A very special day with Wal Edwards turning 100 years of age and 75 members and guests there to celebrate with him and his wife Joan. He was also joined by his son and family friends.

Nigel Burton was in the kitchen and John Rourke on canapés. We had the entire space of the Royal Exchange Club which worked particularly well.

Wal Edwards. What a guy. Looking dapper as always in his suit in our 30 degrees room currently without air conditioning he looked cool as a cucumber. He was presented by our President with the Society’s first 100th birthday plaque and gave a moving, sometimes emotional and sometimes amusing birthday talk. I won’t call it a speech.

Without notes Wal recited the Ode of Remembrance with those moving final words “at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them”.

Of course we had a “cake” with 100 candles which Wal extinguished in a few seconds.

Canapés. John provided three canapés starting with a beetroot and fetta mix on crostini and finished with coriander. Then came ocean trout rillette with ginger on very fancy filo pastry pieces. The third were mini quiche lorraine, simple, tasty and authentic. An excellent start to feed the what was a crowd just shy of a military company.

Aperitif wine. Much celebratory Champagne was consumed including Gosset, Camille Savès and Aubert Et Fils. This was supplemented by some aged single bottles of Tyrrells and Lindemans Hunter whites.

Entrée. Given the special occasion Nigel served cup-sized portions of French onion soup topped with a crouton and cheese. With this we much enjoyed the wonderful Lustau Manzanilla Sherry.

Main course. Nigel’s meal had a theme of food Wal would have enjoyed (or more likely survived on) during his war years in the 1940s. The main was beef Bourgogne with “authentic” tinned/bottled mushrooms and onions for the experience. The beef was wonderfully slow cooked, moist and most likely to be of somewhat higher quality than Wal was served in the war years. The sauce was made using carrot puree and a good parsley content. This was served with mashed potato and mushy peas.

The wines (main and cheese).

• Tyrrells 4 Acres Shiraz 2006 (screwcap, 12.4%)
• Glaetzer Bishop Shiraz 2006 (cork, 14.5%)
• Rosemount Mountain Blue Shiraz Cabernet 2002 (cork, 14%)
• Burton McLaren Vale Shiraz 2004 (cork, 14.5%)

The 4 Acres, a terrific Hunter label, was drinking wonderfully. Medium bodied, savoury fruit and a pleasing mouth feel of “just right” alcohol at 12.4%. The Bishop in comparison was, well, weighty and somewhat jammy. The fruit was of high quality and appealed to those who like this larger and sweeter Australian style.

The cheese wines were again a contrast of styles but with more alignment of fruit weight. The Rosemount from Mudgee was a dryer more elegant style whilst the Burton from McLaren was a fuller fruit style and spot-on with its regional style. Not only did Nigel cook but he donated his namesake wine for the luncheon. Thank you, Nigel.

Special treats. The food went on and on and we are even at cheese yet. Peter Manners prepared some 80 mini chocolate cakes complete with an edible photo sticker of Wal on the top. Then Hilton Chapman’s Bundaberg rum balls were served. The size of golf balls and coated in white coconut there may have been a message about one of Wal’s pastimes. Thank you guys.

Cheese and coffee. James Healey went Australian for this lunch with Berry’s Creek Tarwin Blue from Gippsland. A jersey cow’s milk cheese it was, creamy, not crumbly. This was served with walnuts.

Spencer Ferrier provided us with peaberry beans (also called caracol, or "snail" in Spanish) which are smaller and rounder beans with some extra sweetness and body.

Other thanks. So many people made this a special day for Wal, his family and indeed us. Peter Kelso as the convenor was all over the day’s plans. Stuart Stow for all the printing of nostalgic material on the tables. Josef Condrau for the menus again with historical context. Nigel, again, for the wall and table decorations. Paul Thorne for his trumpet rendition. Of course, the President, Keith Steele, for running a smooth lunch in the face of almost 80 people keen on a chat.

Apologies if I have forgotten input from others.

A great day and importantly much enjoyed by Wal.