WE HAD VISITS FROM VARIOUS ROYAL NAVY SHIPS , THERE WAS USUALLY A GAME OF FOOTBALL AGAINST THEM WHICH THE GAN TEAM NORMALLY WON THEN THE NAVY LADS WOULD GO ON BENDERS AROUND THE VARIOUS BARS ,ENDING UP WELL AND TRULY BLOTTO AND HAD TO BE ROUNDED UP AND TAKEN BACK ON BOARD BY THE RN REGULATORS . I WAS ON THE CAR DOOR OPENING DETAIL WHEN HM QUEEN VISITED THE ISLAND IN MARCH (I THINK) I WAS,NT ON THE ROYAL CAR BUT CAR No3 WITH SOME MINOR DIGNITARY. I REMEMBER THE ROYAL YACHT ANCHORED IN THE LAGOON AND BEING LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE AT NIGHT ALONG WITH ITS RN ESCORT SHIP.

ONE THE HIGHLIGHTS WAS WHEN THERE WAS A MAIL CALL AND WE,D GET LETTERS FROM WIVES AND GIRLFRIENDS AND OF COURSE DEAR OLD MAM BACK IN UK (STICKYS HAVING) I WAS ONLY 21 BACK THEN AND KEPT FIT OGGIN TROGGIN (WALKING AROUND THE ISLAND),SWIMMING SCUBA DIVING AND OF COURSE FOOTBALL,CRICKET ETC. ON MY 22nd BIRTHDAY MAM SENT OUT A MASSIVE FRUIT CAKE SHE,D BAKED I REMEMBER SHARING IT OUT AMONGST MY MATES BEFORE BEING TAKEN OUT TO CELEBRATE WITH A BEER OR TEN. THE WORKING DAY WAS FROM 7am to 1pm MON-FRI AND 7am to 12noon ON SATURDAY WITH SUNDAY OFF, SO THER WAS PLENTY OF TIME TO PURSUE HOBBIES OR JUST CRASH OUT ON YOUR PIT IF YOU,D HAD ROUGH NIGHT AT SOMEONES LEAVING DO (GOZ-O-ME)THE NIGHT BEFORE.

YES I CERTAINLY ENJOYED MY TIME ON THE TROPICAL PARADISE CALLED GAN OLD BFPO 180 AND WOULD LOVE TO GO BACK TO THE MALDIVES FOR A HOLIDAY , LUCKILY THEY SEEM TO HAVE ESCAPED THE TERRIBLE TSUNAMI WHICH STRUCK THE INDIAN OCEAN ON BOXING DAY 2004 APPARENTLY THERE WAS ONLY MINOR DAMAGE ON GAN AND NO LIVES LOST IN ADDU ATOLL WHERE GAN IS SITUATED.