Kempton Park Racecourse – 29 July 2017

In a moment of madness at the 6 GRRA Committee meeting in September 2016, I volunteered to run the 6 GR 200th Anniversary celebrations in the UK. Having attended a number of large 6 GR gatherings before and seen the efficient way that Major Khusiman Gurung organised the All Ranks Reunion in Farnborough, I thought, “It can’t be that difficult.”
I started getting concerned when I was drawn in to sort out the commemorative badges (sourcing ribbons, cutting to size, attaching the badge and putting them in boxes) followed shortly afterwards by sorting out the collection and distribution of the Commemorative Brochures, which, by the way remains “work in progress.” This was all before a Warning Order had been issued about the 200th Anniversary celebrations in Kempton Park. My dilemma was putting out an instruction too early and getting members confused about the Nepal event with the UK one. I decided to delay issuing instructions until after the three-day event in Pokhara.

Having organised the move of an Armoured Brigade out of Iraq by air and sea, I thought Kempton Park wasn’t going to that difficult! When I got to Pokhara for the 200th Anniversary celebrations there, my blood pressure started to rise. The programme that Major Gopal Gurung and his team had produced was absolutely amazing. The detailed planning and organisation that had gone in to it was obvious even before you arrived at the main gate of British Gurkhas Pokhara.
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