Club Journal June 2024
The magazine for all CIU members
Union mourns as President George Smith passes away
Union President George Smith passed away in May
It is with great sadness that the Union announces that President George Smith passed away in May. George, who was born in Sunderland and was a former shipyard worker on both the rivers Wear and Tees, first became part of the CIU in 1965 when he joined the South Hylton WMC on the outskirts of Sunderland. He was also a member of the Pennywell Comrades WMC where his father was one of the founder members. In January 1977, George joined Billingham Trade Union Social Club on Teesside, having moved to the area to work at the Haverton Hill shipyard on the Tees. In 1979, he was elected to the club committee, in 1991 he was elected as Chairman and in 1994 he became Secretary of the club.
George was elected to the Durham Branch in 2003 and was elected to the position of Branch Secretary in April 2014. George subsequently served on the NEC for many years before being elected as Union President in December 2019 and won his third successive Presidential election in December 2023. Union General Secretary Kenneth D Green CMD ACM said: “It was a pleasure and a privilege to work alongside George for many years at the national level. “He was utterly committed to the club movement and was hugely respected across Durham Branch and throughout clubland. “I’m sure I speak for the whole Union when I say that George will be very much missed as a friend and colleague.”
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Club of the Month: The Oatlands, Harrogate
June’s ‘Club of the Month’ is The Oatlands in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Founded in 1899 as Oatland Mount Working Men’s Club, the venue will be celebrating its 125th Anniversary this November with a special weekend of live comedy and music. The community-centred club is positively thriving at the moment with a year-round programme of exciting events and activities and has invested significantly in modernising its facilities to attract new members through its doors. l See pages 12-15 for the full article
Inside... Editor’s Letter . . . . . . . . . 2 Club News . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 HQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Crossword . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Sport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30