UK Bangladeshi Mariners Reunion at Aviemore, Scotland on 24-25th Aug 2019

The gathering of Bangladeshi mariners in Aviemore, Scotland has been eloquently described by Sarwar Hasan (16); the convenor of UK Bangladeshi Mariners Reunion 2019.

Dear All,

With an immense pleasure I would like to inform you all that we have had a very successful UK Bangladeshi Mariners Reunion at Aviemore, Scotland on 24-25th Aug 2019.

Some of you will remember we started planning for this event since end of last year. The Scottish Munros (mountain) and Lochs  (lakes) were the places of our attraction from the very beginning. However the biggest challenge was to find a suitable resort where a large number of our Mariners could be accommodated. Fortunately the Royal Navy Commander for Scotland and Northern Ireland Capt Chris Smith came forward with his kind gesture through our personal contact and offered their entire Rothiemurchus lodge, the Royal Naval facility for the celebration of this grand event. The Reunion was planned for two days.

The day 1 started with our guests (BD Mariners) arriving from all over the places including as far as Shanghai in China, Mujtaba bhai (14)  & Bhabi and Cork in Ireland, Badiul Bhai (14) & Bhabi. We were amazed to see their enthusiasm. The guests were greeted with yellow roses and professional registration document and welcome pack by Zohur (21) and Shamsed (29). All Mariners and their family went out for hill walking after a buffet lunch. The weather at Aviemore was fantastic, high twenties with bright sunshine which was very different than typical Scottish weather. In the evening of day 1 we had BBQ dinner in the Rothimurchus lodge backyard, Which is a plateau surrounded by serene Scottish high lands more than 3000 ft above the sea level. Delicious and finger licking BBQ dinner was prepared by Mridula (Mrs Sarwar 16), Deepa (Mrs Zohur 21), Nipa Bhabi (Mrs Neaz 10}, Shahed (30) and Shamsed (29). During the BBQ Zillur (25) kept us entertained with live music with his exceptionally melodious voice. As the night was setting in Shamsed (29) and Shahed (30) lightened up every one with bonfire by collecting woods from Rothiemurchus forest of Birch trees. The party went more sensational having dark blue night sky over the beautiful mountains, and wild bonfire on the ground of Rothiemurchus backyard surrounded by all the mariners and their family. Zillur’s (25) romantic live music on outdoor PA system blown every one’s mind away. We all had been reminiscing our life at sea with very nostalgic feeling. Late at night when the outdoor party ended we were entertained by Zohur (21) with his signature program of ‘Who wants to be the Millionaire’. The program was so professional that everyone was wondering when Zohur will get an invitation by TV network to deliver it for them. Truly the party never ended until the early morning.

The Day 2 started early for the joggers and walkers. Myself and other enthusiasts had 8k running session through scenic Birch forest of Rothiemurchus valley early in the morning.  Then everyone enjoyed lavish continental as well as Bangladeshi breakfast. The first event of the day was to visit Cairngorm mountain rail. The breath taking Cairngorms and Spey Valley provide the perfect surroundings for skiing, mountain biking, climbing, hillwalking, fishing, canoeing, windsurfing and much more. And of course any one simply wanted to relax and get away from it all, they could do it too. We spent the time we had and made best use of this site. Lots of lovely photos were taken to keep all these in our memory in the future

Cairngorm Mountain is home to Scotland’s only funicular railway but unfortunately the rail car was not in operation due to technical fault, however, we had the opportunity to meet the rail car driver and listen to the exciting history of Cairngorm funicular railway. This was a unique experience that allowed us to reach the top Station where the Ptarmigan Restaurant is located with panoramic views from over 3,500ft. There was also a viewing terrace, exhibition, shop and the highest post box in the British Isles!

Then we moved on to Aviemore town centre where Harley Davidson Motor bike convention was taking place. The quiet little Scottish hill station was invaded by 3000 bikers from UK as well as other European countries. There was a stunning bike ride out, people’s celebration and open air band entertained the visitors.

From the hunky bikers rally we went to Loch Morlich in the beautiful settings of the Cairngorms and Glenmore Forest. Loch Morlich enjoys one of the finest settings of any lochs in Scotland. It is surrounded by forests and fringed by beaches, with the stunning backdrop of the often snow-clad peaks of the northern Cairngorms in the winter. But we were so fortunate that the weather was superb with temp in high twenties. The crystal clear water of Loch Morlich and stony beach got every one of us carried away. It was very difficult to pull our children and the elders out of Loch Morlich beach. Finally we headed back to our Rothiemurchus base to prepare ourselves for the final grand event of Banquet dinner at Hilton Coylumbridge Hotel.

All guests arrived at Hilton hotel in the evening when they were greeted in a red carpet laid out through the lawn surrounded by white marble life size sculptures. Scottish traditional bag piper welcomed the guests at the ball room entrance. The banquet hall was stunningly decorated for our party. The gala dinner started with a welcome speech from me (Sarwar 16), followed by our Senior most 1st batch cadet and the most accomplished person of our community Capt Fazlur Rahman Chowdhury and the Guest of honour Capt Chris Smith, the Royal Navy Commander for Scotland and Northern Ireland. The jubilation as well as the objective of the reunion were highlighted and an urge for supporting our fellow academy cadets were reiterated during the speeches. Then the delicious Scottish Cuisine were served when the live entertainment of Violin and Clarinet was played by talented Scottish Artists Tim and Carla as they moved around the table. The Gala dinner followed by two documentary viewing on large screen commemorating  the academy cadet life and promotion of our prestigious Marine Academy and the glorious mariners life at sea. This was received from Marine Academy archive by the courtesy of Dr.Sajid Hussain (15), the commandant of Marine Academy. We convey our sincere thanks and appreciation to Sajid bhai for his keen interest and continued support to our event. The Banquet further continued with cultural program, improvised jazz and Scottish songs from Tim and Carla, sensational Tagore’s song from Nupur (Mrs Siddharta 31) and our little star Fariba (Daughter of Shamsed 29). Finally the crowed were just blown away with melodious and romantic songs from our great singer Zillur (25).

In between we had a break when all specially made Reunion Crests with event logo and guests name engraved were handed over to the participants by Mrs, Capt Fazlur Rahman Chowdhury. The whole evening was beautifully compered by two lovely young ladies Maisha and Raisa (Niece and daughter of Zohur 21). Finally the banquet dinner ended with full of enjoyment and a high hope that Alumni and fellow cadets of Bangladesh Marine Academy will continue upholding the name and fame of our nation in the global maritime sector for many more years to come. The grand reunion was official closed just past midnight on 25th Aug 2019 and all guests safely returned home the following day.

We convey our warm and heartiest thanks to all participants, specially to bhabies and our lovely children. We look forward to seeing you all again during the next reunion.

Please see below links for the event flyer, logo and few photos of this grand event.

Event Flyer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZiAdGxbWXNO11idR9h8hzZ6J7Chc67EM/view

Event Logo: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_0Wy57TRi4mnmWLYzVoKcOhu4s9VcQ_c/view

With our very best wishes,

Sarwar Hassan (16), Convenor of UK Bangladeshi Mariners Reunion 2019. On behalf of the Management Team, Glasgow, Scotland   

some photos of the gathering: