I had the slightly odd but wonderful priviledge to participate in a slice of history today. I stood up the back of our memorial church in Parwan South, helping to operate a 16mm projector, on which played a Buster Keaton film - “The General” from 1927 - and also slapstick comedy film from 1912 that I can’t recall the name of.

Both films were silent films, and were very ably accompanied on the organ by Gordon McKenzie, who was the host of the Pleasant Saturday Afternoon programme. True to the old cinema-going format, we began the ’show’ with a classic newsreel from the 1940’s, and it was interesting to note the number of stories the showed unrest and protest around the world. It seems not much has changed in sixty years, apart from the fact that we can now receive images like this from around the globe in a matter of electronic heartbeats. So much for the ‘good old days’.

The films were enjoyable though, and Gordon played wonderfully. The only complaint that was heard from the crowd was, “Where’s the lolly-boy?” and that need was well met after show with a groaning table full of cakes and sandwiches in the Hall.

As a kid (and every now and again as an adult) I’ve often daydreamed about what it would be like to travel back in time. Well today, for a short three hours, around fifty of us travelled back to experience an afternoon of ’silent’ cinema and virtuoso organ playing. It was a very pleasant Saturday afternoon.