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Visit by
IPA Sussex
to
Waldshut-Tiengen
and the
60th anniversary
celebrations
of the
Constance IPA
on the
Island of Mainau.
Dave Stamp
, chair, Sussex Branch
The Black Forest town of Waldshut-Tiengen is in the south-west corner of Germany on the Rhine which
separates it from Switzerland. The town has had a long association with the county town of Lewes with which
it is twinned. During the Crusades Waldshut-Tiengen was a traditional meeting point for the armies involved.
Sussex IPA has had a long association with their IPA friends in the Black Forest since they first visited Sussex
as a group in 1996 and the groups have met up, on average every two years. In 2013 Sussex members joined
Waldshut-Tiengen members to celebrate their 30th anniversary.
S
uch is the close relationship between the groups that in 2001
the then Major of Lewes, Maureen Messer invited the Waldshut-
Tiengen group to a reception to thank them for their financial
contribution to her relief fund following the 2000 flooding of Lewes.
Between the 12th and 15th October 2017 thirteen members of the
Sussex Branch visited their Black Forest friends for a long week-end with
them, which would include the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the
Constance branch on the flower island of Mainau on the western shores of
Lake Constance.
Landing at Zurich on the Thursday we were picked up and taken to a wooden
community hall in Kussaberg-Reckingen where everybody met for lunch
before the group split to go with their respective hosts.
The first day as a group was free until 4:00pm when we met up at
Hochenschwand Naturpark, to see the straw sculptures and pumpkin
displays which is a bi-annual event aimed at encouraging tourism, which is
suffering from the closure of many traditional Sanatoriums in the area.
The Rothaus Brewery is 1000 metres above sea-level and, thanks to the
rigorous German Purity Laws, produces the finest beer in the World! The
party had an informative after- hours tour of the site which was ultra clean
and devoid of any brewery smells at all. This was followed by vast quantities
of beer, cheese and cold meats served in the brewery restaurant. The
tour guide was given the compulsory bannerette and Marcus Schaff of
the Waldshut-Teingen IPA was presented with a bottle of Bolney Winery
Lynchgate Red from Sussex in a decorative bottle holder which was well
received amidst much laughter.
On the second day the group, totalling thirty members, motored down to
the flower island of Mainau to join the 60th anniversary celebration of the
formation of the Constance IPA. One hundred and twenty IPA members were
gathered from Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Bavaria and
other parts of Germany. A coffee and cake welcome preceded a conducted
tour of the island and its incredible gardens was made whilst a Zeppelin
cruised overhead.
The formal evening started at 7:00pm in the Comturey Cellars overlooking
the Lake where the organiser, Michael Reichenbach, addressed the
gathering followed by a welcome from the Baden-Wurttemberg Chairman,
Dieter Barth.
Bettina Countess Bernadotte formally opened the event by welcoming the
assembly to her island and spoke briefly of her charity “Mentor Stiftung
Deutschland”and the conservation work done in conjunction with Tim
Smit of the “Lost Gardens of Heligan” and the nearby “Eden Project”. The
Countess was presented with the compulsory bannerette.
Dave Stamp, the current Sussex Chairman, presented Michael and his
group with an engraved glass plate and the, ever popular “Bobby Helm”.
The helmet was supplied by a retired member as the Sussex Police was
unable to supply a helmet on security grounds. After a sumptuous banquet
and socialising the party left the celebrations soon after 11:00pm whilst
they were still in progress in order to return to Germany and get some sleep.
There was a lot of interest in the UK’s forthcoming 70th anniversary event
scheduled for 2020. I only hope we can meet the standards set by our Swiss
and German friends.
The final day was spent on the Swiss side of the Rhine at the Rheinfalls
before the return to Zurich Airport and Gatwick. The weather was good to
us, the early morning mist soon burning off to reveal bright Sun and intense
blue skies.
The trip was subsidised by the Sussex Branch, was well supported and a
great success. The true ideals of international friendship shone through and
thanks to all in both countries for their efforts.
See you all in two years time.
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Article
POLICE WORLD
Vol 63 No. 1, 2018