Northwich U3A by Dorothy Wilson

Chairman Janice Jackson opened this month’s meeting of the Northwich U3A. Members were told that the pickup time for the theatre trip in October is now 12 noon. The singing group are rehearsing their Christmas programme and members going on the Norfolk trip should pick up the final details at the end of the meeting.

The Speaker was Dr Andrew Zsigmund, with a talk on The Hungarian Revolution.

In 1956 he was a 3rd year medical student. Hungary was poor and oppressed by a Communist dictatorship. On October 23, 150,000 workers and students congregated in Budapest for a rally. 55 people were killed and many were arrested and jailed. November 1956, 2,500 Russian tanks rolled in and 417 people were hanged and hundreds disappeared. Andrew and his friends fled and hid in his father's vineyard. The group used fake documents to travel by train to the Austrian border and reached the refugee camp. Next day a London bus arrived with a banner saying ‘come to Britain and be a coal miner’. It took them to Barnsley. On registering to be a miner, the doctor there helped him to get into medical school if he learned English. Liverpool University offered him a place in 1957.

He was the longest serving doctor in the city, working in Liverpool for his entire career. On retiring he was made an honorary Scouser.

Dr Zsigmund was thanked for sharing his wonderful story.

Our next meeting is our AGM October 21 followed by ‘Cockney Carol’.