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THE BELFRY BULLETIN ____________________________________ No. 262 - JANUARY 1970 ____________________________________ VOLUME 24 No.1
Editorial Mike Luckwill Readers will find in this B.B., a tribute to Mike Luckwill, whose tragic accident in North Wales has robbed us of our new editor for the B.B. Mike had great plans for our club magazine, and the fact that he will never now carry them out is our loss. Situations Vacant!
CONTENTS CAVING Little Neath River Cave Monthly Notes Stream Passage Pot
2 5 7
CLIMBING On Climbing (Vitis) Fatal Accident
6 7
CLUB BUSINESS Editorial Notices etc. Cuthbert’s Leaders Meet
1 2 9
BOOK REVIEW H.E.Balch
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____________________________________ Bristol Exploration Club, Hon. Secretary: - A.R. THOMAS, Westhaven School, Uphill, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset Temporary Hon. Editor: - S. COLLINS Lavender Cottage, Bishop Sutton, Bristol ____________________________________
As you have probably guessed, I have agreed to go back to my old job of B.B. editor for a short period, while we find a new permanent Editor. Dave Irwin, after two years of showing us just how good a magazine the club can produce, now finds that the volume of work on our other series of publications – the Caving Reports is taking up all of his time. You don’t want me for another spell of eleven years, and so I am appealing to members to think seriously about becoming new permanent editor of the B.B. You don’t have to be able to type, although learning is not as bad as you might think. What you DO have to do is to produce a regular monthly B.B. by getting the material in from club members and others. You have a reasonably free hand with layout, contents, etc., but you must be prepared to do the job for a few years. How about it blokes? Somewhere in the club, a budding editor lurks – come out into the open – fame awaits you! Caving Ethics
After the letter from John Riley, and the Editorial in the Christmas B.B. on this subject, the Committee have decided to express their official views on the allied subject of access to caves. The Committee feel that a policy of gating, provided that this is coupled with a system of providing ready access to all accredited cavers, is the only policy which makes sense these days of mass caving. The need to reduce accidents due to sheer inexperience; to During the Temporary Editorship. preserve underground scenery and, in some cases, to allow Articles may be submitted to the temporary scientific work to be carried out, all require some form of Hon. Ed., or, as previously to D. Irwin, 23 controlled access. This is the policy which the BEC have Camden Road, Bristol 3 or give to any adopted in Cuthbert’s attempting to throw the cave wide committee member for onward delivery open to all interested cavers is consistent with the above aims. We seem, whether we like it or not, to be entering a decade in which ‘cave politics’ will play an increasing role in the affairs of cavers. We hope that men of common sense will draw a reasonable dividing line between complete anarchy and over rigid control. “Alfie”