PUDDING CLUB: SEAN CORNER BENEFIT
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH

I know it is early and Christmas coming but I would love it if you sent your cheques in now to make my life easier in organising and there are only 100 seats available and I have 10 sold already.

If all sales are in advance, I can give Sean a cheque on the night. It will be an entertaining evening and tickets would also make a nice Christmas gift.

Please mail your cheques to me at:
131 Colin Avenue
Toronto
M5P 2C4
payable to Nomads Pudding Club.

Remember also that $20 extra gets you a splendid tie.

For those of you unable to come it would be nice if you sent a contribution; tickets are $100 minimum, in other words I hope some of you will send more than necessary. This is a very worth cause and Sean deserves your support and especially so because of the union's insurance let down.

We will definitely make a few dollars for Sean but my main objective is to give him some moral support, show that the rugby community is there behind him and give him an enjoyable day out it in what must be very trying times.

Our last dinner honouring Stan Woodburn and friends was a great success please help make this one more so.

Regards,
John

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Honouring Fletcher's Fields'
Tireless Volunteers
$500 Raised for Junior Rugby!

Stan Woodburn, Roger Best and John Mead
are honoured at the Pudding Club Dinner

Pudding Club on July, 12th, 2006

After the sad loss of so many good rugby friends - Ron Moss, Terry Gardner, Ron Dalley and Dougie Crawford - it really is a pleasure to report on the fun evening that over sixty generous rugby supporters spent at the 4th Pudding Club dinner on Wednesday, July 12th.

A gentlemen's dinner, what used to be called a "smoker", organised by John Zimnoch of the Nomads RFC, to celebrate and recognize the stupendous contribution over the years to rugby by Stan Woodburn, John Mead, Roger Best and Tony Moscrop, who sadly couldn't make an appearance.

Cocktails (beer to you peasants) at the Duke of\ Kent at 6:15pm, then a stroll down Yonge Street to Grano Italian Restaurant, where the early birds rapidly inhaled a case or two of beer, compliments of the patron. That was followed by lashings of a very reasonable plonk and even some food.

The roasting of the honourees was the usual exaggerations and falsifications stretched to Hades and beyond over a very light latticework of truth!

Tommy Dempster speaking of Roger Best complimented him on the invention of everything from the theory of relativity to post-it notes to quantum mechanics. My guess is that he owes Roger an inordinate amount of money!

Rick Powers speaking of Stan Woodburn made reference to Stan's sterling war service: he was polite enough not to mention whether it was the English civil war or the War of the Roses!

John Zimnoch regaled us with stories of John Mead as a rugby playing schoolboy; all stories handed down from generation to generation as of course, as William Caxton hadn't invented the printing press at that time.

After a toast to absent friends we finished off the evening back at the Kent with a digestif or two (more beer) as the evening faded gently into an alcoholic haze.

Your fortified reporter,
Jim Mc Cann

PS - all surplus money raised from the dinner was dontated by the organizer John Zimnoch to the junior programs of the honourees: the Toronto Nomads (Stan Woodburn & Roger Best) and the Toronto Scottish (John Mead and Tony Moscrop).

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John at the Pudding Club Dinner, April 2004

Pudding Club on October 30th, 2005

Gentlemen,

The Pudding Club Dinner is Sunday, 30th October, 2pm at the Rose and Crown.

$55, cheques payable Nomads Pudding Club, to me or Andrew Prior.

Includes:
Food
Wine
Unique 55th Anniversary pin
Unique pudding club tie

Scintillating speakers and some interesting guests.

Function is jacket and tie, and as by tradition is gentlemen only.

Have a great day,

John

PS ties and pins cannot be bought

TARTS v XLs (XLs' 30th my 60th)

The Tarts are playing XLs August 21st, @ Sunnybrook 11.30am. Then big piss up in my back yard: live bluegrass band, boerwors,and daiquiris with umbrellas then lots of beer when rum runs out.

$20 entry money for Argentina tour Nov. 2006.

See you then,
love John

With the Lions in New Zealand

The TARTS (The Toronto Area RugbyTouring Side) were founded in 1987 when The Toronto XLs headed to Auckland for the World Golden Oldies. The games are held every 2 years and alternate between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. At that tournament there were more guest players than XLs and thus Bob Nye of the Crusaders came up with the idea of a Toronto team and the name Tarts.

Nomads have always been a prominent part of the XLs; Freddie Miller is founding member of both the Nomads and XLs. Former Nomad club captain and XL John Zimnoch has been the captain and organiser of the Tarts since day one.

The TARTS in Toulouse

The Tarts first trip to Auckland included Bob Hill, and Glenn Gregg who still tour to this day. Tours since then have been to Toronto 1989, Edinburgh 1990, where the team saw Scotland win the Grand Slam, Vancouver 1997, Cape Town in 1998 (with the infamous Nomad Maxwell McConnell as tour guide). Toulouse in 2001 saw our captain threatened by a knife wielding Frenchman who was disarmed and sent on his way. 2002 saw us at the Calcutta Cup with a game prior against our opposition of 1990: The Aberdeen Strollers.

May 2003 sees the team on tour to Australia playing Walcha in New South Wales, staying at Freddie and Caroly Millers sheep station, visiting old friend John Gallant in Surfers' with a game against the Gold Coast Gorillas including genial Nomad hosts Wombat McCluskey, Bob "Roger Ramjet" Vallender. Then it is on to the Golden Oldies festival week in Brisbane, where we hope to have a 3rd fixture against The Auckland Glamour Old Boys team.

The team will have players coming from England, Gary Leyshon and crew, the suburbs of Toronto, Colin Campbell and his Markham Mob, John Beak from Peterborough, Glenn Gregg - Atlanta, Bob Hill Cayman Islands, the Team is invitation only, unsociable tightwads not allowed.

Contact John Zimnoch at Zimnoch@re-max.com

Pudding Club

The First Nomad Pudding Club Dinner was an unqualified success. It was great to see thirty-one Nomads and our three principal guests Hal Rowan, Bob Nye, and Fletcher's Fields representative John Mead. John was especially informative about his dealings with Rugby Canada and international games at the square; he got a resounding applause for being so protective of the interests of the clubs.

Presentations were made to long time loyal Nomad servants Bob Hill, Ben Kippel and the much loved John Currie who is retiring to Cape Town. Club President Juan Montecinos made the presentations on behalf of the Nomads and organizer John Zimnoch was master of ceremonies. Especially pleasing was the high quality of the food, a surprise to many who were expecting beef or the usual rubber chicken.

A tasty Mulligatawny soup was followed by veal and rosti potatoes and for dessert a splendid bread and butter pudding. After small expenses and guest dinner costs around $1300 was raised to help with the cost of coaches.

All in attendance are sure to be at the return next year a thank you plaque was also presented To Jeff and Scallywags.

In attendance were: Harry MacGregor, Neil Sorbie, Bill Harpur, Kevin Treharne, Kevin Beagle, William Moffat, Roly Andrews, Roger Best, Martin Phillips, Darryl Bellamy, Glen Keogan, Terry Birchall, Rosscoe Heilmann, Stan Woodburn, Sean Brooks, Garth Gottfried, Fred Ball, Bill Brown, Aaron Bryant (thanks Mr. Doorman) Tom Dempster, Andy Bevan, Adam Spencer and Al Perkins.

Thanks to all for their support and well done.

John Zimnoch

Grace was said-
Lord bless us
and keep us all alive,
there's 40 of us for dinner
and enough for 25!