arabia’s demographics will continue to pressure the labour market. With 45% of the population under the age of 19, around 150,000 additional people will require a job each year. Historically the public sector has absorbed these people, however the private sector will have to play its part as recent growth is neither sustainable nor productive – an oil price of $48 per barrel is required just to fund the public sector’s annual SAR 400 billion wage bill. Anyone who has worked in the Kingdom will be familiar with the issues concerning attitudes to work, productivity and mismatched expectations, and the challenges posed to managers and executives in absorbing more Saudis in to the private sector. The government has a role to play in addressing these challenges. Whilst they invest significant monies in education, much of this is focused on infrastructure rather than improving the quality of teaching. Neighbour Bahrain has imposed a tax on expatriates, which could encourage companies to improve productivity if introduced in Saudi. There are also hopes that the introduction of a mortgage law will encourage more Saudis to take up jobs considered ‘undesirable’ as they seek to meet their new obligations. RGBB News 8
The key advice shared between members during the discussions is that when making hiring decisions, try to ascertain the economic necessity of the hopefuls. If they have commitments, they are more likely to take their role seriously. Fear of negatively affecting their family name can also be a Sebastien Long motivation for some. Whilst it is commonly perceived that a Saudi cannot be fired, proper documentation and performance management practices mean that it can be done. Attendees learnt clients always give specifications on the nationality (or region for Saudis) to recruiters. Generally speaking, the finance function is dominated by executives from Saudi, Pakistan and the GCC. Because of Saudisation, it’s often the case that a local will ‘wear the hat’, whilst someone else actually executes the job. Those seeking job stability are recommended to learn Arabic, as companies increasingly ask for bilingual staff. I am sad to say that this article will be my last contribution as Chairman of the Financial Services SIG. By the time you read this I will have relocated to Hong Kong in an internal move within the HSBC Group to work on the rollout of a business reorganisation across the region within our Trade & Supply Chain function. My colleague David Stokes at SABB Takaful will assume my responsibilities as the SIG Chairman. David has spent 14 years in the region with eight in the Kingdom focused on IT and financial services. I wish him and my fellow RGBB members all the best in their Saudi endeavours.
Healthcare Services SIG
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he Medical SIG has continued to grow and develop, during the last few months. We have had a couple of SIG meetings which were very well attended. I have pleasure in introducing Dr. Mohammed Al Shaker to be our guest author for the Summer issue of the RGBB magazine.
Know your risk factors? Philip Taylor Genetic factors largely determine whether an individual SIG Chairman, Healthcare Services is act heightened risk of osteoporosis. The hormonal changes that take place at menopause are one reason why women at greater risk than men. In addition life style factors such as poor nutrition lack of exercise, smoking, and excess alcohol intake have negative effect on bone health, as do secondary risk factors such as various medical disorders and their treatment. A simple, short test was developed by the International Osteoporosis Risk test that can help is assessing your risk of this devastating disease.
Dr Al Shaker is a Senior Orthopaedic Consultant for the Department of Family Medicine at the King Faisal Hospital and Research center. With a particular interest in Osteoporosis his article will be of great interest to many. Dr. Al Shaker is both a national and international speaker on the subject of Osteoporosis and is the Vice President of Saudi Osteoporosis Society. Dr Al Shaker Additional responsibilities for Dr Al Shaker include Quality Improvement within his department to improve patient satisfaction and enhanced patient outcomes.
I hope that you will find the article of interest and if you have any particular subject for the next magazine issue please contact me. Have a good summer. Philip Taylor, Chairman, Healthcare SIG
OSTEOPOROSIS Osteoporosis or “Porous bone” is a disease in which the quantity and quality of bone are reduced, leading to fragility of the skeleton with significant increase in fracture risk. The deterioration of Bone occurs progressively and “silently”. Often there are no symptoms until the first fracture occurs. The most common osteoporotic fractures are spine, hip and wrist fractures, some of these fractures cause untold suffering, lasting disability, and a greatly diminished quality of life. Spine fractures can cause intense pain, and lead to loss of height and stopped back with gradual loss of movement and inability to carry out daily chores. Hip fractures usually require major surgery. Up to 20% of people die within one year following a hip fracture about third of the survivors will lose their independency and need to transfer to institutional care. RGBB News 10
How common is Osteoporosis? One in three women and one in dine men over the age of 50 years will suffer an osteoporotic fracture. It is a disease that known no geographic or social boundaries’. In USA there is a fragility fracture every 20 seconds and in Europe every 30 seconds. As the world’s population ages and lines longer, the number of osteoporotic fractures is predicted to rise dramatically. By 2050 hip fracture rate in North America and Europe are predicted to double. In Asia they are predicted to increase fine folds.
The more you answer with yes, the more risk you have. However the definite diagnosis of osteoporosis can only be made by a specialist in the filed through a bone density test. Preventing Osteoporosis: The best tine in life to ensure bone health for the future is while we are still young. This doesn’t mean, however, that we cannot contribute positively to our bone health later on in life, for both purposes. A life style modification will be essential. Exercise is not just important to health, it helps build bone mass in youth and slows bone loss in adults. Of particular importance for bone health is weight-bearing exercise like walking, jogging, aerobics, dancing, tennis, etc.. Nutrition: Both calcium and vitamin D are essential to maintain healthy bone. As we grow older we absorb calcium from food less efficiently, this is why that-over time- we need higher amount of calcium. The most readily available sources of dietary calcium include dairy food, nuts, some green vegetables (broccoli, kale and bok choy), small canned fish with soft bones “e.g. sardines” and calcium-set tofu. Vitamin D: which helps calcium absorption is also essential. The major source of vitamin D is the photosynthesis in the skin through exposure to sunlight. However most of the people suffer from vitamin D deficiency because of lack of exposure to sun light either because they leave in high altitude countries or because they stay away from the sun in sunny countries.
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS Good dietary sources of Vitamin D include oily fish such as salmon and mackerel, fortified dairy foods or margarine, and egg yolks. Smoking: smokers lose bone density more rapidly than nonsmokers. Alcohol drinking: excess alcohol is a risk factor for osteoporosis. Treating Osteoporosis: In addition to lifestyle modifications that are necessary for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, new therapeutic modalities have been discovered which reduce fracture risk quickly and efficiently. The choice of treatment should be tailored to a patient’s specific medical needs and lifestyle.
IOF One- Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test What you cannot change - your family history 1. Have either of your parents been diagnosed with osteoporosis or broken a bone after minor fall (a fall from standing height or less)? yes / no 2. Did either of your parents have a ‘dowager’s hump”? yes / no Your personal clinical factors? These are fixed risk factors that one is born with or cannot alter. But that is not to say that they should be ignored. It is important to be aware of fixed risks so that steps can be taken to reduce loss of bone mineral. 3. Are you 40 years old or older?
yes / no
4. Have you ever broken a bone after a minor fall, as an adult?
yes / no
5. Do you fall frequently (more than once in the last year) or do you have a fear of falling because you are frail?
yes / no
6. After the age of 40, have you lost more than 3 cm in height (just over 1 inch)? 7. Are you underweight (is your Body Mass Index less than 19kg/m2)?
10. Have you been diagnosed with an over-reactive thyroid or over-reactive Parathyroid glands?
12. Have your periods ever stopped for 12 consecutive months or more (other than because of pregnancy, menopause or hysterectomy)?
yes / no
13. Were your ovaries removed before age 50, without you taking Hormone Replacement Therapy?
yes / no
For men: 14. Have you ever suffered from impotence, lack of libido or other symptoms Related to low testosterone levels?
yes / no
What you can change – your lifestyle factors Modifiable risk factors which primarily arise because of diet or lifestyle choices
yes / no
15. Do you regularly drink alcohol in excess of safe drinking limits (more than 2 units a day)?
yes / no
yes / no
16. Do you currently, or have you ever, smoked cigarettes?
yes / no
8. Have you ever taken corticosteroid tablets (cortisone, prednisone, etc.) for More than 3 consecutive months (corticosteroids are often prescribed for Conditions like asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and some inflammatory diseases)? yes / no 9. Have you ever been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis?
For women: 11. For women over 45: Did your menopause occur before the age of 45? yes / no
yes / no
yes / no
17. Is your daily level of physical activity less than 30 minutes per day (housework, gardening, walking, running etc.)? yes / no 18. Do you avoid, or are you allergic to milk or dairy products, without Taking any calcium supplements?
yes / no
19. Do you spend less than 10 minutes per day outdoors (with part of your body exposed to sunlight), without taking vitamin S supplements?
yes / no RGBB News 11
Are you getting enough sleep? Ideal Sleep Sleep is composed of two stages: REM (Rapid Eye Movement) and non-REM. The former helps in mental consolidation while the latter helps in physical repair and rebuilding. During the night, you alternate between REM and non-REM stages 4-5 times.
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ome of you may have read about recent deaths of athletes and football players in their late 20’s. We all wonder how this can happen and there does not seem to be a straightforward answer. I was recently reading about some cardiology research into the effects of the lack of sleep and there may be a clue here. What are the main points? Short sleep duration (<5 or 5-6 hours) increased risk for high Blood Pressure by 350% to 500% compared to those who slept longer than 6 hours per night As you know, high BP kills. Young people (25-49 years of age) are twice as likely to get high BP if they sleep less. Individuals who slept less than 5 hours a night had a 3-fold increased risk of heart attacks. Complete and partial lack of sleep increased the blood concentrations of High sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-cRP), the strongest predictor of heart attacks. Even after getting adequate sleep later, the levels stayed high! Just one night of sleep loss increases very toxic substances in the body such as Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Tumour Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-alpha) and C-reactive protein (cRP). They increase risks of many medical conditions, including cancer, arthritis and heart disease. Paper published in 2004. Sleeping for <=5 hours per night leads to 39% increase in heart disease. Sleeping for <=6 hours per night leads to 18% increase in heart disease. RGBB News 12
The earlier part of sleep is mostly nonREM. During that period, your pituitary gland releases growth hormones that repair your body. The latter part of sleep is more and more REM type. For you to be mentally alert during the day, the latter part of sleep is more important. No wonder when you wake up with an alarm clock after 5-6 hours of sleep, you are mentally irritable throughout the day (lack of REM sleep). And if you have slept for less than 5 hours, your body is in a complete physical mess (lack of nonREM sleep ), you are tired throughout the day, moving like a zombie and your immunity is way down ( I’ve been there, done that ). If you are a sportsperson, especially a runner, you need an hour of extra sleep to repair the running related damage. One of the athletes who died did everything right: eating proper food, exercising (running marathons), maintaining proper weight, but he missed getting proper and adequate sleep, minimum 7 hours, and that may be what killed him. If you are not getting enough sleep (7 hours), you are playing with fire, even if you have low stress. We have all worked long hours when necessary but there is enough scientific evidence now to show that long hours, lack of sleep. too much overtime are all bad for your health and can kill you. If any of you are over-doing it, please ease off and get your beauty sleep. Rob Grey American Mission Hospital Bahrain
Are You at Risk?
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he prescription for staying healthy begins with knowledge about your risk factors and potential harmful habits, as well as taking the appropriate action to manage them. Health screening by experienced medical professionals is based on the principle that early detection of key individual risk factors is crucial for improved prevention of serious illness. Medical evaluations should include an in-depth assessment of your medical history, lifestyle habits and a complete physical examination performed by trained specialists with focus on risk factors for heart disease, organ function abnormalities and cancer. Laboratory screenings should be recommended and include tests for lipids disorders, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, anaemia, renal function, liver function, thyroid function in addition to bowel and prostate (men) cancer screening tests and any other required tests based on your medical history and condition. Diagnostic Imaging examinations play a very large and important role in a comprehensive health screening and may include: • CT Heart Scan - a noninvasive and fast procedure that detects any abnormality in the heart, especially the coronary arteries for calcifications and narrowings. It’s the only noninvasive technique that can detect disease at an early and asymptomatic stage. • Echocardiography - provides assessment for pre and post myocardial infarctions and valvular heart disease as well as hypertensive heart disease. • Virtual Colonography - detects early and silent abnormalities in the colon and bowel such as polyps, diverticulitis and cancer without the need for anaesthesia or hospital recovery and has a low risk for bowel perforation. International health organisations
HEALTH MATTERS recommend having a colon study after the age of 50 and repeated every few years. • Digital Mammography for Women - gold standard in breast screening and can detect cancer and other problems before lumps become large enough to be felt, as well as assists in the diagnosis of other breast problems. International organisations recommend screening mammography at least every two years, beginning at age 40. • MRI Neuro - invaluable for identifying abnormalities of the brain or spine, particularly demyelinating disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and cerebrovascular disease. • Bone Mineral Density Scans of the Spine and Hips - essential for diagnosing osteoporosis and following changes in bone density over time. • Lung CT - significant diagnostic tool for screening conditions or diseases of the lungs, aimed especially at smokers - lung imaging examinations are crucial to detect any smoking related abnormality at an early stage.
1, Age. I am over 40 years of age. 2, Family History of Heart Disease. My father or brother had a heart attack before age 55: or my mother or sister had one before age 65. 3, Family History of Cancer. Any of my first degree relatives had a bowel cancer. Women: My mother or sister had breast or ovarian cancer.
9, HDL Cholesterol. My HDL (good) cholesterol is less than 40 mg/dl or I don’t know my cholesterol level. 10, Physical Activity. I get less than a total of 30 minutes of physical activity on most days. 11, Overweight. I am 9 kilograms or more overweight for my height and build.
4, Heart Disease Medical History. I have coronary artery disease, or I’ve had a heart attack or other heart condition(s).
12, Diabetes. I have diabetes of a fasting blood sugar of 125 mg/dl or higher, or I need medicine to control my blood sugar.
5, Vascular Disease History. I have been told that I have carotid artery disease; or I have had a stroke; or I have a disease of the leg arteries.
If you ticked 2 or more then you have risk factors which increase the chances of developing cancer or cardiovascular disease and you should consider having a comprehensive health check.
6, Blood Pressure. My blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or higher, or a health professional said my blood pressure is too high, or I don’t know what my blood pressure is. 7, Tobacco Smoke. I smoke or live with people who smoke regularly. 8, Total Cholesterol. My total cholesterol is 240 mg/dl or higher, or I don’t know my level.
Your health is your most important asset; give yourself and your loved ones peace of mind – see your healthcare provider now. Barbara Merkel Allied Diagnostics Riyadh
Take a few minutes to complete a self assessment quiz:
RGBB News 13
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
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ello everyone. My name is Mark Allen; I am another of Nicola’s latest recruits and as a consequence now find myself Chairman of the Information Technology Special Interest Group (“IT SIG”) of the RGBB. I am a relative “newbie” to the Kingdom (arriving in November 2008) and the RGBB and I look forward to the opportunity of offering to the membership a wider insight to the world of IT. I have more than 25 years experience in many facets of IT and Communications, predominantly in IT Communications and Security, having spent more than 18 years with the Bank of England. I have been fortunate in my career to have worked with many leading global companies with whom I maintain good relationships. These relationships have been of major benefit to me, particularly with the
diverse yet unique idiosyncrasies of business here in the Kingdom and the Gulf region in general. The inaugural meeting of the IT SIG was held at Paul Williams’ villa in the DQ, for which I would like to thank him and Barbara for their hospitality. We were fortunate to have a friend and colleague of mine, Yusuf Al Jobbar, as our guest speaker. Yusuf gave us an introduction to the world of IT Communications through the company he set up here a little over two years ago, Dispatch Technology. He received some excellent feedback from the attendees, many of whom were particularly interested in his presentation of Asset and Vehicle tracking technology. Over the coming weeks and months, I should like to offer an RGGB members IT support forum. Whether members need advice on business or personal IT problems, the plan would be to provide a medium through the RGGB website where I can give options and solutions to any IT based “gremlins” that frustrate us all. Please keep an eye out for a communication on this and other IT SIG developments through Nicola.
An Information Technology perspective: to synch or swim? I suppose one analogy from an IT perspective is learning to swim. My brother and I were fortunate; both our parents were good swimmers, my mother gentle and patient, my father less so. The goal, of course, for all concerned was for us to swim. Once achieved, it is skill that can be applied across many different aqueous scenarios. As in life, there are many types of water to swim in, each with incumbent traits and risks. The sea, which is a constant variable, exposed too many external influences such as the moon and wind. A river, which although channelled, has many hidden characteristics and of course the pool, which has been prepared and designed by man with many safety aspects included. The same format can be applied with IT, a tidal variable where one is exposed to an ocean of change, with each immersion offering a modification to the basic swimming technique. The river, where one can be carried along at such a rate that there is little time to relax and develop the swimming technique. Finally, there is the pool, a catered for environment that generally is the same but, with effort and enjoyment, restricted by the number of swimmers participating at that time. My introduction to swimming and IT were similar. My father concluded that progress would be made by throwing my brother and I in at the deep end. For me it worked - I swam. For my brother, it dented his confidence and he was to take a little longer to become a competent swimmer. You may wonder where I am going with this - some people have no choice but to master the reality of IT, from rebooting the PC or laptop because they cannot afford to be inconvenienced, or to wait. Few read or understand the manual fully, again because of a lack of time or patience to apply the information being portrayed. Thus, the feeling of drowning. Others chose to avoid IT altogether, thereby avoiding any exposure and leaving even the simplest task to another. As in all things in life,
some things can be hard to master, whether it be riding a bike or driving a car, but once mastered, they become second nature and we wonder what all the fuss was about. For those of us who were a party to change through the ‘70s/’80s and ‘90s, there have been many directional variations in IT, often product led. From the original mobile phone designed by Martin Cooper of Motorola in the late ‘70s, to the hand held communicator where speech is just a default function. Many applications, formally residing on PCs, serve us in our day-to-day existence on our ‘mobile phones’. Our constant desire for improvement is generally driven by the need for service, comfort and would you believe simplicity. So, going back to the swim analogy, we are being carried along by a river which is, by definition, changeable - sometimes smooth and tranquil where we are confident and content. Then a torrent, caused by influences beyond our control which make our journey fast and bumpy. It is up to all of us to try to embrace and deal with changing technology, even if we are unwilling participants at times. The irony in my swim analogy is that the children of today embrace technology by default, often preferring to virtually swim using the ‘Wii’ than actually experiencing the real thing, particularly here in The Kingdom. Whether we like it or not, Information Technology is here to stay and has an impact on our everyday lives, from remote controls for the television, to the basic timer on the microwave oven. So, in my role as Chairman of the IT Special Interest Group for RGBB, I am hoping to make your life a little easier and ensure that we can all swim. RGBB News 15
Prince Andrew meets Saudi students at British Council Teaching Centre
Security SIG
Jim Mann SIG Chairman Security
Prince Andrew Duke of York visited the Men’s Teaching Centre at British Council Riyadh in May and joined an English language lesson with Saudi students. It was a rare privilege for the students to have a royal visitor in their class talking to them about the English Premiership but Prince Andrew had an excellent time too. “It is good to see the Council doing what it does best,” he said. The Prince, who was on a visit to Saudi Arabia on May 9 and 10, attended the English class where the topic was football. The conversation focused on the approaching World Cup, the 2012 Olympics in London, and the international competition for English Language learners sponsored by the British Council in cooperation with the Premier League in the UK. The Prince chatted with the students and asked them how their English language courses benefited them. Ibrahim Al-Jasser, one of the students, said, “The British Council is among the leading institutes in the Kingdom and has the best teachers and educational material. It has an exceptional focus on conversational skills.” On how the English course has helped him, he said, “I never used to communicate through email at work before; but now I can do so with confidence. Some of my colleagues even ask me for my help. Furthermore, customers who don’t speak Arabic are now sent to me. And it was a great experience to meet Prince Andrew and discuss football with His Highness.” Prince Andrew also met two blind students, Abdullah and Nawaf, who attend regular classes at the centre using Braille. There is no doubt that teaching English is what the Council is best known for. Most of our offices around the world have teaching centres where we teach English to members of the public and private corporations. We also work with governments and ministries of education training English teachers. Richard Rooze, Teaching Centre Manager, told the Prince about the Council’s expansion project for the coming year and its plan to increase the number of students, both male and female, from 10,200 to 15,000. Tony Caldebank Chairman Education & Training SIG RGBB News 16
A
s your Security SIG Chairman I come with a fairly diverse background (or was that a chequered past) which includes previous service in various and several Military and Police Forces across the globe. As some of you know, my Police ‘adventures’ began with eight years service as a ‘Contract Officer’ in the British South Africa Police, Rhodesia during the 1970’s. Here I spent some initial time in uniform (not a pretty sight) and later time with the CID and Special Branch. From what I can remember it was very definitely the best eight years of my entire life! Back in those days I experienced a ‘Close Encounter’ involving a UFO. This was shared with, and witnessed by, most of the other police officers on duty that evening. They may be ‘out there’..! I will write this story another time but mention the incident now as a link to the ‘Ode’ enclosed which I wrote after a trip to Nevada / Vegas / Death Valley last year with my daughter. This trip had UFO links as well and took me back to a night long ago.
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
Here is the ode :SONIC BOOMS AND BURGERS Vegas is a boulevard, it’s long and oh so wide The punters swarm across it, an ever shifting tide The straub lights and the music, the burgers and the beer The theme hotels that dazzle, no time for sleeping here The chatter and the whine, as the slot machines wax bright There’s no hope here discerning, twixt daytime and the night Many losers and scant winners, the bad guys and the good The pale and struggling locals, might ship out if they could
We had a fabulous time in Vegas (so did the casino) and we also managed to make an astounding five day road trip across the Nevada Desert and through Death Valley. There were many highlights throughout, but, our drive along the ET Highway (alongside Area 51) and, our visit to the trailer park at nearby Rachel, have to be at the pinnacle. I had been winding my daughter up all morning about UFO’s and abductions as we rode the VERY long and VERY lonely ET Highway. Just as we pulled in for a burger at the’ Little a’le’Inn’ in Rachel, as we stepped from the car, a HUGE and deafening Sonic Boom cracked overhead as a ‘test’ aircraft (not visible) breached the sound barrier. It frightened the life out of both of us !!! What a giggle. Hence the ode is entitled ‘Sonic Booms and Burgers’. As you know ‘Area 51’ is the legendary TOP SECRET US Military Air Base located in the Nevada desert a couple of hundred miles east of Vegas. Long denied by the US government, at least until the advent of Satellite technology, the base still serves as a test area for ‘Stealth’ and other ‘black’ military aircraft projects and has done for decades. Area 51 gets much more interesting though when you mix in government conspiracy theories, allegations of downed or captured ‘alien craft’ being reverse engineered to enhance US defence capabilities (at the super secret ‘hangar 11’), underground routes to the base from Vegas and a mysterious ‘shadow workforce’ from the nearby Ghost Town of Tonupah...” Contact for the Little A’Le’Inn is aliens@littlealeinn.com Web is www.littlealeinn.com. Located Rachel, Nevada Box 45 Zip 89001
The flap of chopper rotors, black sleek stretch limos long And here’s another shady bar, another old rock song Four days of random cruising, the new strip and the shows Its time to leave Las Vegas now, to where the real world slows A rental car from Alamo and a Lincoln full of gas We’re out atop the highway, stark desert scenes we pass Take the long haul to Death Valley, the ghost mines and the mules A freedom trip that cleanses us, a November breeze that cools The Ranch at Furnace Creek we spy, there’s bunk beds to be had An Oasis in the moonscape, for a daughter and her dad Pink jeep tours and the stables, Scots Castle and there’s more We follow wild coyote tracks, cross Titus canyon’s floor And now we range out northbound, to a ghost town – Tonupah Not much to see and do there, just a motel and a bar But the local folks are friendly, we consider this a boon And a night of drinking later, it’s adios Last Chance Saloon. Ola’ the open road once more, past the Test Range we are gone As we ride the ET highway, checking out ‘Area 51’ To the trailer park at Rachel, and the ‘little al’e’inn’ A sonic boom that makes us jump, at this old shack built from tin Of Greys, Reptilians and the White’s, are they really here? Do craft from other galaxies, just prey upon our fear? Or do we reach outside our world, because knowledge might be wealth? Was that a UFO amidst the stars, or a silent streaking Stealth? And now it’s back to Vegas, that daughter and her dad To laugh about those crazy roads, their great adventure had Then fly back to the real world, a normal life resumes They hope it’s not long before, they hear more sonic booms !
RGBB News 17
Who says you’re too old?
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n receiving formal advice from the UK pension’s authority advising me to collect my Old Age Pension, it suddenly hit me that the “Bucket List” is now really important and we need to get moving. So off To Australia and New Zealand we go to get a tick in the box for the first thing on the list “Sky Diving”. Sounds easy right; however before that we decided to take a helicopter ride to an active volcano on the North Island with the most beautiful scenery one could ever imagine, almost unreal though the very “young” pilot was reluctant to give too much “stick time” to a senior citizen! The Robin Helicopter is extremely durable and extremely easy to fly with amazing all round visibility. On arrival at Rotorurah and a pretty hairy landing on a few pieces of wood sitting on the valley floor was followed by the immediate flaring of nostrils and all your senses start struggling to analyze the pungent smell of volcanic sulpher. So after the hairy helicopter ride you are now well and truly sitting in the centre of an area dotted with active volcanoes that on a regular basis demonstrate their prowess and erupt! The return trip was less eventful with all enjoying the beautiful scenery that is unique to New Zealand. The next adventure would prove to be even more exciting, the “Sky Diving”. Driving towards the Wellington airport, looking for any excuse to divert to RGBB News 18
by Paul Dugan
the local pub and say what a stupid thing to do the weather was cloudy and it looked like rain. I was ready to wander in and say to the steely eyed jumpers, “not a good day for this sort of thing, right?” only to be greeted with, you know this is the only place in the world where you can legally do tandem jumps through clouds! My first thought is not “oh that’s good!” After an extremely short briefing, dangers of jumping in cloud, clothing, helmets, parachute safety brief, the safety briefer left nothing to chance “in case the aircraft crashes on takeoff,” although they skipped the part about “aircraft crashing on landing you will be able to watch it, we’ll video it!”
FEATURE ARTICLE So we’re off, sitting in the doorway of a special converted South African single engine crop-duster. The inside is stripped out with just the carpet providing the full luxury interior fittings with strap hangers bolted to the interior fuselage. The sole purpose of these I discover is to ensure as many sky divers as possible can be compressed inside of the fuselage and all is very cozy and off course for the novices who are first in, so there’s no escaping! So harnessed to a short Brit instructor with a cabin full of society’s best, we begin the climb to twelve thousand feet, twelve thousand feet, isn’t that above the clouds I asked? At this point, most of the instructors seemed to have gone deaf and then reality set in; I had joined a bunch of free fall junkies and was the only novice on board! Moving to the door was an art in itself but nothing had prepared me for the adrenaline rush this was only sitting in the open door frame looking down. Couldn’t wait to jump and then rush really took hold bursting through the cloud at eight thousand feet to be greeted with tranquility only to be over taken by the fears about where the landing spot was and how we were going to get to it. All was good; I spotted Liz ready with the camera so it had to be good and it was the most perfect end to so far the most exciting thing on the “Aviation Bucket List”, if you get the chance, go for it! The next adventure is PPL which I’m working on, flying around Florida. That’s the next thing on the “list”. Pleased to say that so far every landing has been extremely successful!
RGBB News 19
On tour with the Saudi British Society
T
he Saudi-British Society organised its first official trip to Saudi Arabia in November 2009. It was led by the Hon. Secretary, Ionis Thompson.
About 17 of us started our tour in Riyadh and finished in Jeddah. We had a wonderful guide who was able to gain access for us to sites which had been indicated as being inaccessible, such as Dir’iyyah (because of the restoration work in progress) and later the Standing Stones of Rajjajil at Sakaka, al Jouf. We spent a morning in the National Museum in Riyadh (most impressive) and the restored area around the old Murabba Palace. We went up the Faisaliah Tower and looked at the exhibition of King Abdulaziz’s life in the Musmak Fort. Then we flew to al Jouf and drove straight to the Standing Stones at Sakaka where groups of pillars, up to 9 feet high, are set out to face the rising sun on a rocky terrace. Their purpose is unknown but they have been dated to the 4th millenium BC. Here we had the site to ourselves in the lovely afternoon light. Nearby is a restored old castle on a small hill where Lady Anne Blunt and her husband Wilfrid Blunt stayed in the 1870s, opposite a well-preserved Nabataean well.
Our guide then arranged for us to meet a local family, the women of our party being entertained by the women and girls of the household while our men talked politics and religion to the men of the family. This was deemed a very worthwhile addition to the tour. Al-Jouf itself has an ancient mound, Qasr Marid, with a romantic crumbling castle on top, dating from at least Nabataean times (ie 1st century BC) and probably much earlier, beside the third earliest mosque in Islam, the Mosque of Omar. We didn’t have long enough to enjoy al Jouf in the early morning, as we had a long bus journey to our next night stop, al Ula. We went via Tayma, home of the Babylonian king Nabonidus in the 7th century BC, where we stopped but were unable to get inside the excavations as the German team were not working there at the time. Al Ula is the nearest place one can stay to Madain Saleh, the wonderful Nabatean town, sister city of Petra, which flourished between the 1st century BC and 106 AD when it was incorporated into the Roman Empire. The site is still remarkably empty of tourists at this time of year and we had a wonderful day wandering about from one tomb cluster to another, all cut into the yellow sandstone rock. A French team is excavating the site, though they weren’t there at the time, and they have discovered fascinating things, such as fragments of ancient shroud in the tombs and places of worship in the religious precinct reached Photographs clockwise from Top Right Group outside Beit Nassif, Jeddah old town, al Jouf, minaret of Mosque of Omar and Qasr Marid, Lunch at guide’s farm, Madain Saleh, Standing Stones of Rajjajil at Sakaka, al Jouf, Tombs at Madain Saleh.
RGBB News 24
SAUDI BRITISH SOCIETY through a cut in the rock known as the “siq”. We spent the whole day in Madain Saleh, having lunch at our guide’s farm in the middle of the site (a lovely position under palm trees), and this amount of time was really necessary as the site is so extensive. Below the Nabataean town is a station on the Hejaz Railway which has been well restored and contains a complete engine, next to an Islamic fort where the English explorer Charles Doughty had such a miserable time when staying there in the late nineteenth century. While staying in al Ula, where we were based for 3 nights, we were able to explore the desert canyons round about with 4-wheel drive cars. There’s a famous wind-eroded rock there called “mammoth” rock because of its curious resemblance to that animal. The red rocks of this area, the Jebel Hejaz, are very fine, and a day in 4-wheel drive cars gave the group a different experience, which they seemed to enjoy. al Ula itself was an important stopping place first on the incense route from South Arabia and later on the pilgrim route to Makkah and the mediaeval town has been partially restored. From al Ula we went by coach beside the Hejaz Railway for a bit, to see other stations on the route, near bits of the railway which T.E. Lawrence famously blew up during the Arab Revolt in 1917. For lunch we stopped at the remains of the magnificent Khaybah Dam, and reached Madinah about tea-time. Of course we were unable to enter Madinah but saw the minarets of its famous mosque from the ring-road. From Madinah airport we flew to Jeddah to finish our trip with 2 days exploring the old town, the Balad, and taking a leisurely sail down the Creek - a lovely way to spend our last day. We were invited to the British Consulate for our last night in Jeddah, at the invitation of a Jeddawi lawyer who wanted to honour a member of our party who had worked with him on and off for 30 years. This was a bit of a treat for the group. On the last day we visited the museum of Abdul-Raouf Khalil, which contains splendid collections of Islamic artefacts and examples of architecture, costume and other products of Saudi Arabia itself. I am hoping to take another trip in January 2011 along the same route and to follow this with a visit to the South-West, Najran and Abha and finishing with 3 days snorkelling on the Farasan Islands. Ionis Thompson
RGBB News 25
RGBB News 26
RGBB SPORTS McKechnie magic shines through the storm
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he April storms caused havoc in the Kingdoms capital with severe flooding and major disruption suffered by many. However the staff of Arizona golf resort worked really hard and managed to open the course to host the RGBB/ 20 club singles championship on April 16th. A field of 50 players competed in wet conditions for the amazing prizes offered by the sponsors BMI, Moevenpick hotels, Sheraton hotels and Almarai. With the course obviously very wet it was assumed that low scoring would be difficult due to the difference in the speed of the greens and the lush rough. However these assumptions were way off target as a record number of players shot well under the course par of 68. In fact the scoring for the main net championship (score after the players handicap is deducted) was so tight that a score worse than 9 under par did not get you close to a prize. Shooting a net 59 (9 under par) but just missing out on the prizes were Rich Hare, Rocky Williams and Jan Hamren. In 4th place with a 59 was Scott Cummings. 3rd went to Tony Lyons who also shot a 59. Tony’s birdie on the 18th and final hole proving the difference between 3rd place and being out of the prizes altogether. In 2nd place with a net 57 (11 under par) was Casey Blatch from Almarai. In first place with an RGBB record 17 under par (51 net) was Riyadh banks Andy McKechnie.
here and I really did not think that I would have been in the running’. Andy’s win is all the more remarkable as this event took place on the weekend that the Icelandic volcano eruption caused travel chaos throughout Europe. Andy was actually on the last BMI flight that got out of the UK before the skies where closed. On receiving his gross winners trophy and prizes Sam Montgomery went on to say, “ I am really pleased to have won this event and amazed at the prizes on offer. With quality players such as Donal in the field I really did not think I had done enough to win the event. There were also spot prizes for this event which were: Longest putt on hole 6 – won by Rich Hare Nearest to the pin on hole 9 – won by Monica Schiffer Nearest to the pin on hole 3 – won by Graham Walker Nearest to the pin on hole 2 – won by Howard Davies. Howard remains the only person ever to score a hole in one in an RGBB event and was only inches away from repeating this rare feat with his effort on hole number 2.
The winner of the gross competition (actual score shot) was also tight with Sam Montgomery’s birdie on the 18th edging out Donal Lynch on a count back.
The RGBB would like to thank sponsors BMI, Sheraton hotels, and Moevenpick hotels. We would also like to thank Arizona golf course for staging this event in challenging conditions as well Rich Hare for providing the amazing BBQ that was enjoyed by all. Our thanks go to 20 club President Rick Belcher and Vice President Finlay Graham for arranging this event and we look forward to working with them again in future tournaments.
After receiving his trophy and numerous prizes, which included a meal for 4 at the Sheraton and a return flight to the UK on BMI Andy, said, “ I am absolutely delighted to have won this event. There are some great players
Keep checking your emails over the coming months for more upcoming events. If you have an idea or request for an event please email sports co-ordinator Gary Richardson at richardsonksa@hotmail.co.uk
RGBB News 27
were made by Gordon and Pat Nisbet, Rob & Monika Wood, Deidre Marshall and Simon Ward. The Maaden donation of a Pet Rock from the Muad Al Dib Gold mine proved as popular as ever as did several ‘baby’ rocks sold as souvenirs of the evening.
“Absolutely
amazing”
was how Chargé d’Affairs, Roddy Drummond concisely summed up the ICING Summer Fundraiser this year. Roddy and his wife Yasmin, attending their first ICING Bash, threw themselves in at the deep end to help out after the announcement that Sir William and Lady Patey would not be able to attend this years function. Vanessa, as ICING’s patron had been involved in the weeks before the event in all the usual preparations but even the volcanic ash cloud failed to keep her and her husband in Kingdom long enough to be there on the night. Sir William, however, had ‘ring-fenced’ the furniture to ensure the evening had its usual sparkle! Three hundred others though turned up ready to hand over their cash and pledges for an extensive selection of auction and raffle items. Over half a million riyals were made on the night for ICING with almost a third coming from the auction list. Highest bidder on the night, Majid Fustok, was not even at the event but bid down the telephone line for a copy of the Manchester United Opus, a magnificent book donated by Karl Fowler, Chief Executive of the Kraken Group and signed by Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton. Paul Williams from the British Embassy who had had a hand in securing the donation from the company about to publish the book “Journey to Makkah” later this year was absolutely delighted at the result. Majid also picked up one of the ‘sporting memorabilia’ items donated by Sean McPoland. Sean’s growing reputation as a man able to secure the unique, had somehow managed to obtain Michael Schumacher’s signature on a Mercedes shirt signed at the Bahrain Grand Prix earlier in the year. Simon Ward outbid the opposition for another of Sean’s unique items; this time an F1 picture signed by Webber & Vettel also while they were in Bahrain in April. An Afghan tribal carpet from Alex Imbimbo went to Lynn Waring, fresh off the plane from Kabul, and a package of flights from Robert Lickley at bmi and a hotel package organised by Stuart Birkwood at the Sheraton went to Rachel Start. The Crowne Plaza and the drive experience at the BIC in Bahrain proved attractive to Marcus Cleverton with Laura Cox bidding to win both the Olayan donated laptop and the nas flights to Jeddah. Other winning bids RGBB News 28
Quite the most magnificent donation however was a package put together by Erik Huyer and the Alkhozama Hotel, who catered the event, and H.E. Jan Thesleff the Swedish Ambassador who offered a splendid dinner evening at his residence where Mike & Dave, who entertained the three hundred, also provided entertainment for the evening. The ‘syndicate’ with the winning bid are featured in the photograph bottom right. The Swedish Ambassador’s waistcoat, donated at the 2009 Fundraiser and won by Noura Al Haider found its way back onto the auction list this year and raised another SR5000 on the night and the team from BAE with their green baize tables collected another useful amount. The RGBB who had administered the SABB/VISA donated prize of tickets to attend the World Cup Final in South Africa pulled in SR165,000 by the time the tickets were drawn on the evening. Particular thanks should go to Marcus Cleverton from SABB who brought the whole FIFA/SABB/VISA package together. It’s a testament to the ICE Maidens persuasive skills that although pockets had been well and truly emptied by the Football draw they were still successful with the usual raffle. Andrea Corbett, Alex Gray, Helen Bowen, Trish McPoland, Tina Cleverton, Caroline Bell, Natalie Wienand, Kirsty Edwards, Rachel Start and Amanda Richardson did some amazing work to pull another SR48,000 in ticket sales from the guests on the evening. Gary Richardson, Phil Pannel, Hugh Crouch & Ian Crawford joined with Luke and Andrew to make the evening work and as a few of Roger Harrison’s photographs show even the rain couldn’t wash out the enthusiasm for a party. ICING was begun a few years ago, as a mechanism for the British community to show they were prepared to give something back to the country that has given many of them a good living. But it seems to be growing beyond the original concept. Many individuals who couldn’t actually make it to the evening donated prizes of goods and services to assist in generating funds. Many of the sponsors who donated so generously and many of the guests who ‘shelled-out’ on the night are from a whole host of countries. At least a dozen different nationalities were sat around the tables in the garden this year. Half a million riyals is an incredible amount for the community to donate in one evening and I offer my sincere apologies to all those who helped achieve it and who I’ve failed to mention in these few paragraphs. We’ll tell you what we do with the money in the next edition of the RGBB News. Andrew Mead
ICING The ICING Summer Fundraiser was only made possible with the help of these organisations, please give them your support
RGBB News 29
COMMUNITY NEWS Change of Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Sir Tom Phillips KCMG has been appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in succession to Sir William Patey KCMG who has transferred to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Sir Tom will take up his appointment during September 2010. Sir Tom joined the FCO in 1983 having previously worked for the Department of Health and Social Security. His first overseas posting was as First Secretary in the British High Commission in Harare, and he returned to Africa as High Commissioner in Uganda in 2000. He has served as Ambassador to Israel since 2006 and was previously the Director responsible for Afghanistan and South Asia at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. After a posting to the British Embassy in Washington in the mid-1990s, he returned to London in 1997 to head the Foreign Office’s Eastern Adriatic Department including through the period of the Kosovo crisis. On his appointment as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Sir Tom said “I am delighted and honoured to be given this opportunity to serve in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a country with which the UK shares extensive and close interests, and which plays a pivotal role both in the region and internationally.” CURRICULUM VITAE Full name: Married to:
Tom Richard Vaughan Phillips Anne de la Motte Phillips
2006 – present Tel Aviv, Her Majesty’s Ambassador 2002 - 2006
FCO, Director, South Asia and UK Special Representative on Afghanistan
2000 – 2002
Uganda, British High Commissioner
2000
London and Nairobi, Secondment to SmithKline Beecham
1997 – 1999
FCO, Head, Eastern Adriatic Department
1993 – 1997
Washington, Counsellor External Affairs and Joint Intelligence Committee Representative
1990 – 1993
Tel Aviv, Deputy Head of Mission and Consul General
1988 – 1990
FCO, Deputy Head, Personnel Policy Department
1985-1988
First Secretary, British High Commission, Harare
1983-1985
FCO, Energy, Science and Space Department
1977-1983
Department of Health and Social Security, London
SuDoku Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9. Answer on page 44
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Al Alamiya for Cooperative Insurance officially launch the company
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l Alamiya for Cooperative Insurance Company (Al Alamiya), a Saudi Public Joint Stock Company, held an official launch party at the British Embassy’s premises on 16th May 2010 and was attended by Sheikh Ali Hussain Ali Reza (Chairman, Al Alamiya), Mark Cooper (Managing Director, Al Alamiya), Jon Hancock (CEO, RSA Asia & Middle East), Paul Holmes (CEO, RSA Middle East), senior Embassy officials and Al Alamiya’s top clients, brokers and partners including Riyad Bank. The party was held to mark Al Alamiya’s recent listing on the Tadawul that formally recognises Al Alamiya within the Saudi insurance market. Although this is a new chapter for Al Alamiya, the company has over 30 years experience in providing insurance solutions to its clients in Saudi Arabia. This longevity, coupled with the International strength and knowledge harnessed through the RSA Group has enabled Al Alamiya to bring underwriting and claims expertise to its customers and partners. The Company’s founding shareholders include Royal & SunAlliance Insurance Middle East Ltd., three prominent Saudi families and Riyad Bank.
Al Alamiya successfully completed its Initial Public Offering (IPO), which took place from 3rd October through to 9th October. Al Alamiya floated 30% of its stock to the public, corresponding to SAR 60,000,000 capital. The IPO was oversubscribed 7 times, attracting 851,103 subscribers corresponding to SAR 449,217,000 capital. Post IPO, Al Alamiya received full Insurance Licence from SAMA on 27th December 2009. This follows on from Al Alamiya’s listing on the Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange, Tadawul on the 8th December. Mark Cooper, Managing Director for Al Alamiya, said, “I am delighted to launch what marks the next chapter for Al Alamiya’s exciting journey in Saudi Arabian market. We are business ready and we are here to provide solutions and propositions to the people of Saudi Arabia. I am confident that, with our local knowledge stretching over 30 years coupled with our international expertise, we are set to deliver brilliant service to the Saudi market. On behalf of Al Alamiya I extend my deep thanks and sincere appreciation to all.”
THANK YOU RGBB
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he British International School Riyadh would like to say a big thank you to the RGBB for their sponsorship towards their participation in the British Schools of the Middle East (BSME) Primary Games Cairo 10th-14th March 2010. A party of 25 students and 5 staff flew to Cairo to take part in the BSME Primary Games at the Modern English School Cairo, Egypt. Ten of the larger primary schools in the Middle East sent teams of boys and girls from years 5 RGBB News 34
and 6 for three days of intense competition in swimming, athletics, netball, football and basketball. It was a fantastic experience for all the BISR students and everyone competed hard in this prestigious international event. It was the sixth time BISR had entered and those eligible cannot wait for next year. Once again thanks to the RGBB for their contribution. Nick Morgan
& International Concert Committee
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um 3’s whirlwind return to the Kingdom 22-24th March saw them first in Riyadh for Wadi Nights and at the British International School, then took them across the desert to Al Khobar for ICC as the United Kingdom music industry’s contribution for BTO’s Saudi British Business Week.
British though they are, Zum 3, Adam Summerhayes – violin, Eddie Hession –accordion and Chris Grist – cello served up a potent mix of gypsy tango music, more redolent of the back streets of Bucharest or Buenos Aires than of anywhere in the UK. Their vibrant music and skilful artistry were enthusiastically received by the audience. Earlier, Eddie’s accordion playing brought pzazz to BTO’s Saudi British Business Week’s Garden Fete. bmi once again served the cultural community here by sponsoring Zum 3’s flights, continuing their now considerable help in bringing in visiting British artists. Last November bmi had brought in Cantabile for ICC. Cantabile’s silken voices and sense of fun charmed and delighted everyone. In keeping with its internationalism ICC in its 24th season additionally has already and will be welcoming to Al Khobar Royal String Quartet and concert pianist, Przemysław Witek from Poland, Compassionatto Ensemble from Portugal and Trio Bamberg from Germany, as well as providing a stage for all the Eastern Province’s Local Artists.
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wain Raw-Rees, RGBB Chairman, was interviewed about his hobby for the March 2010 edition of the Yemeni Forces magazine Maglet Al Jaish. • You have visited Yemen before – how long did you stay in Yemen? Which cities and parts of the country did you visit? I first visited Yemen on business in 1991 and I have continued to visit the country on average once every year since then. Whilst during the first few years I visited on business since about 1995 almost all of my visits have been as a tourist. During these visits I have had the good fortune to see a lot of Yemen from Hajjar in the north to Marib, to Al Qatn, Seiyun and Tarim in the Hadhramaut, Mukalla, Shihr, Ghail Bawazir and Aden on the southern coast, to Lahej and Taiz, Mocha, Ibb, Jibla, Dahmar to Sana’a and to Hodeidah, Salif and the island of Kamaran. My wife and two daughters have on occasion accompanied me and over the millennium we spent a week travelling around the country. During my recent visits I am usually accompanied by one or two friends and I do my best to introduce them to the country. • Did you find Yemen as you imagine before you visited? How was your view previously? Although I had read of Yemen and knew that the country had long been referred to as Arabia Felix or Happy Arabia I did not know what to expect other than I was sure that its long and rich history would interest me. My first visit fulfilled my expectations and I was determined to come again and as I have now been working in the Middle East for twenty years I have been very fortunate in having the ability to visit on a regular basis. • After you have visited and stayed in Yemen how did you fid its atmosphere, environment and tourist landscapes? What service was unsuitable for you in Yemen? How did you find the Yemeni people? What is your impression about Yemen? What is the thing that caught your attention? What are the best and worst things that you found in Yemen? For a visitor with an open mind and open heart the overwhelming impression of the Yemeni nation is one of hospitality. As with most nations there are problems but the welcome I have received during my many visits has been ever present and consistent. All over the country people, no matter their circumstances, have been friendly and welcoming. Both as a business visitor and as tourist people are always ready to help and offer assistance. With its wealth of history and beautiful and imposing landscapes Yemen has great potential for tourists with an enquiring mind and a taste for adventure. It is unfortunate that security concerns have badly affected the flow of tourists as tourism has a great economic potential for the country. From my recent visits Yemen obviously has a number of concerns – a growing population and the attendant need for economic development, security issues manifested by secessionists in the south, fighting in the north and the matter of terrorism. Of course economic and security issues are not unique to Yemen but are worldwide concerns. RGBB News 38
• What are the researches that you did during your visit in Yemen? What were the obstacles that faced you in this research? Could you please tell us about your research? How did you pick out? What about the conclusion that you reached from the research? Many years ago when I joined the British army as a young Second Lieutenant in an infantry regiment in 1978, my father gave me a British military medal which had been awarded to one of my relatives for service during the First World War. From then onwards, and encouraged by my interest in history, I started to collect orders, decorations and medals. I left the army in 1984 as a Lieutenant and then briefly served with the reserves as a Captain. On leaving the army I entered the world of insurance working in London and when I came to the Middle East in 1989 it was a logical step to take to focus on the awards of the Arab world. Over the past twenty years I have built up a large collection of Arab awards and have spent many hours researching and writing on these awards. The research is as important if not more important that the awards themselves for without the knowledge of the historical context of an award the medal is but piece of metal without any real meaning. In building up a collection I have used many sources – antique shops, auctions, dealers, fellow collectors, the internet and of course travelling. Here in Yemen I have been able to acquire medals in the souks of Aden, Sana’a, Seiyun, Taiz. I have also had success in Aleppo, Amman, Cairo, Damascus, Jeddah, Khartoum, Muscat, Riyadh, Sharjah and Tehran. Yemen has a wealth of medallic history. Imam Ahmed in his last years had an order designed by Fahmy Tewfic Bichay of Cairo (the Bichay company made awards for both the Kingdom and Republic of Egypt) – this un-named order was never formally instituted although I believe one example was made. Kingdom Order No1 After the 1962 Revolution the early awards of the Yemen Arab Republic were also made by Bichay – the Orders of Saba’a and Marib and the decorations of Bravery and Liberation. In the early 1970’s a new series of awards replaced this series – the Orders of the Republic, Marib, Seventy and Justice with decorations for Bravery, Duty, Honour and Service – these were manufactured by Skinner and Company of London. Other orders instituted were for Agriculture, Art and Literature, Co-operation, Industry and for Merit. Also issued were medals to commemorate the 20th and 25th anniversaries of the Revolution. In the south some of the historical sultanates had instituted their own awards – in about 1910 the Abdali Sultan of Lahej instituted the Order of the Morning Star and in 1948 the Qu’aiti Sultan instituted Orders of Distinction and Merit. In the early 1960’s the Kathiri Sultanate considered creating its own order but this was never formally instituted. In 1964
MEMBERS HOBBIES the briefly lived Federation of South Arabia instituted Order of the South Arabia and medals for Gallantry, Military Service and a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. With the departure, from the south, of the British in 1967, all of the local awards became obsolete and the socialist regime instated its own series of awards with the primary awards being the Orders of the Revolution (14 October), Bravery, Corrective Movement (22 June), Independence (30 November), Devotion, The Earth, Friendship of FSA Bravery Peoples and the Hero of Yemen Star. These awards were manufactured in Moscow, Berlin and Budapest. With the unification of Yemen all awards became obsolete and a new series of awards were instituted to serve the newly unified nation – the Republic of Yemen. These were formally instituted by Republican Resolution for Act No. 41 of 1991 in respect of Orders & Medals. In order of seniority the awards of the nation are as follows: Order of the Republic; Order of 22nd May (to commemorate unification); Order of 26th September (1962 Revolution); Order of the 14th October (1964 Revolution) and the Order of 30th November (1967 Independence). In addition there are various civilian and military awards. As can be seen from this very brief resume there is a very complex history to the current Yemeni system of honours and awards. All of the awards I have mentioned recognise the service, either civil or military, to the nation that has become the Republic of Yemen. The study of these awards provides a great historical insight into the development of the unified nation over the past hundred years.
Order of the Republic various historical parts of the Arab world – the Kingdom of the Hijaz, the Kingdom of Iraq, the Kingdom of Egypt and the Sultanate of Oman from the time of Sultan Taimour – the grandfather of the Sultan Qaboos. Research on more modern awards include the awards of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – the latter is particularly complex including awards relating to individual emirates – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras Al Khaima and Umm Al Qwain. With regard to the awards of Yemen I am currently working on a draft for the awards of the Yemen Arab Republic and also the now unified Republic of Yemen.
Draft OMSA PDRY Order of Bravery
• Do you have other studies and researched in the future. In which field are they and why? In general my interest in medals covers the awards of the Arab world but I have researched further afield into other Muslim awards and a particular interest I have concerns the awards of Imam Shamil of Chechnya and Daghestan from the 1840’s and 1850’s – these awards represent the one of the first formal system of honours of the Muslim world and I hope to have a book published on these awards in the near future. Over the past few years I have had the good fortune to have published many articles on the awards of the Arab world in the journals of both the British and American medal collecting societies. These articles include Lahej Star research on the awards of
In general the main obstacle that I face is the lack of published sources on the awards of the Arab world and usually I try and get copies of the laws instituting awards but at times even this is difficult. Of course I would like to expand my collection to include examples of all of the awards of Yemen but this is an impractical hope as many are only awarded to very distinguished individuals such as Heads of State, Ministers and senior military and civil personnel – pictures will have to suffice. I have though been fortunate to meet with Staff Colonel Sharaf Ghaleb Luqman the Director of the Military Museum in Sana’a who along with Lt. Ali Mohammed Al Taefi have helped me in my research. • Do you plan to visit Yemen again? I always look forward to visiting Yemen again and meeting up with old and new friends and I hope next to visit in early 2010. By this time I hope to have completed my draft on the awards of the Yemen Arab Republic and made progress in my research on the awards of the Republic of Yemen. RGBB News 39
E
very newspaper, every magazine, every TV station in the UK is full of the football and to be honest full of critisisms for the England players and management. But we don’t want to go there... In the same month that ‘our boys’ crashed out we actually had some glorious sporting moments. Consider the cricket for example: Jonathan Trott hit a perfectly paced 118 as England Lions beat West Indies A by five wickets to ensure a winning start to the triangular series. The 29-year-old’s second oneday hundred this season, which spanned 130 deliveries and included 14 fours, was the mainstay of a successful chase which saw the Lions reach their target of 280 with eight balls remaining. And in the NatWest Series at Old Trafford England wrapped up victory over the Australians by a single wicket making it 3-0 overall with two one-day internationals still to play. “There aren’t many sides that go 3-0 up against Australia, so I think we should take a huge amount of confidence from the way we’ve played,” said Captain Andrew Strauss. England play five NatWest Series One Day Internationals against Australia in June and July 2010 - then three against Bangladesh in July; and two more against Pakistan at the end of the season in September. And what about the F1? Although Sebastien Vettel took the high spot on the podium in Spain, Lewis was second and Jenson third.
finished in front of me, albeit just in front of me, but he has finished in front of me. said Jenson. “I want to win the grand prix. I’m sure Lewis does. He won’t feel any different to me, so we are going to go out there and have some fun and hopefully one of us will win it.” “I’m sure Jenson does want to win” said Hamilton, ”but it doesn’t mean he wants it more than me, so we’ll have to wait and see. Although I’ve won the grand prix before (in 2008), I’d love to win again” And what about the tennis? As I write, Andy Murray is still in with a shot at Wimbledon, not a single other Brit mind you, but on the day the Queen paid her first visit to the home of Tennis for 33 years, Murray put on an impressive 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Finland’s Jarko Niemen with 18 aces and multiple flashes of pure genius. And it’s not just the mainstream stuff. Have you heard of Martyn Rooney? 23 year old Rooney, at 6ft 6ins the only world-class sprinter taller than Usain Bolt burst onto the scene when he finished 6th in the 2008 Olympics. Born in Croydon, South London to Irish parents, Liam and Marie, Rooney began life as a cross country and middledistance runner while attending John Fisher School in Purley. Rooney cruised to a convincing victory over 400m at the Aviva European Trials and UK Championships in June to book his place on the British team bound for Barcelona, where he will start as one of the favourites for gold. His impressive time of 44.99 seconds equalled his own season’s best while he remains the joint-fastest athlete over one lap in the continent, alongside Belgium’s Jonathan Borlee. There will be high expectations for Rooney to deliver the goods for his country in July and claim his first major international medal but he insists he’s not daunted by any pressure.
Next up, of course is the British Grand Prix on July 11 and both lads are up-for-it.
“It goes with the territory,” said Rooney, “If you’re number one in Britain you should want to go on and be top in Europe and the world - and I’ve got to keep pushing on to next year’s World Championships and of course London 2012. I’d like to finish this year as European champion and at least be ranked in the top three in the world, so I still need to run faster.”
“I’m a British fan, but I don’t just want a British winner. I want to win myself. I’ve a lot of competition with Lewis because he’s very quick, and in the last few races he has
Barcelona is hosting the European Athletics Championships which start with an opening ceremony on the 26th July. The Men’s 400m is scheduled for 7pm on the 28th.
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UK GOSSIP Turning away from Sport for a moment, the UK press are already asking if the new coalition government will break the record for the shortest-lived honeymoon period in history. With the recent budget, VAT increase, job losses, reduction in manufacturing figures, increased unemployment, pension and retirement changes etc., the message that “we all have to tighten our belts” is not going down too well in some quarters. No doubt the wealthy will carry on business as usual and the banking industry has already warned about too much financial regulation. The coalition has already suffered its first embarrassment over expenses with the revelation that Chief Treasury Secretary David Laws wrongfully claimed MP’s expenses to rent rooms in homes owned by his male partner... so what will come next? But let’s not go there either... ‘stay positive’ is the current message, so what else is in the news? Great tits cope well with warming was the headline for one BBC item recently. Researchers have apparently discovered that great tits in Britain are laying eggs earlier in the spring than they used to, keeping step with the earlier emergence of caterpillars. Great tits can have eight or nine babies in a brood, and each of them will eat about 70 caterpillars a day and since the caterpillar’s appearance is triggered by ambient temperature the ability of the tits to cope with climate change is vital say the experts. Their movement to an earlier breeding time does not involve an evolutionary change, the scientists believe - it is simply that individual birds are able to change their behaviour, in the same way that they have presumably adapted to warmer or cooler phases before the era of human-induced global warming. Good news for heron addicts was another headline that caught my eye. In June a pair of purple herons has successfully bred in the UK for the first time. These beautiful birds breed normally in southern Europe and visit Britain in small numbers each year, but the pair which have set up home on the Dungeness peninsula appear to have managed a UK first by hatching eggs here, Experts said the species, which has struggled in Europe in recent decades, is one of the species likely to be setting up home in southern Britain as climate change pushes wildlife further north.
In other Climate Change news, the UK reached a milestone earlier this year by completing the installation of 1 gigawatt of offshore wind farms- enough to power 700,000 homes. Maria McCaffery, Chief Executive of Renewables UK said hitting the 1GW mark was a tremendous step forward, The UK offshore wind industry has come of age. The UK now has 11 offshore wind farms, with a total of 336 installed turbines. A further 4GW of offshore wind farms are being constructed or have planning consent and a total of 40GW are at various stages of development.” As we go to press, Victoria Beckham was in the news along side the words ‘environmentally friendly’ so what was that all about? In case you missed it, Range Rover have celebrated their 40th birthday with the launch of the ‘Evoque’ a smaller and greener Range Rover designed to attract younger drivers and be on the market by 2011. Ms Beckham’s role will be to assist in the interior designs apparently so watch this space So what to round up with? Happy Phew Year was the headline in the Sun back in December, so how’s it actually going. After a couple of weeks in the UK, I have to say that it’s been pretty marvellous really and with more sun to come the BBQ has been dragged out of hibernation. Last year, the Met Office was much-vilified for predicting a “BBQ summer” when in fact it was a wash-out. Temperatures had expected to be around, or above, 30°c, and heatwave advice was issued, however rainfall was higher than average over the summer, particularly in August, and the Met Office was forced to revise its forecast. Jonathan Powell, Senior Forecaster at Positive Weather Solutions (PWS), told the Daily Mail: “There will be stifling temperatures, making it possibly the warmest UK summer on record and placing it at least in the top three warmest summers recorded.” As always though, the experts can’t quite agree on what comes next. Weather Outlook says the best is already over with July looking like a ‘mixed’ month! But heh, this wouldn’t be Britain if we knew what was coming. Enjoy your summer break wherever you happen to take it... Ed RGBB News 41
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The recent membership survey generated an encouraging response from many readers who said they’d write in to a letters section if one was introduced. If you’d like to comment or let us have your ‘news’ please address your letters c/o The RGBB Secretary at the British Embassy P.O.Box 94351, Riyadh 11693 or email rgbbnews@rgbb.org Survey Prize Winner Dear Ed Just a brief line to let you know that the winner of the Sony Cybershot digital camera offered for those completeting the Communications Survey was Peter Dadzis. JB Dear JB Thanks for letting us know... Peter - How about letting us have a picture or two for the next magazine?... Ed. In Case of Emergency, dial ‘ICE’ Dear Ed Wonder if you’d consider including the following article - it seems like a good idea NQ We all carry our mobile phones with names and numbers stored in the memory. If we were to be involved in an accident or taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but would not know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored, but which one is the one to contact in an emergency? Hence the ‘ICE’ (In Case of Emergency) Campaign. As mobile phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is to store the number of the person or persons who should be contacted during an emergency under the name ‘ICE’, and for more than one contact name you can use, ICE1,
ICE2, ICE3 etc., and if you want them to appear first in your address book, insert ‘AA’ at the front. It’s as simple as that. The concept of ‘ICE’ was introduced in 2005 by British Paramedic, Bob Brotchie, who when interviewed for the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme said: “I was reflecting on some difficult calls I’ve attended, where people were unable to speak to me through injury or illness and we were unable to find out who they were. I discovered that many people, obviously, carry mobile phones and we were using them to discover who they were. It occurred to me that if we had a uniform approach to searching inside a mobile phone for an emergency contact then that would make it easier for everyone”. ‘ICE’ is spreading in popularity not only in the UK, but in Europe, America and Australia. So don’t put it off, decide who your ICE Contact is and make them in your phone now! Dear NQ Yep a very good idea. We ran a piece introducing the concept in the Summer 2005 magazine and I already have ICE numbers on my phone for each of the countries I’m regularly visiting .Ed RAes Website now online Dear Ed Please advise the members that the website for the Riyadh Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society is now live The URL is www.raes-riyadh.com PD Run Together Riyadh Dear Ed A brief line to let you know that 300 plus volunteers will be having a ‘fun-run’ to raise money for Cancer Research UK on 26th November. Participants and sponsors should contact Nicola Quick or Gary Richardson for more information.
Welcome to new members
Charles Ashton ................EADS Defence & Security Systems Tristan Attenborough .......JP Morgan Michael Bladon ................EADS Defence & Security Systems Kevan Buckley.................Rolls Royce International Ltd Adrian Chadwick .............British Council Peter Coleman ................Etesal Communications Company Ltd Stephen Darling...............Fawaz Al Hokair Moustapha Daureeawoo .Al Rajhi Bank David Dew .......................SABB Alan Edwards ..................Al Hayat Printing & Packaging Adam Elliott .....................GPT SPM Ltd Andrew Francis ...............National Shipping Co. of Saudi Arabia Jonathan Franklin ............Olayan Financing Company Mehryar Ghazali ..............Ernst & Young Andy Green .....................BAE Systems Alan Grieve......................SABB Charlotte Hanbury ...........British International School Linda Hay ........................British International School Bernie Hewitt ...................GPT SPM LTD Nick Jackson ...................EADS Defence & Security Systems Dean Jones .....................GPT SPM LTD Mike Joseph ....................GPT SPM LTD Jonathan Kempton ..........Veolia Water Saudi Sunila Lobo .....................King Saud University
Colin Mann ......................GPT SPM LTD Williams Marcus ..............BAE Systems Neal McLernon ................GPT SPM LTD Morgan Mead ..................Fawaz Al Hokair Jonathan Mortell ..............Riyad Bank Paul Osgerby...................GPT SPM LTD Chris Paris .......................MoDSAP Alex Paterson ..................Suretrak John Philip .......................Etesal Communications Company Ltd Oliver Plunkett .................Buro Happold Brian Priestley .................Almarai Christopher Rees ............Herbert Smith AlGhazzawi Assoc. Cherry Renshaw..............Electro Saudi Services Ltd Ben Richards ..................BMM SANG Charles Roura .................BAE Systems Glenn Scanlon .................GPT SPM LTD Clark Shaun.....................EADS Defence & Security Systems Ian Smallwood .................BAE Systems Andrew Smith ..................SABB Andrew Wiggins ..............BAE Systems John Williams .................BAE Systems Tony Wilson ....................Fawaz Al Hokair Torofdar Yusuf .................Dispatch Technology Ltd Arif Zubairi .......................Nokia Siemens Networks
RGBB News 43
AND FINALLY
Where are they now?
So what was all the fuss about?
Caught on camera... a selection of previous RGBB members on board a craft travelling from Dubai Marina to the Creek via a few famous local landmarks. The get-together was organised earlier this year as former chairman Mick Brown passed through on the way to his ‘retirement’. The Shaws who now live in Abu Dhabi (though I believe Martin spends part of his time in Angola) joined the other Dubai residents for the day.
It had to happen, the England Football team are no sooner on the plane home and the inbox is swamped with footie jokes. Most of you have probably heard them all by now, or possibly versions we can’t print, but just in case… here’s few that raised a smile:
Left to Right: Martin Shaw, Maureen Shaw, Bridget Penrose-Lyall, Mal Brown, Graham Turner, Hazel Turner, Mick Brown, Peter Lyall.
SuDoku
Answer on to puzzle on page 33
Did you hear that David Blaine is gutted that the record he got for doing nothing in a box for 42 days has just been beaten by Wayne Rooney? Q. Whats the difference between Cinderella and the England football team? A. Cinderella wanted to get to the ball… Q. What’s the difference between Rob Green’s spill and BP’s spill? A. Robert Green has got a cap for his. “I understand you’re a member of the England football team,” said FIFA president Joe Blatter. “What position do you play?” “I’m not sure,’ answered Terry, ‘but I think I heard Mr C say that I was the team’s main drawback.’ Quote “I can’t believe we only managed a draw against such an awful team we should easily have beaten ... I’m ashamed to call myself Algerian” Fabio Capello was wheeling his shopping trolley across the supermarket car park when he noticed an old lady struggling with her bags of shopping. He stopped and asked, “Can you manage dear?” To which the old lady replied, “No way sunshine, you got yourself into this awful mess, don’t ask me to sort it out...” Here’s a joke that didn’t raise a smile… The combined salaries of the 23 man squad that went to Africa is over 90 million pounds a year!
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