With the politics of recent times within Six of One, many could be excused for forgetting that the main point of our Society is appreciation of the Prisoner television programme. The lack of a convention since 1998 certainly didn’t help matters so, it was with some relief that most of us set off for Portmeirion in March this year.
Certainly, a convention at that time of year wouldn’t have been the obvious choice but... beggars can’t be choosers and any convention would be better than none, wouldn’t it?
The other ‘problem’ for some members was that the usual team were having nothing to do with the Convention, leaving Roger Langley, together with the Shrewsbury Group, to organise the whole thing. It has to be said that a few were wishing them to fail, though the majority of us just wanted to experience a well run convention once more.

For this writer, a March Con meant that my usual attendance on the Friday would be a non starter (driving half asleep after work not being a good idea!). Nevertheless, I arrived Saturday morning in good time for the Free For All procession.
It gave me the chance to chat to many friends within Six of One whom I hadn’t seen for quite a while. I even managed to talk to an admittedly nervous Geoff Lake before he began his official duties of organising the Conventioneers who had now assembled in Battery Square.
The most pleasant surprise up to that time was the beautiful sunny and warm weather which greeted us at Portmeirion. Would we be as pleasantly surprised by the Shrewsbury Group’s handling of things?
As soon as Geoff began to speak to the assembled throng, the answer was a resounding ‘yes!’. He, together with Rob Beale and the other members of the Shrewsbury group had obviously done their homework and the first main event of the 2001 Convention went off with hardly a hitch. Six of One was back at Portmeirion, and in style!
As the day unfolded, each event ran smoothly and everyone was happy. Well, I suppose the politically minded moaners weren’t happy but who cares? Six of One members were doing what they do best, mixing with each other, socialising, smiling (more important that, than some may think!) and putting on a bloody good show for the public and each other.

The Chess game was also a great success. I still think this is the best spectacle of any convention and it was very well organised. Even the chess poles had been repainted, with laminated computer printouts of the chess moves attached to them. I know that some reading this will expect a good review, knowing my friendship and association with many of the Shrewsbury Group. The nice thing is, that I can truthfully write a favourable report of events because the convention was a great success. If it hadn’t gone well, I would have written so. Those who know me, and especially the guys in Shrewsbury, wouldn’t have expected anything less.
So, what else happened? Well, the indoor events really gave the geeks (no offence intended, one myself!) in the Shrewsbury Group the chance to refine their presentations and this culminated on Saturday night with “Who Wants To Be A Prisoner Millionaire”. Hosted by Geoff backed by just about all of the Shrewsbury Group, the event mimicked the popular television quiz show but added a Prisoner twist. The event ran very slickly and some of the questions were designed to challenge even the most ardent Prisoner fan. The prizes were pretty good also (well, the later ones were!) and it rounded off a pleasant day for audience and contestants alike.

Computers were also used to great effect in the outdoor events. From their base in the ice cream shop in Battery Square, the Group used a laptop computer connected into the PA system. The computer was stuffed with all sorts of appropriate music and just about every Prisoner soundbite you could imagine! Want to announce over the whole Village that “The flavour of the day is strawberry”? Easy! Just click on the soundbite’s title on the laptop’s screen and it blares out across every speaker set up in Portmeirion! Of course, that doesn’t take into account the positioning and wiring up of the speakers in the first place or the encoding of all those sounds onto the computer.
Happily, there were many others who wanted to join in the fun and make this Convention a success. Hard to remember them all (sorry!) but pals of the Liverpool Group, Andrew White gave us a superb Number Six while Isobel Smith could also be seen putting in her usual excellent performances in between dashing off to change into her next costume!
It was also pleasant for me to meet up with the many members of the Liverpool Group who attended on either the Saturday or the Sunday. I had promised the Shrewsbury Group that we on Merseyside would be there to offer our support and I wasn’t disappointed!

I would like to thank all of the Shrewsbury Group who allowed me to camp out in their cottage, Belvedere, during events. Thanks to Joanie Lake for feeding me and keeping the coffee coming and to everyone for their hospitality. It must have been an extra pressure on them at times as they dashed around organising things for the next event! I also enjoyed our end of Saturday drink there but God knows what I was like when in front of the video camera late that night in their very own “Big Brother” style diary room!
I was only able to stay until about tea-time on the Sunday (work in Anfield the next day) but I got in to Portmeirion quite early. Many thanks to Chris (who had travelled down that morning bringing Elaine with her) for the lift from Porthmadog after I’d discovered taxis are an optional extra in ‘Port’ on a Sunday morning! Cost me coffee and cakes for Chris, Elaine and myself but a very pleasant taxi service nonetheless! It was nice to meet up with them both and wander around the Village chatting. Just like old times!

So, to sum up... Was it worth having a convention in March? Hell, Yes! There are those who believe that Six of One should have held out for a Summer convention. Let me tell those people right now - it was never going to happen! Portmeirion has moved into the 21st Century and, as a regular visitor and someone who has some experience of modern practices, we as a Society are very lucky to still be able to hold conventions there, at all!
Many within Six of One argue that Portmeirion needs 6o1 as much as we need them. Rubbish! Portmeirion may need the Prisoner, but it can do it all on its own if needs be. The new Prisoner shop is testament to that. No, we should consider ourselves fortunate that Portmeirion permits any 6o1 convention. This year’s PortmeiriCon was an unequivocable triumph and we should be thanking the people who organised it. My sincere thanks and congratulations to Roger Langley and the Shrewsbury Group for their efforts this year. Sure, there are still things that need to be sorted out within our Society but it won’t be done by the ‘whingers’. I firmly believe they wouldn’t have the resources to further Six of One.  We have had a wonderful convention this year on which to build for the future.
Here’s to the next PortmeiriCon!

Footnote:
I make no apologies for including my opinions on the inter-Society politics within this article. Many things were said to me over the convention weekend and I felt that some people were expecting tpf to be a pioneer for their reactionary causes. Sorry guys, but I have to disappoint you. tpf has been contentious in the past when it was felt necessary to stir things up but there was nothing I heard that would take the Society to a higher level. In fact, the converse was more likely... your ideas would run Six of One into the ground or, at least, result in a different, small clique of members.
I, like many, don’t live my life around 6o1 but would still like it to be there in the future. We now need, in my opinion, to encourage people to take part, come up with fresh ideas for events and to make each Convention better than the last. I believe that I and many others saw the beginning of this in March at Portmeirion. Look at the Convention photographs in this issue and you can see the enthusiasm. That is the future of Six of One. Be a part of it and, for Heaven’s sake, enjoy it... for what it is!      

For Part two of this article please click HERE