[hallway]

Dear Wayne,

[move]THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU[/move]

Such inadequate words to convey all we wish to.

Twelve months ago you volunteered to spend an hour or so each week to help our embryo BBO Acol group to improve our grasp of the basics of Bridge.

Almost instantly that became a two hourly, twice weekly committment scheduled ,not to suit yourself but, at times that best suit your Mentees on either side of the globe. This can mean a 7am weekday start or a 9pm Sunday start for you. That you should do that for us for a couple of months was more than we had a right to hope for . That you should still be doing it for us ONE YEAR later...........words fail me ......... [move]THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU[/move]

The effects of your Mentoring on BBO reach far beyond Online Bridge. Such sessions are also a power for good at the real life Club level. It is a fact that a 20 - 50% retention of any given years trainees is considered a success. Twelve months ago my class was in danger of disintergrating (Spanish lessons were muted as one excuse )

THEN along came WAYNE 8)

You provided us with the much needed help to understand and expand our lessons. Our "Acol Bridge Basics (with the Wayne Factor) now covers some 20 pages : and our "WAYNE SEZ" segment of our weekly practice Sessions has become a standard. And it's true the entire class -100% of us - are still actively playing (well attending ;D ) Bridge. Significantly too of last year's class there is only one survivor and she took up our invitation to become a Wayne (BBO) devotee.

So on behalf of both your Online and Offline Devotees

[move]THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU[/move]
[move] :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*[/move]

[Laird]

Hello Maureen

I hope you do not mind if I also add a few words of thanks to Wayne.

I'm sure that we in the northern hemisphere who attend your sunday morning and wednesday evening sessions ( for us ) are also thankful of the efforts that you put in to help us come to grasp some of the elements of the Acol system.
It must be agony at times for you as you witness some of the bewildering attempts at coming to a meaningful contract and then to watch the performance of us trying to actually make the contract must have you in stitches laughing... or in the depths of despair.
You must wonder at times if you will ever get your message across ... I know personally that it is indeed a comfort to get the 'blue' words of advice.
I may be mistaken but I do believe that the need for much by way of answering questions is reducing and hopefully this is a sign of general improvement in the class.
The class not only helps us with our understanding of bridge but also gives us an appreciation of the nature of our wonderful world.... on sunday mornings we in the northern hemisphere may be shivering with the cold and Flu whilst our NZ friends are basking in sunshine but sure enough in time the opposite happens and we can then smile as we hear the complaints of colds and Flu from down-under and its our turn bask in the sun:D ( Yes ... even in Scotland the sun shines on occassion)

Thanks Wayne ... Good Luck

John