From: Andrew Friis 
To: mnc.mail
Cc: Damian Wood / MM ; John Scrivens 
Sent: Monday, December 18, 2000 2:49 PM
Subject: Hello voice from the past!!!


Hello there... what a surprise...
I have just read an article in a monthly Foreign Office magazine advertising your web site and planned reunion.

I have been working for the Foreign Office since Nov 1982 having left the Metropolitan Police Office which I joined when I left
college.  Since joining the FCO I have travelled around the world visiting many countries. I was posted to our embassy
in Kuwait from May 1986 to October 1988 as a Radio Officer. I met my Filipino wife (Carina) there while she was working at the Meridien hotel. We left a year before the troubles but left some friends there who suffered during the occupation but survived. 
We married in January 1989 (my best man was John Scrivens - also in my class at MNC). In between trips around the world for the FCO we had two children (Christopher 1991) and Samantha (1994). A month after my son was born I was sent to Moscow for a month where I witnessed the fall of the communist regime at first hand. I have visited the city 7 times in 6 years and found it fascinating. 

Having returned to UK in 1988 I transferred to a fully Technical Department as a Telecom Technical Officer (TTO) and worked in various technical sections of the FCO from then on. In October 1997 I was posted to our new Consulate in Hong Kong as their Technical Management Officer which is where I am at this time. I am due to return to duties in the UK in Jan 2002 but would certainly like to come back especially for a reunion.

I am still in contact with John Scrivens (married with 3 children), Damian Wood (married with 2 children) and Mike Lemon who I believe has a daughter but is sadly separated. I have passed details on to them. Oh and of course there is my brother James Friis who is married with two children and now living outside Cheltenham.

I addition to myself, there are a number of other colleagues and former students in the FCO with me,
Andrew Jones
Steve Byott
Ian Attwood
Jerry Harland

Simon White used to be with us but has moved on somewhere.

I am also still in contact with a former Deck Cadet that I grew up with - Jane Riley (Holder Brothers). She is now married with two children and living near Cambridge - I will pass the web site details on to her.

Wishing you a very merry Xmas and happy new year


Andrew Friis
c/o FCO (Hong Kong)
King Charles Street
London SW1A 2AH