25th Anniversary : Special Commemorative Issue

Bumper Commemorative Issue to celebrate the company's 25th Anniversary year. Lavishly illustrated with exclusive photos from the various special events staged throughout the year.

Foreword by I. T. manager Debbi :

When I heard that there were no special events planned for this year to mark the significant milestone of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the company by charismatic Irish entrepreneur Eamon Gillespie, I thought that it was a great pity. I therefore suggested that to mark the exact day back in January, it would be a great idea if Eamon could be invited to return from his retirement in Dublin in order to administer a birthday spanking to myself, dressed only in my birthday suit !

This event proved to be a great success and it was subsequently agreed that we would continue with such presentations throughout this anniversary year and the results are commemorated in this lavishly illustrated brochure. We celebrated the folk heritage of this country with events such as the Renaissance fair and the Scarecrow festival but it was particularly satisfying to me to take an active part in highlighting the cultures of the various countries with which we do business. I was a leprechaun for St Patrick's Day to honour the nation of our founder and there was an homage to the Tour de France when I attempted to replicate a time trial, albeit from a stationary cycle !

We celebrated the carnival tradition of Latin America, as well as paying homage to the sumo wrestling of Japan and culminating with the participation of our lovely elephant Rajah in a spectacular Indian style parade. If I was **** to pick out a particular favourite it would be the April Fool enactment of the I.T. Manager's new clothes, based on the famous Hans Christian Anderson story, in which I repeatedly came out to model various fashion designs but was in fact stark naked throughout !

I do hope that you will enjoy this publication and the many splendid photos. Here's to the next 25 years of the company.

Debbi xxx

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"What's all this bullshit ? I didn't write this" Debbi demanded to know as she brandished a specimen copy of the proposed publication in front of Jeff's nose. "Well, no" Jeff admitted. "But Diane thought it would be much better if the foreword seemed to come from you, since you are featured in all the photographs." "But it makes it sound as if it was all my idea to keep showing off all my bits" Debbi protested. "Are you complaining that Diane's letting you take all the credit ?" Jeff countered. "And anyway, you're going to be the centrepiece when we take it and all the other merchandise around the trade fair and Christmas market" he added. "What trade fair ? What market ?" It was the first that Debbi had heard about this, or about other merchandise !