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BRI41746 BRITAIN-NEPAL SOC. MAG:BRI41746 BRITAIN-NEPAL SOC. MAG 20/10/11 10:46 Page 1 THE BRITAIN-NEPAL SOCIETY Journal Number 23 1999 CONTENTS 2 Editorial 5 The Society’s News by Pat Mellor 11 A Portrait of an Ancestor or a Portrait Saved by Sir Michael Scott and Mrs. Mayura Brown 14 The Pipar Project by Keith Howman 17 Britain to Nepal and Nepal to Britain Educational Exchange with GAP by Katherine Taylor 19 A Near Miss by Angela Karki 22 The Welfare Pensioners by Ken Ross 27 Observing the 1999 Elections - a Personal View by Andrew Hall 30 The Britain-Nepal Society Photographic Competition by John Yeats-Brown 33 Tributes 38 Book Reviews 42 Addresses 43 Notes on the Britain-Nepal Society 44 President, Vice-Presidents and Committee 1 BRI41746 BRITAIN-NEPAL SOC. MAG:BRI41746 BRITAIN-NEPAL SOC. MAG 20/10/11 10:46 Page 2 EDITORIAL This edition of the Journal marks the recently published work reviewed by death of two of our former Presidents, Mayura Brown. Mention is made of the Lord Hunt our founding President and special relationship between the Gurkha Sir George Bishop our third President. soldiers and their British Officers that Both these great men contributed not has always characterised service in the only to the Society and Anglo-Nepali Brigade of Gurkhas. This is as true today relations but in many other spheres. Lord as in the past. The deaths of Sgt Balaram Hunt was initially a distinguished soldier Rai and Lt Evans of the Queen’s Gurkha whose leadership of the successful 1953 Engineers on active service in Kosovo Everest expedition brought him into this year serves as the latest example. prominence on the world stage. His The Society extends their sympathy to undoubted ability as a leader and a the relatives of both families. thinker took him into the fields of youth I hope readers will find the story work and social affairs and as an adviser behind ‘that portrait’ interesting. The to government. Sir George Bishop was Society is fortunate to have such a direct an eminent civil servant before entering link in the person of Mayura Brown back into a successful career in the business to the days of the establishment of the world. Both men were keen Rana dynasty. Times have moved on and mountaineers and were past Presidents of Nepal now has a constitutional monarchy the Royal Geographic Society. Full and a system of political parties. Dr tributes are elsewhere in the Journal. The Andrew Hall of the FCO Research world is very much the poorer for their Department and former Deputy Head of passing. Mission in Kathmandu returned there at At the end of 1998 the Society was the time of the last general election and concerned that His Majesty King has contributed an informative report. Birendra was to attend the Cromwell Maintaining the military theme Maj Road Hospital for a heart condition. It Ken Ross describes his work with the was with much relief that we learnt that Gurkha Welfare Trust on the ground in the treatment had been successful and Nepal. Direct military links also exist that his subsequent visit later in the year between the British Army as a whole and for a check-up was equally reassuring. the Royal Nepalese Army. The retiring The basis for Anglo-Nepali Chief of Army Staff, General Dharmapal relationship initially resulted from war Bar Singh Thapa paid a farewell visit to between Nepal and the East India UK earlier in the year. He had graduated Company when former adversaries from Sandhurst and had visited UK on a became united in respect for each other. number of occasions and has many This in turn led to the formation of the friends and contacts in the British Army, Gurkha Regiments which, although some of whom were able to meet him at much reduced, still exist today in the a reception held at the Embassy. His British Army. Research into the early successor, General Prajwalla Shumshere history following the war of 1815 and Jangbahdur Rana is also a graduate from the Treaty of Segauli has been described Sandhurst and, as a Gunner, also of the by Capt AP (Jimmy) Coleman in his Royal School of Artillery at Larkhill. I 2 BRI41746 BRITAIN-NEPAL SOC. MAG:BRI41746 BRITAIN-NEPAL SOC. MAG 20/10/11 10:46 Page 3 am certain we shall see him in UK the Association’s work in west Nepal, during his tenure. known as the Pipar Project and the The article written by Christine involvement of the late Lieutenant Russell of GAP in the last edition of the Colonel Jimmy Roberts. journal on the work of GAP students in I extend my thanks to all the Nepal is complemented by an article contributors without whom there would describing the experience of a GAP be no journal, and to all those who sponsored Nepalese teacher in a UK support the journal by placing their school. I am pleased that this edition advertisements with us. I must features two of our younger members. acknowledge the generous financial Angela Karki, born and brought up in support given by our auditors Moore England, describes her feelings on first Stephens. visiting Nepal and her relations there, And finally returning once again to the and the problems of dealing with a unique military link between Britain and cultural divide. James Yeats-Brown who Nepal, members will be well aware that masterminded the very successful elements of the 2nd Battalion Royal photography competition that was Gurkha Rifles from Brunei have been displayed at the Nepali Supper explains amongst the spearhead of the British the background to the competition. He is deployment to East Timor in support of to be congratulated on a very successful United Nations operations. At the time of and interesting event. writing the situation there looks grim, On an entirely different note Keith and I am certain all members will be Howman, President of the World watching anxiously at developments and Pheasant Association, who gave a very wishing a safe return to all those interesting talk to the Society, describes involved. Lawrie Group 3 BRI41746 BRITAIN-NEPAL SOC. MAG:BRI41746 BRITAIN-NEPAL SOC. MAG 20/10/11 10:46 Page 4 Gurkha Welfare Trust P.O. Box 18215, 2nd Floor 1 Old Street, London EC1V 9XB Tel: 020 7251 5234 Fax: 020 7251 5248 Registered Charity Number 1034080 4 BRI41746 BRITAIN-NEPAL SOC. MAG:BRI41746 BRITAIN-NEPAL SOC. MAG 20/10/11 10:46 Page 5 THE SOCIETY’S NEWS by Pat Mellor Honorary Secretary Lectures area north of Pokhara which is home to During this last year, we have carried on five of Nepal’s pheasant species. A leaflet the plan to hold five talks between is enclosed with this edition of the October and July, as the idea worked well Journal. during 1997/98. For March 1999, some of our younger In October 1998 Jonathan Gregson, a members had gathered together to arrange travel journalist with The Sunday a presentation. Four of them gave us short Telegraph as well as other periodicals, talks - Angela Karki, (daughter of Harish gave the Society a talk on ‘The British Karki, past member of our Executive Gurkhas in Nepal’ and their role in Committee and the President of the Yeti relation to tourism and conservation in Association) spoke of her life at the Annapurna region. Jonathan gave us a University. Her talk was followed by most interesting talk on the effects of Abindra Karki, son of Colonel Karki, past tourism in everyday life, how Military Attache at the Royal Nepalese conservation has to be planned to combat Embassy, who spoke on the choice of some aspects of tourism, and how ex- opportunities presented to him and his Gurkha soldiers fit into this role. He first decision to accompany his father to showed us wonderful colour slides of the America and now to be with him in this area which were taken by his wife Sarah. country and attend University here. Then Keith Howman gave us a talk entitled followed two talks on attempts on ‘Pokhara Peaks & Pheasants’ in January climbing Everest given by Paul Deegan 1999. This was about the legendary figure and Peter Burrell of Exodus Travel. These of the late Colonel Jimmy Roberts. It had were both very exciting and accompanied been planned to have a joint talk, with by beautiful slides. Altogether a varied Colonel Charles Wylie giving us an and interesting evening. insight into the climbing side of Jimmy Dr Krishna Shrestha delivered the May Roberts life, while Keith told us of the 1999 talk. His title was “Nepal - the land later part of his life which amongst many of unique ecosystem and rich bio- other things, was taken up with the diversity”. Dr Shrestha is the Darwin conservation of pheasants in Nepal. Fellow in the Botany Department at the Sadly, on that day Colonel Wylie attended Natural History Museum and he gave us the Thanksgiving Service for the life of an outstanding talk on the natural history his friend and climbing companion, and of Nepal, accompanied by most our first President, Lord Hunt and was, of interesting slides which he had made to course, unable to speak to us. However, illustrate the different levels of natural Keith gave us a fascinating insight into ecosystems as well as beautiful pictures the conservation of pheasants (not just of flora and fauna. This evening was pheasants as you find here, but many strongly supported, and we were different gloriously coloured birds). Keith honoured to welcome His Excellency The is the President of the World Pheasant Royal Nepalese Ambassador and Her Association, and is now active in running Royal Highness Princess Jotshana, who the Jimmy Roberts Memorial Fund which both enjoyed the talk.

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