The May meeting took place at Penmere Manor Hotel where the chairman, Malcolm Wilding, introduced guest speaker Ian Halford to talk about the four years he and his family spent in Pakistan.

The timing of Ian’s talk could not have been better in view of the General Election due to take place in Pakistan. This will be the first time a civilian government has completed its full term and handed over to another civilian government since Pakistan gained its independence.

Ian Halford graduated in modern languages (German and French) from Oxford. Having decided he wanted to become a school teacher he accepted a teaching job with the British Council in Peshawar, Pakistan. Ian and his new wife, together with their new Triumph Herald, set sail from the UK to Karachi in 1963. The voyage took three weeks and Ian described them both as ‘innocents abroad’.

When they arrived in Karachi they then travelled 1,500 miles by train which took two days and nights to Peshawar in south-west Pakistan near the Khyber Pass. Like so many Brits who travel to far-off places they were wearing the wrong weight of clothes and nearly froze at night. When they were shown their new home they had to decide what furniture they would need within two hours. Their new Triumph Herald was held up for four months so they saw a great deal of rural life when using the local buses. It took a while to adjust to local conditions but it was a truly great experience and education. They had the great privilege of meeting Prince Philip and the Shah of Iran.

Ian’s two sons were born in Pakistan so the Halfords have a great deal to be thankful for. Ian and his young family moved back to the UK, to Taunton, in 1967 but he and his two sons were able to revisit Pakistan together on a school trip in 1984.

In his vote of thanks John Fortey said that Ian had given a real insight into Pakistan at a time when the country’s General Election would be in the spotlight.

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