To the Dickens fellowship
Karla Boschma
9
It was Christmas Eve 1962 was when I first started to read Donrbey and Son, fell in
love with many of the characters, and started a life long love affair with the works of
Charles Dickens. 1 was 7 years old...
In the years that followed 1 read and reread most of the novels, understanding them
better as 1 grew older ofcourse, and Dickens remained, and remains, my favourite
author.
1 had heard about the Dickens Fellowship and the Haarlem Branch, but never ever
considered joining. This was not because, like Groucho Marx once said "1 wouldn't
join a club that would have me as a me member", but because from what 1 read
about it it was quite a grand affair, with famous people, so why would they want ME
to join?
It must have been around 1978 or 79 that 1 first visited the Dickens House Museum
in Doughty Street, enjoying it very much, and staying for quite a while. When 1 was
buying some cards, bookmarks and stuff like that, an elderly lady asked me where 1
was from, mentioned the Haarlem branch and told me I should join. I gave her my
reasons for not doing so. She ordered me to join. Did 1 tell you she was quite a
forcefull old lady? 1 refused, but she wouldn't take no for an answer, and I didn't get
to leave before 1 gave my name and adress.
Escaping, 1 figured that that was the last I'd ever hear about it..
1 couldn't have been more wrong! Within weeks 1 received an invitation, followed
by a frantic phonecall from mr Keene, the then secretary, who was quite clearly
under strict orders from London that 1 was not to escape...
When I duly arrived at the Rusthoek, he imediately seated me safely between Nel
Wiener and his wife (who gave me quite a jolt by declaring that she didn't like
Dickens, but well, she was married to this guy...it took me some time to realise she
meant mr Keene), and kept asking me every half hour if 1 was enjoying myself.
I was. Immensly. So much so that not only I have been coming here ever since, but
dragged some of my family over too! My little nephew over there wasn't even born
when he first attended...
In those three decades 1 have enjoyed listening to many interesting speeches, from
very learned to the most wonderfull Chinese metaphysics, met a lot of lovely people,
made some wonderfull enemies (mr Klok has fled to Lisbon for the occasion), but
most of all, enjoyed that most congenial, warm, welcoming atmosphere of the
Fellowship, so often reminiscent of the atmosphere of the novels we all so greatly
admire.
So mr Keene was absolutely right, when he assured me: "my dear, we are not as bad
as we seem"
So it is with many thanks to that elderly lady in London, that I have the honor of
asking you all to raise our glasses once more to that wonderfull institution, may it go
on forever: the Dickens Fellowship!
