RAF Veterans of Oman

I was going to entitle it 'Ties, Menus and Gizzits' but decided on what it was, the 11th annual reunion of the RAF Masirah and RAF Salalah Veterans Association - RAF Oman Veterans for short.
It's been so long since I wore a tie that I had to have a few goes at doing a full Windsor! I used to wear a tie every day at work but since retiring it's been Weddings, Funerals, Christenings and special going out do's, plus the Remembrance parade of course but that hasn't happened for the past 2 years.
The menu card includes the order of speeches, kept very brief, toasts and the gala dinner menu.
'Gizzits' is a very military term and I believe it originated on overseas tours. As people were leaving to be stationed back in the UK people would vie for the Gizzits which could vary from a piece of furniture (spare beside locker for example) to girly pin up posters!
The gizzits in this case turned out to be either, depending on which station you were at, RAF Masirah or RAF Salalah crested cufflinks, tie clip and keyring. Very good quality and a useful gift.
The Turtle, on the Masirah crest, signifies the importance of the Island of Masirah to turtle conservation, it is a major breeding area of four different turtle species, including the rare Olive Ridley Turtle.
On the crest of RAF Masirah is the motto;
Al I'timad A'la al Nafs, which roughly translates to 'Self Reliance' reflecting the remoteness of this desert island staging post on which I served from July 1968 to October 1969.
http://raf-masirah.weebly.com