With introductions from Halliford School’s (and of course our own) Philip Cottam, and our incomparable Pauline Hedges who did David Catt-Camfield proud as stand-in Master of Ceremonies, Max gave us a fascinating and revealing glimpse into his world.

Starting as a reporter on a local paper in South London, Max himself having been born in Wimbledon into a poor family, he told the assembled audience of Rotarians, DG Betty McClure, the Mayor of Spelthorne, Councillor Simon Bhadye, and paying friends, guests and local residents how a glittering career came about that led to his mixing with the great, the good and sometimes, frankly, the not so good, many of whom rank amongst the most famous people of the modern age.

From 1962 and with Max involved as a public relations officer for EMI and specifically for the Beatles, his career took off to such an extent that today, some 47 years later at the age of 65 he leads a renowned PR consultancy in Max Clifford Associates which never pitches for business but is itself a magnet for those who seek advancement, protection from scandal, the promotion of a product, the championing of a cause or a promotion of a company. He is an acknowledged master of his art.

As many modest men of high achievement are inclined to do, Max maintained that his glittering career was merely the culmination of a succession of happy accidents where he was merely in the right place at the right time, where his career simply evolved through opportunities dropping into his lap.

Perhaps more telling though was his admission that he was entrepreneurial from an early age and was able to do what very many cannot, which was see opportunities where perhaps nobody else did and then make them work for him. That combined with his great competitiveness cleared spurred him on to success.

His relaxed talk was a fascinating insight into a hugely varied and far-reaching career with its combination of high-profile stars, exotic locations, candid admissions of media manipulation for the benefits of his clients and his personal involvement in many good causes, not least his work on behalf of the Royal Marsden Hospital and of course the main beneficiary of the evening, the magnificent Chase Hospice in Guildford.

After his talk, questions were taken, the occasional one being put to him in a somewhat eccentric manner, but Max was the epitome of the relaxed professional who, we sensed, would have been unruffled by a typhoon blowing through the room.

Once again Halliford School provided a fantastic venue, with selected pupils providing the accomplished technical support. The event itself, with its new arrangement of marquees for cover on a fortuitously temperate evening, was wonderfully orchestrated by Aurora, where once again the many club volunteers in all areas but particularly Ken H, Dave, and of course Joe with his speech of thanks at the end of the evening once more gave us many reasons to be proud of our club.