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The Wessex Cave Club Journal THE WESSEX CAVE CLUB JOURNAL VOLUME 25 NUMBER 268 FEBRUARY 2000 THE WESSEX CAVE CLUB JOURNAL VOLUME 25 NUMBER 268 February 2000 PRESIDENT RICHARD KENNEY VICE PRESIDENTS PAUL DOLPHIN Contents GRAHAM BALCOMBE JACK SHEPPARD CHAIRMAN DAVE MORRISON Windrush Club News 122 Upper Bristol Rd Clutton New Members 122 BS18 4RH 01761 452437 Membership 123 SECRETARY MARK KELLAWAY 5 Brunswick Close Bob Lewis 123 Twickenham Middlesex TW2 5ND Mendip 2000 124/125 020 8943 2206 secretary@wessex-cave-club. org Speleo Festival, Ile-de-France 126 TREASURER & MARK HELMORE MRO CO-ORDINATOR 01761 416631 Letter to the Editor 127 EDITOR VERN FREEMAN Unpaid Members 128 33 Alton Rd Fleet Hants Water Tracing (Biddlecombe) 129 GU13 9HW 01252 629621 editor@wessex-cave-club. org In The Mud & Water 131 MEMBERSHIP DAVE COOKE Lights 133 SECRETARY 33 Laverstoke Gardens Roehampton London Every Intention 134 SW15 4JB 020 8788 9955 [email protected] Somerset v Hitler (Review) 134 CAVING SECRETARY LES WILLIAMS Flooding At Thrupe 135 TRAINING OFFICER 01749 679839 & C&A OFFICER [email protected] Library Report 136 NORTHERN KEITH SANDERSON CAVING SECRETARY 015242 51662 Black & Cream 137 GEAR CURATOR LAURIE ORR Logbook Extracts 138 HUT ADMIN. OFFICER DAVE MEREDITH HUT WARDEN WENDY WILLIAMS Events Diary 140 SALES OFFICER JONATHAN WILLIAMS WCC Headquarters, Upper Pitts, Eastwater Lane WEBMASTER sales@ wessex-cave-club. org Priddy, Somerset, BA5 3AX Telephone 01749 672310 COMMITTEE MEMBER BRIAN PITMAN & CLUB PROCEDURES © Wessex Cave Club 2000. All rights reserved ISSN 0083-811X AUDITOR Opinions expressed in the Journal are not necessarily COMMITTEE MEMBER PHIL HENDY those of the Club or the Editor & LIBRARIAN Club News Apologies to Wendy for not giving her the full credit On Saturday 5th February a wake was held in the for the visit to Giant’s Cave and the catering back room of The Hunters for Bob Lewis. This was afterwards, as mentioned in the last WCC Journal. very well attended by colleagues and caving friends Of course, Les did help! of Bob. Maurice Hewins The Club caving meets have started very well this The Ladder on Dolphin Pot in Eastwater has been year. There was a good turn out for the Devon meet removed. The other ladders on the way to the West and many people have already booked for the End have been rolled up in a dry place. Please do Easter meet in Ireland. There are plenty more meets not use these, but if you do, please roll them back and events still to be arranged, but if there is up. You use them at your own risk! somewhere special or different that you wish to get to, contact Les Williams. The Hut Working Weekend was a great success with a great deal being achieved. Butch (Hut On behalf of the Wessex Cave Club, Admin) would like to thank everyone for their ‘congratulations’ to Malc Foyle and Rita who support and hard work. Why not support YOUR hut recently got engaged. and go along to see the improvements made, or offer help for further work that needs doing. See Butch for details. Address Changes Jonathan Williams, who kindly set up the WCC website last year, has agreed to become the Juliet Walsh Wessex Cave Club Webmaster. If you have any 4020 Sparks Street, Terrace, BC, V8G 2W3 Canada comments on the site or any information you would Tel: 250 635 0743 like put onto the site, please contact him. Murray Knapp 11 St James Close, Bramley, Tadley, Hants RG26 5XH Kathy Glenton New Members 6 Stockmead, Langford, Bristol Darron Brown BS40 5JD Tel: 01934 852912 1 Tiree Close, Northend, Hemel Hempstead. Alan Oberman HP3 8TS Tel: 01442 399804 The Old School, Rhulen, Builth Wells, Powys Georgios Rafeletos LD2 3UU Tel: 01982 570432 80 Philip St, Eccles, Manchester. Mike Thomas M30 0WE Tel: 0161 7070973 11 Boundstone Close, Wrecclesham, Farnham Email: [email protected] Surrey GU10 4RW Tel: 01252 795793 Catherine Manhire Graham Prole Woodbury View, Whimple, Exeter. 10 Elm Castle Park, Kilnamanagh, Dublin 24 EX5 2PA Tel: 01404 822955 Republic of Ireland Tel: 00 353 1461 0646 [email protected] Nathan Jones Steven Rendell C/O 42 Venus St, Congresbury, Bristol 1 Marley Cottage, Horsington, Templecombe, BS49 5HB Tel: 01275 858096 Somerset. Tel: 01963 370959 Alan Jenkins 28 Richmond Ave, Hillingdon, Middlesex Address Correction UB10 9BQ Tel: 01895 232979 Russell Brooks Steve Buck 1, Grove Ave, Pudsey, West Yorks. 35 Oxford Lane, Grove, Wantage, Oxfordshire LS28 7SF Tel: 01132 572550 OX12 7PL Tel: 01235 769542 122 Wessex Cave Club Journal Membership Dave G Cooke Replacement Membership Cards After some thought and with the agreement of the The committee has decided that the Club cannot committee I have been operating as follows. All afford to replace everyone's membership card this new members pay the standard subscription for a year, but if yours has died of old age a new one will full year upon joining. I then calculate the amount be sent on request with the next Journal. due back based on the proportion of the year that has been missed. This is deducted from the Credit Card Payment following years subscription when it is due and I The Club has negotiated a facility with the BCRA to inform the member in writing. This means that allow overseas members to pay subscriptions by everything is square once the member's second credit card if they wish. Hopefully this will make the subscription has been paid. life of those abroad easier. There will be a small surcharge to cover the administration involved. This method has several advantages: Unfortunately, currently it is not possible to extend • There is no confusion about the amount that a this service to UK members. Our thanks go to the new member should pay. It is always the standard BCRA and Pete Cousins in particular. amount, and is written on the back of the membership form for convenience. Pro-Rata Fees for New Members • New members must always jump a significant The 1998 AGM added a clause to Rule 8 to allow financial hurdle upon joining. Not only does this the fees for new members joining part way through show the right kind of commitment to the Club, but the year to be pro-rata'd. The clause established stops the kind of abuse that a tiny joining fee at the the principle, but failed to explain how it should be end of the year would encourage. implemented. The 1999 AGM asked for the details • Only one person, the Membership Secretary, has to be documented and if necessary to amend the any sums to perform. At least this means the maths Club Rules. will be consistent and hopefully accurate as well. BOB LEWIS It is with deep regret that I record the passing of Bob Lewis, one of Mendip's most original and eccentric characters. Bob was a Wessex member for many years although his first loyalty was to the Severn Valley Caving Club where he was central to many activities. He was a keen and persistent digger, particularly in South Wales. Bob declined the use of modern aids such as helmets and rechargeable lamps for a woolly hat and torch, often caving alone in a variety of countries. However despite his many lone trips Bob was always tolerant and patient with those less capable and experienced than himself. He was a member of the Expedition to Iran, which went by bus and initiator and leader of the 1986 reconnaissance to Guizhou and the 1988 Expedition to the same area in South West China. Declining to pursue sponsorship, the expeditions members travelled by plane, boat, train and bus to their final destination. Generous to a fault and with a keen interest in the environment and plants Bob will be missed by all of those who got to know him. Paul Weston Volume 25 Number 268 February 2000 123 • If the member doesn't renew in the second year Where the subscription is £30 and the committee the Club is up on the deal. meeting is held in the 14th week of the Club year. Note • No refunds are given for non-renewing Note members. • The week number should count from 1, not zero. • The late payment surcharge is still applied even • The week of the committee meeting that if a large proportion of the coming year has already approved the application should be used, not the been prepaid. week that the application form was received. The formula for the discount is (thinking caps required here): Finally adding the above to the Club Rules is Discount = Subscription - (53-Week Number)/52 x impracticable. I suggest the Rules remain as they Subscription are, but the above is entered into the Clubs E.g. The Discount would be £30 - (53-14)/52 X £30 Procedures Book and a summary in the Member's = £30 - [39/52 X £30] Handbook. = £30 - £22.50 = £7.50 refund A Weekend of Events and Entertainment for Mendip Cavers 9, 10, 11'" June, 2000 At Priddy Village Hall and other local venues • BCRA Regional Meeting • Stomp • Rescue Training • Training Sessions • SRT at Split Rock • Wessex Challenge • Slide and Digital Picture Show • Cave Boot Sales • Barbecue • Digging Out With J Rat For further details visit the Mendip Caving 2000 website www.mendipnet.co.uk/2000 Or contact CSCC Training Officer Andy Sparrow on 01749 677192 Mendip Caving 2000 is a non-profit making event co-ordinated by the Council of Southern Caving Clubs (CSCC) Contributing bodies include the British Cave Research Association (BCRA), Mendip Rescue Organisation (MRO), and the Wessex Cave Club.
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