PW_4_2018

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Visit to Holyhead by Ghiora Szabo of the Section Israel. Bill Rogerson . MBE, North Wales Branch North Wales Branch member Bill Rogerson took up the offer of acting as local guide to a member from Israel who was coming for a short stay in the area on a cruise ship. Here is Bill’s story. O ur Branch received an IPA Travel Form from Ghiora Szabo , a retired Police Officer from Israel, saying that he was

Communication was difficult, but with the aid of a translation App on my phone, the language barrier was broken down a little. Ghiora served for thirty years as a police officer in Israel, which he said was remarkable, as the life expectancy for police officers could be much less. It transpired that he was a rank equivalent of our own Inspector and he also served as a firearms instructor. He served for most of his career in the city of Karmiel, about 54 Km North- west of the port of Haifa. He joined the IPA in 1969 and has been a continuous member ever since. He travels widely around the world and wherever he goes he makes contact with IPA members. After our initial meet and greet I showed them around the port town of Holyhead and St Cybi’s

Church. Lunch was taken in a local café, after which I took them to my house for tea and biscuits and to meet my wife Shirley and two granddaughters. Sadly, it was soon time for Ghiora and Miriam to return to the ship and I took them back to Holyhead via a scenic route, taking in Trearddur Bay and South Stack. On arrival back in Holyhead it was time for one last look at St Cybi’s Church and finally back to the town’s railway station, where they caught the shuttle bus back to the ship. It was indeed a memorable day of international friendship and one to be remembered for a long time to come.

going on a round Britain Cruise which would dock in Holyhead. Ghiora requested a tour of Holyhead for himself and his wife Miriam. The day I met Ghiora and Miriam came after weeks of glorious sunshine but, this day was typically Welsh and rainy. Our first stop was a local cafe for coffee and an exchange of IPA and British Transport Police memorabilia, along with typical souvenirs from our respective countries. I discovered that Ghiora, who is now approaching 80 and Miriam, were both from Romania but left in 1965 when Ghiora was 26, because of the troubles in their country. They moved to Israel where Ghiora joined the police force.

50th anniversary IPA Voralberg, Austria Richard Lock Sussex Branch

My wife Yamila and I travelled to Feldkirch, a small medieval city on the western edge of Austria, for the anniversary celebrations of Voralberg province. We arrived first at Innsbruck and caught the westbound train enjoying spectacular alpine views, which according to Rough Guides “is one of the most scenic railway journeys in Europe.” O ur first full day started with a coach trip to Liechtenstein , wandering around the capital Vaduz. Our guide provided us with plenty of facts about the principality, but the fact that stuck was that there were more sports cars per head of population than anywhere else in Europe. I would like to say how impressed we were with the varied and entertaining anniversary event and the welcome and friendship shown to us by our Austrian ‘police family’. This welcome was also extended by the ordinary Austrian people themselves and we were met with unfailing courtesy and a willingness to help two foreigners with no knowledge of their language. An example of which was upon returning to Innsbruck Railway Station at the end of our holiday, we were given a lift to our hotel by a complete stranger my wife had engaged in conversation with on the platform.

We were treated to a demonstration of hostage rescue with plenty of screams from one victim as she was dragged by the masked perpetrators. The rescuers arrived carrying shovels and a ladder, creating confusion by hurling stun grenades. They smashed their way into the vehicle, pulling out the hostages and disabling the hostage takers. The drama continued with a police dog demonstration. The next day we visited the medieval Shattenburg castle, where a guide showed us how to use a spinning wheel, which took her a year to learn. My wife volunteered to try her hand at it, with limited success.

A flyer passed around at the Gala Evening advertised the 40th anniversary of IPA Verbindungsstellen, Innsbruck in March next year. I have already pencilled it in my diary.

POLICE WORLD Vol 63 No. 4, 2018

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