Bumble's Words

	The History of the VH3 Reunions from the pen of Bumble (former editor of Hashings and Scratchings)

	Little did I think way back in June 1987 in Digana, Sri Lanka, when I was packing up my old manual typewriter after producing my last edition of HASHINGS, that 19+ years later, back in dear old Blighty, I would be writing for the new website of the Victoria Hash House Harriers (hereafter known as VH3 or VHHH).

	And yet, thanks to the miracle of modern technology plus the determination of many nostalgic former Victoria Hashers who have never forgotten the delights of living in one of the most beautiful countries on the planet and seeing much of it on foot following paper trails in the tropical heat, herewith a website dedicated to VHHH, past and present.

	Like any website, it can only be as good and accurate as the information available, so if anything has been omitted, please contact Liz Gorringe, its godmother.

	VHHH started life on 12th March 1982, thanks to the efforts of Dave Scivier, John Crosfield & Simon Bailey, the latter of whom was the "our man in Colombo" of Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners (now Jacobs) and had been running with the Colombo HHH. Digana residents were asked to provide accommodation for a number of Colombo hashers & their families, who came up for the inaugural hash weekend.

	Bemused Digana-ites joined in the runs and/or the post-Hash eating and drinking, decided that hashing could be quite fun, and the rest is history, as they say. However, that history needs a little more elaboration.

	At first the runs were infrequent, and exactly that: runs. However, because the very essence of Digana (forget that ever-growing lump of concrete down the road, and a further lump downstream) was families, it gradually became apparent that the Victoria Hash should become a family activity. So, "Lemonade" runs as well as the "beer" runs, and slightly toned-down language became the norm, and harriettes and horrors almost as much in evidence as harriers.

	Occasionally over the years VH3 joined up with Colombo H3 for runs in various places such as Trincolmalee, Nuwara Eliya/World's End, and the Kotmale dam area, and in fact VH3 helped the Swedes and Brits at Kotmale set up their own hash, much smaller than VH3 and requiring the attendence of VH3 members to swell the numbers. It was all getting very international, as hashes the world over generally are where there is a large expat community.

	Sometimes there were commemorative teeshirts and/or mugs when a sponsor could be found. Please click on the links on the home page to view some of them.

	I was appointed "Mistress of the Ode" and composed several poems and songs, all equally bad but taken in good part.

	Hash names were a constant source of amusement, pride, irritation, curiosity, cruelty, ingenuity or pure sillyness. Occasionally they were changed, but not often. Names had to be earned, and often the task of giving a hasher his or her nome-de-hash was left to whoever did the write-up of the run. Hash names are transferable when one moves on and joins another hash (although I suppose that if you don't like the one you have, you could fib). Check out the list on this website -and please let Liz know if you can think of any more. Every name tells a story!

	The 100th hash came and went, Angus Speirs (aka Lancelot), who was the then Grand Master, departed for Sam Dam, and Roger Damp took over. Gradually, as the civil engineering staff left Digana, their particular roles on Victoria Dam having been successfully completed, the numbers were replenished by newcomers to Digana who were, usually, with IIMI (International Irrigation Management Institution).

	VH3's first Americans, a couple of anthropologists called Pam Stanbury & Dave Groenfeld (aka Stars & Stripes, though it was never know who was which) became the enthusiastic heirs to the founder members.

	Word also got round to numerous people of various nationalities in Kandy, who were all instrumental in keeping VH3 going long after all the original hashers had departed, that a fun day out could be had by joining the ranks of hashers. So, from starting off as a group of Brits, VH3 consisted of people from also the USA, Holland, Sweden, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Israel, Australia, New Zealand...........................

	As our departure date approached in the middle of 1987, Sam Burkhill came up with the brilliant suggestion that we try to set up a VHHH in exile back in the UK, as it seemed that there might be enough old VH3 hashers living in close enough proximity to make it worth a try.

	We contacted former hashers such as the Crosfields, Dave Scivier, the Saunders family, the Paynes, Hudgells, Simon Bailey, the Gorringes, and Andy Peck, and the latter got the ball rolling with the first VHHH UK Chapter at Runnymede.

	Since then VH3 weekends have happened in places such as Wales, Staffordshire, Guernsey, the New Forest, Berkshire........... and with the latest one in Cornwall. VH3 is, miraculously, alive and well and despite the fact that all the originals from Lanka days are now 20 years older, enthusiasm is greater than ever as these weekends are seen as a super way for us all to keep in touch, and nowadays to admire each other's grandchildren!

	Aha! you are probably thinking, if you have managed to read this far. Surely the most important things about hashing have been forgotten! Not so - I was merely keeping the best parts of hashing until the end.

	I maintain to this day that most of the schoolchildren at Digana (my own for sure) learnt their "naughty" words at the hash, specifically at the down-downs, where the hares and other miscreants were punished, and the hash song, beloved of hashers around the world, was sung.

	Even slightly cleaned up, some of the language was unavoidable. Like other hashes, we had our "Religious Advisor", and I bet that no hash has ever had a better (or louder) one than Peter Hughes, aka Pied Piper.

	THE best part of hashing (even in Saudi Arabia, believe it or not) for most, is the BEER, and Sri Lanka is and was blessed with excellent breweries. The amber nectar is as vital to hashing as Pimms is to Henley Regatta, and of course in a hot country like Lanka the beer had to be chilled!

	Again we were fortunate with this, because an unlimited quantity of flake ice, loaded into oil drums, was always available from the ice plant at the loading wall. After impounding (of the dam) this had to be brought to the waiting landrovers by ferry boat!

	No hash could or did get underway until the arrival of the beer wagon, which meant occasional delays if there had been a hash crash, or the vehicle had simply got lost (remember, there were no mobiles in those days). Not everyone drank beer, so lemonade was also provided, and at the 100th hash down-down, Lancelot, one of the hares, had to do a down-down in whisky, although it must be said that he was a far from unwilling participant in this!

	How much longer will VH3 continue? Well, that's up to you. Those of us who took part in the runs & walks in Sri Lanka were privileged, and will continue to have the most wonderful memories of following bits of paper (curtesy of Ceylon Tobacco) around the exquisite countryside near Kandy and Vic Dam.

	Please continue to support VHHH and keep it going for as long as possible.

	On-on!