One does not have to be a full member of Friends Reunited to be able to take advantage of its Christmas card delivery service. I have already sent *undreds.

Lucky recipients include – my corporal punishment friends at R*, C*, S* and W* Schools; dear, dear former prodigious contributor who now works for a discredited organisation, R* of G*; world-wide *ravelling t*aveller,  and Gladys/Darwinian Man/Big *ohn.

Thank you for your card dear, sweet Gillian.

A few days after I registered at an *nknown School, I received a message from a woman named Sylvia. She wrote: ‘Think you’ve got the wrong site – sorry I don’t understand this!’

Is this the sort of person to whom I should be sending a Christmas card? Yes, it is!

Today I sent her a pink one.

Hi Gillian,

Many thanks for the Christmas card through Friends Reunited.

Stay in touch during 2004.

Christmas cards via Friends Reunited are coming in by the cartload.

A card from Fran this evening would ensure a perfect end to a perfect day.

Dear *,

Thank you so much for your Christmas greeting.

The matter to which you refer is one of extreme delicacy. I do not know the person concerned. I understand that only after a great deal of persuasion by one of my colleagues, a man of immense charm, was the woman prepared to describe the incidents. She is, apparently, like many who share the interest, deeply ashamed of her fetish and gave her testimony only on the understanding that her anonymity would be preserved, the main reason being that she works in the Wonderful World of *.

Gillian

*,

Thank you for sending a Christmas card but I really didn’t want it. I don’t know you.

I don’t know you either, Amanda, but being on the Friendly List, I was only being friendly.

I am delighted to see that good will is much in evidence on the Friends Reunited Site. The following is from the ‘Discussions’ board:



Added by Gillian Browne on 13/12/2003 14:48
Thank you to those hundreds of dear, dear people who have sent me e-cards. I will respond to you all within the next few minutes.



Added by Joan Woods on 13/12/2003 16:35
Rosleen

IDid you get one..........reminds me of the strange e mails.

And Gillian, put your card where the sun don't shine.

Added by Josie Buckley on 13/12/2003 16:33
Whats the matter Christine? the e cards ar really nice.

Added by Christine Link on 13/12/2003 16:25
stuff your e card, I deleted it.

Is Christine Link the sort of person you would want your wife or your servants to engage in discussion on a Friends Reunited board?

I have deleted the entire thread, but have saved the latest additions thereto for my dear, dear friends at our Happy Circle to enjoy.


Added by Christine Link on 13/12/2003 16:55
If you posted on any discussions about corp punishment you'll probably get one off 'Gillian' promoting a 'nasty' site, I didn't go on to the site myself, its not my thing and I resent emails and cards addressed to me on that subject.
I've had a couple from friends too. (e cards that is)

Added by Josie Buckley on 13/12/2003 16:48
Oh I see Chris, these days im not sure who the trolls on here are..... I have received two of those cards but with no message, haven't the foggiest who they are from.

Added by Christine Link on 13/12/2003 16:44
Its not the e cards Josie, its the troll that is sending them

Added by Christine Link on 13/12/2003 17:22
Dd anyone notice the FR xmas card thread has disappeared?

Dear Gillian; I am surprized at the venom directed at you for simply sending a christmas card. Are these old school mates of yours? Or does it have something to do with the content of your cards? Can this be the same sweet Gillian that I know?

P.S. Tell Fran to come back. P.S.S. Talk about cryptic messages, What was that thing about on the new hear(sic) thread?

Dear *,

There are those who do not appreciate the wonder and the joy of Christmas when God sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to save those of us that have faith in Him from the eternal fire. Christine Link (Clink) is such an one.

I do not know any of the unhappy people who contributed to my thread on the Friends Reunited Board. The cards I sent were not personalised. The site offers a choice of twelve cards and each one has a standard greeting, such as ‘Happy Christmas’. I am unable to send an example to the forum since the cards are not in jpeg format.

* was not involved in the discussion on the Friends Reunited Board.

I cannot find any message which could be described as ‘cryptic’ in the ‘New hear (sic)’ thread.

Gillian

* 

I have been BANNED from Friends Reunited. No explanation has been given.

During the past twelve hours we have had a large increase in the number of visitors to our Happy Circle. I am assuming that some of these people will not be sympathetic to our research activities. I have, therefore, edited some of the messages in this thread to protect the members who contributed thereto.

Dear Mzzz Browne,

I was very sorry indeed to see that you have been BANNED from that homely little site. I have, therefore, created a new identity for you so that you may continue to send glad tidings to your friends. The details you will find at the forum administration address.

I have been gazing at the photograph of Clink that appears on the Friends Reunited site. She is a butch version of dear, sweet, sadly lamented Nyree Dawn Porter and as such would be welcome at my little get-togethers at Hove Lagoon, if she were of a sunnier disposition.

I shall be taking afternoon tea at the Lagoon on Saturday 20 December and I extend an invitation to our members to be my guest at what promises to be a day to remember. One of the ladies has recently developed an interest in British Beefcake, so male members would be particularly welcome.

Miles

Super! I’ll see you there! Here’s a fine example of British Beefcake for you.

Thank you, Miles. You are very kind. I have sent another fifty Christmas cards and will now terminate my long and once happy association with Friends Reunited.

Dear Bob,

Further to your plea for the return of Fran, I have searched the forum but she has not supplied an e-mail address, so we are unable to keep in touch.

Here, however, is something very special for you from our archives. It is Fran’s final contribution to a corporal punishment forum that closed down a few months after the following was written.


Gender Bias and the Cane
Friday, 02-Feb-01 16:46:42 Message:

Hi Christopher,

I'm not quite sure what you mean when you say 'back in the real world' in respect of the male/female CP situation as you experienced it, or indeed now see it. It is a matter of recorded fact that many girls, including myself, in many mixed schools in the UK, certainly in the fifties, sixties and seventies, were as subject to corporal punishment for the same offences (smoking, theft, truancy etc)as were boys. This was particularly so in the case of Secondary Modern Schools and Comprehensive Schools where boys and girls single sex schools had been merged to form one institution, typically resulting in the Headmaster of the boys school taking over the Headship.

Reference to such academic books published at the time as 'A Last Resort' will independently satisfy anyone that the caning of girls in mixed schools in the sixties and seventies by both female and male teachers was hardly unusual in the UK, and was a matter of recorded fact for many.For regular and uniform corporal punishment almost without any sex bias, talk to Scottish women of my age about the use of the strap/tawse in Scottish schools during the sixties and seventies.

I will say that from my experience and information received however for girls at school in the UK, the slipper seems to have been a more common implement for beatings on the bottom, the cane and strap more often on the hands and (with the exception of one of our family grandmothers who was birched at a convent school in Southern Ireland before the First World War)I have never come across any woman of my acquaintance who even implied that any beating of girls of any form at any school they attended in the UK was ever given on the bare bottom.

Fran

A few words for Christine Link and those of her ilk who banned our dear sweet Gillian from FR for such a trivial offense as sending Christmas cards to their members. (is that sentence long enough?)


The retch concentered all in self living
Shall forfeit fair renown
And doubly dying,shall go down
To the vile dust,from whence ye sprung
Unwept , unhonoured , and unsung.
Sir Walter Scott



And thank you for the famous last words of Fran.

It was seeing Gillian’s posts on the FR message boards that made me visit this site. This was a few months ago now and the posts here have given me the biggest laughs I have had in years.
The people that run FR are misguided people. They will ban people and delete threads for no good reason but allow utter filth to remain on their boards.
I advise everyone not to pay the £7.50 to be full members of FR, and to register using a false name and a web mail address. The site does not deserve to stay in business.
Keep posting here Gillian – you are a treasure.
Chris

Hark! The Herald Angels sing
An F.R. card is just the thing
To bring joy throughout the land,
Except to those that have been BANNED!

Having been BANNED again from Friends Reunited, I am now unable to send any further cards to my dear, dear friends in corporal punishment. I do hope that the six hundred I have already sent bring enormous pleasure to the recipients. The cards are very pretty and those that I received I printed. A tasteful display now festoons the walls of my office.

The cost of sending cards through the post is exorbitantly high. I spoke to a postman today. The sack he carried was full.

Me: What do you put in your sack now that no one can afford to send any letters or cards?
Postman: My wages.

Happy Christmas, Gillian!

I have sent you an FR card via Gladys.

Gillian; Can you receive xmas cards via the two email addresses you have on SCP?

Dear Bob,

Yes, but I believe picture files must be in jpg format.

We look forward to reading members’ greetings, particularly if they contain a bit of the old-time religion, at the forum administration address.

Gillian

Here below is a very nice card that we have received from our dearest friend in the Colonies.

I love the picture of the homestead.

It is hardly surprising that people are leaving Friends Reunited by the lorry load when the frightened site owners are publishing rules such as this:



Acceptable Use Policy known as “House Rules”

1. Introduction
These are our rules for the use of our message boards on Friends Reunited. They’re to give you guidance and expand on some of the principles you agreed to in our terms and conditions when you registered with us.
We want this to be a safe, enjoyable and friendly environment for all of our Members. These rules will help provide a framework for our Members to achieve this.
Remember: these boards are provided by us, but not controlled by us. We don’t pre-screen or monitor material contributed by Members, and are reliant on our Members to point out anything that doesn’t conform to these rules.

2. The Rules
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Use the English language
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4. Withdrawing Material
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Thank you all for your co-operation