89
Vol XXVI No.8
B 72 B
CONTENTS
August 1972 No. 298
BRISTOL EXPLORATION CLUB
List of Club Officers
Page 89
Editorial
Page 90
More about knots
Page 90
Member’s Addresses
Page 94
Caving Secretary’s Report for 1972
Page 95
Editor’s Report for 1972
Page 95
CLUB HEADQUARTERS ‘The Belfry’, Wells Rd., Priddy, Wells, Somerset. Tele: WELLS 72126
CLUB COMMITTEE Chairman: S.J. Collins MINUTES OF THE 1971 ANNUAL GENERAL Minutes Sec: D. Turner MEETING Page 91 Members: R. Bagshaw; R. Hobbs; D.J. Irwin; N. Jago; T.E. Large; A.R. Thomas; Travels with a Test Tube (Part One) Page 93
Proposed Changes to the Ian Dear Memorial Page 96 Climbing in Cornwall
Page 98
Notices
Page 99
Monthly Crossword No.24
Page 100
Any views expressed by any contributor to the Belfry Bulletin, including those of officers of the club, do not necessarily coincide with those of the editor or the committee of the Bristol Exploration Club, unless stated as being the view of the committee or editor. MENDIP RESCUE ORGANISATION
OFFICERS OF THE CLUB Hon. Secretary: A.R. Thomas, Allen’s House, Nine Barrows Lane, Priddy, Wells, Somerset. Tel: PRIDDY 269. Hon. Treasurer: R.J. Bagshaw, 699 Wells Road, Knowle, Bristol 4. Tel: WHITCHURCH. 5626. Caving Sec: T.E. Large, 39 Seymour Ave, Bishopston, Bristol. Climbing Sec: N. Jago, 27 Quantock Rd, Windmill Hill, Bedminster, Bristol 3. Hut Warden: R. Orr. ‘The Belfry’, as above. Hut Engineer: R. Hobbs, Rose Cottage, West End, Nailsea, Bristol. Tele BRISTOL 77368 Tacklemaster: D. Turner. Address to follow. B.B. Editor: S.J. Collins, Lavender Cottage, Bishop Sutton, Nr. Bristol. Librarian: D.J. Irwin, Townsend Cottage, Priddy, Wells, Somerset. Publications: D.J. Irwin. Address as above B.B. Post: Mrs. K. Mansfield, Tiny Kott, Little London, Oakhill, Bath, Somerset.
In case of emergency telephone WELLS 73481. _______________________________________________________________________________________ THIS YEAR’S DINNER As usual, the B.E.C. are not issuing tickets. One books up for the dinner by getting in touch with the Hon. Treasurer - Bob Bagshaw and by paying him £1.10 (22/- in old money) per person. PLEASE try to do this as soon as possible, as Bob has to tell the caterers how many people are coming, and he can only make a wild guess if you all wait until the last minute! The date is SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7TH.
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Editorial NOMINATIONS Now is the time for nominations for the 1972~73 Committee. In past years, we used to print a form for this but it was generally agreed that it was a waste of paper to print some 300 forms when at best only a dozen or so would be actually used. The system in the B.E.C., for the benefit of newer members, is delightfully simple. Suppose you think that Bert Bodge would make a good committee member. All you do is to ASK him whether he would be prepared to serve on the committee if he were elected. If he says he would, you then WRITE on any suitable piece of paper “I wish to nominate Bert Bodge for the 1972-73 Committee and he has agreed to serve if elected.� The exact wording is not important as long as you make sure that you say he will serve. SIGN it with your own name and club membership no., if you can remember it. (This is only a quick check to make sure that you are paid up - otherwise your nomination is invalid) and GIVE or SEND it to ALAN THOMAS, to reach him AT LEAST THREE WEEKS BEFORE THE A.G.M. (i.e. by Saturday 16th September). You may nominate as many people as you wish and you do not need a seconder. Those nominated must a of course, be PAID UP club members. Present members of the committee are deemed to be nominated automatically unless they wish to stand down. So far, no one has said they wish to stand down. This procedure does not give present committee members any advantage, but was instituted so that, if no nominations are received, at least we still have a committee. (This has actually happened on several occasions in the past). In this B.B. and the next, you will find various reports. They may - or may not - make dull reading, but they save a lot of time at the A.G.M. _______________________________________________________________________________________ After the article in which the double bowline and the bowline-on-a-bight were mentioned, several people have said that these are, in fact, two separate knots which should not be mixed up. MAURICE ILES has sent in a piece of rope (it must be the oddest way for a contribution to the B.B. to be received) in which is tied a knot which he says is a Bowline-on-a-Bight. It is reproduced opposite. Perhaps more members who have skill in getting us knotted will care to join in!
_______________________________________________________________________________________ The committee would like to record the thanks on behalf of club to Mary Ham, Colleen and Sue for their donations to the first aid box for the Belfry. _______________________________________________________________________________________ A NEW CLUB SECTION? Nigel Jago says that if any club member is interested in building a fibre glass canoe, they should get in touch with him. His address is at the beginning of this B.B. Please note that it has changed since last month.
91
Minutes of the 1971 Annual General Meeting Held at Oliver's Bar, Bristol on Saturday, 2nd October 1971. There being some 40 members present, the meeting opened by the Hon. Secretary calling members to order at 2.30 pm. The meeting then proceeded to elect a Chairman. The names of D.J. Irwin; R.A. Setterington; S.J. Collins and Dr. O.C. Lloyd were proposed from the floor. On a show of hands, Dr. O.C. Lloyd was elected as Chairman. The Chairman then called for the collection of ballot papers and members resolutions. The Chairman called for three volunteers to act as tellers. Mrs. Wilton, Mrs. Franklin and Mrs. Meadon volunteered and were accepted by the meeting. The Chairman then suggested that the minutes of the 1970 meeting should be taken as read, since they had been published in the B.B. This was agreed. Pete Franklin then proposed an amendment “That the name of' Phil Coles be deleted from the minutes” (His name was reported as being the only person voting a particular way at the previous A.G.M.) The Chairman asked Alfie why this had been so reported, it being the usual practice to leave out names. Alfie replied that Phil had specifically requested that his name be placed on record in this manner. A vote was taken and the amendment carried 9 - 5 with the remainder abstaining. It was agreed to record this amendment to R. A. Setterington then proposed that “All matters in minutes referring to Committee actions should be checked.” A discussion arose and the Chairman accepted ‘Sett’s’ offer to read the minutes and to bring up such queries as might appropriate. D.J. Irwin then proposed that the minutes be accepted. This was seconded by Bob White and carried nem. Con. The Chairman then moved on to the Hon. Secretary's report. This too, had been previously published. Alan Thomas said that he would like to add some remarks, which the Chairman accepted as an addendum to the report. Alan said that the attitude of some members using the Belfry left a lot to be desired. There had been incidents involving damage to the ceiling and when the Committee tried to hold an investigation, they were told a tissue of lies which led to the club falling out with another club from the North. He suggested that the new Committee would have to look very seriously at Belfry Discipline. The Chairman said that the meeting should note these remarks and adopt or discuss the report as a whole. Mike Palmer then proposed the adoption of the report with the addendum. This was seconded by Bob White and carried nem. con. The Hon. Treasurer's Report followed. This had been published, and the Chairman invited the Hon. Treasurer to add anything if he wished. Bob Bagshaw said that the sum of £574 as published should read £547. This was no doubt, an error on the part of the B.B. Editor. He pointed out that the outgoings for the Belfry included two years insurance. There were some small items which the auditor wished to be cleared up before approving the accounts. Bob said that we had some money in Club funds to be going on with. He also said that he had received some subscriptions but by no means all. The Chairman asked about the payment of income tax, and said that some other clubs seemed to be able to avoid paying it. Bob replied that normally tax is chargeable on interest of investments but possibly some other clubs had obtained relief on this point and promised to look further into the matter. Bob Cross then proposed the acceptance of the Hon. Treasurer's report. This was seconded by Martin Webster and carried nem. con. The Chairman then asked for the Caving Report, which the Caving Secretary read out. There were no comments. Dave Irwin proposed the adoption of the report. This was seconded by Alan Thomas and carried unanimously. The Chairman then asked for the Climbing Report. Alfie said that no report had been received for publication. The Climbing Secretary was not present at the meeting. Dave Irwin suggested that this be deferred until later. This was generally agreed by the meeting. The Chairman then asked for the Tacklemaster's Report. Bill Cooper pointed out that he had just taken on the job and would sort through the tackle and report to the Committee. The Chairman said that in view of the situation, he would recommend this suggestion to the meeting, and asked if the were any points
92 concerning tackle which members might wish to raise. Mike Palmer reminded the meeting that the Committee had been asked to look into losses of tackle. Alan Thomas replied that this had been done and the one ladder still missing had been written off. He said that Tim Large was still putting adverts in 'Descent.' Mike Palmer said that there were only two lengths of ladder in the Tackle store. Dave Irwin replied that on the particular weekend to which Mike Palmer was referring, tackle had been taken to Yorkshire and to Wales. Mike Palmer suggested that there should be an instruction to next year's committee that the Tacklemaster keeps a new record book and that trips off Mendip MUST be supplied with tackle from the Tacklernaster directly and NOT from the Belfry. A discussion followed the Chairman summarised this. There should be three lots of tackle. One for Cuthbert’s; one for the rest of Mendip and the remainder held off Mendip by the Tacklemaster for trips away from Mendip. A list of tackle should be prepared and published together with the procedure for obtaining it and returning it after use. In view of the number of people whose suggestions were incorporated in this summary, the Chairman suggested that it be recorded that the new Committee should take into consideration all the views expressed. The Tacklemaster's report was then proposed to be accepted by Mike Palmer, seconded by Phil Coles and carried nem. con. The Chairman then called for discussion of the Hut Warden's report. 'Sett' asked whether day charges were still being collected. Pete Franklin said that they were collected if people used the cooking facilities. In reply to a further question, Pete said that no fees payable are published. Alan Thomas said that the showers appeared to be little use judging by the money collected. A short discussion follow and it was felt that the time delay in heating the water was the cause of the showers relative unpopularity. The Chairman suggested that the Committee should look into the operation of the showers. A conscience box placed next to the water heater was also suggested. It was also suggested that the committee look into Belfry charges in view of the changing pattern of caver’s habits. Dave Irwin warned the meeting not to make rash judgments on this subject. The report was proposed to be adopted by Alfie and seconded by Mike Palmer and carried without dissent. A vote of thanks to the retiring Hut Warden was then proposed by Alfie seconded by Alan Thomas and carried with acclaim. The Belfry Engineer’s Report was than discussed. It was agreed during a short discussion that the Belfry Engineer obtained very little support from members. Alan Thomas said that despite this, he had done a good job. The report was adopted on a proposal from Frank Jones seconded by Bob White and carried nem. con. The Chairman asked for the Hon. Librarian’s Report. Alfie aid that no report had been received but that he had seen Dave Searles who sent his apologies for not being able to attend the meeting. The Chairman said that he would note Afie’s remarks, and that the production of a proper report should be dealt with by the new Committee. The Chairman then called for discussion on the B.B. Editor’s Report. Alfie explained that his proposals for changing the publication interval of the B.B. were designed to stimulate discussion so that the feelings of the meeting could be asserted. The Chairman said that properly this was matter for the editor and the Committee to decide. The meetimg voted against the scheme by 16 – 22. The Editor said that there was no intention of going against the wishes of the club, and as far as he was concerned, we should now continue with a monthly publication. The adoption of the report was proposed by Bob Bagshaw, seconded by ‘Sett’ and carried without dissent. The Chairman then announced the results of the ballot for the new Committee. Voting was as follows: Bob Bagshaw 69; Dave Irwin 66; Alan Thomas 63; Tim Large 54, Alfie 50; Pete Stobart 47, Dave Turner 38; Nigel Jago 37; Bill Cooper 38. The Chairman announced that the above had been voted as the 1971-72 Committee. There was no discussion on the Caving Publications Report. The adoption of this report was proposed by Pete Franklin coupled with a vote of thanks to Dave Irwin for all the work he had put in. This was seconded by Mike Palmer and carried unanimously. The Chairman then moved on to Members Resolutions, the first of which was from ‘Sett’, seconded by Bob Bagshaw, “That the B.E.C. Annual General Meeting is not the proper time place to discuss the removal of fixed tackle from Cuthbert’s.” With no discussion, the Chairman put the resolution to the vote (I mean since there was no discussion, I am not implying that the Chairman stifled discussion! - Ed.) and it was carried by 21 - 11.
93 The next resolution, proposed by Dave Irwin and seconded Roy Bennett was, “That this meeting extends the Guest Leader system to cover all clubs on a National basis with a similar arrangement to the existing scheme.” Again, no discussion resulted, and the resolution was carried with one dissent. The third resolution was proposed by Pete Franklin and seconded by Ron ("Kangy") King, "That the A.G.M. and Dinner be held on separate dates next year to be decided by the Committee on direction from this meeting.” After a short discussion, it was put to the vote and was lost by 18-19. There being no other business, and having some time in hand the Chairman asked for any other business. Bob Bagshaw proposed a vote of thanks to the tellers. This was seconded by Graham Phippen and carried unanimously. Graham then that there was a shortage of digging equipment and a lack direction for keen, younger members. Various people replied that there was a lot of work to be done, apart from the obvious caving and. digging. The Library was deficient. A battery charger was needed. The Chairman asked the committee to take note of all these points. The matter of the Climbing Report was next taken up. committee, Nigel Jago, that he would produce one.
The new Climbing representative on the
The Chairman then asked ‘Sett’ to produce any matters from the previous minutes. All the actions had, in fact, been cleared up. A query was put to the I.D.M.F. Committee from the floor asking whether the present notice for intending trips was realistic. The point was noted, and the I.D.M.F. Committee were instructed to look into this and other aspects of the operation of the fund. There being no further business, the Chairman then declared the meeting closed. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Travels with a TEST TUBE
ROGER STENNER recently received a grant to study marine pollution by metals which enabled him to see quite a bit of Europe. Needless to say, he managed to fit in time to do some show caves en route. This is the first description of caves he visited.
Three weeks in March and April, working in fantastic unbroken sunshine between Sagres and Cadiz had to come to an end some time and after a morning spent weegee-ing in Cordoba, a drive on IN SPAIN AND FRANCE good roads (a change after the Mini-wrecking minor roads I had had to use so much) took me to Northern Spain. A drive through a huge limestone gorge to the North of Burgos led eventually down into the limestones where there are many caves which contain Palaeolithic paintings. On my first afternoon there, I had a look at the Cavern del Castillo at Puente Viesgo, on the main road from Burgos to Santander. The cave would be interesting enough without the paintings – smooth, gently dipping rock, with glorious solutional arches and well decorated. Then there are the paintings, the whole lot very well protected by the guides ("Up here, you padrone me servant: Down there, me boss!") The cave walls look untouched, and the paintings as fresh as the day they were painted. The guide showed genuine enthusiasm for the caves there and he obviously still gets the same kick out of them as he did when he saw then for the first time. PART 1: SOME PAINTED CAVES
Castillo was not mutilated when engineered for a show cave, and lighting was kept to a minimum. Paintings were illuminated by a hand torch. The paintings make clever use of natural features in the rock, and perhaps the most famous is the elephant. Not far from it, a rock movement has left the base of a big pillar suspended about a foot from the floor, looking like an elephant's front leg. A coincidence? In another passage is a sequence of solutional arches about two feet apart. In each one, a half circle and two dots are enough to give an uncanny feeling that one is being watched. I was able to make a series of air temperature and air CO2 measurements, but that’s another story. The guide was helpful and friendly, adding to the pleasure of the trip. We were there for three hours, and the guide did not seem to be upset by the fact that I was the only customer that afternoon.
94 Next morning, I drove to the famous cave of Altamira. This cave is highly commercialised and extensively engineered, catering impersonally for huge parties. It was most disappointing in spite of the incredible paintings in the gallery of the bulls. It was annoying to be told that I didn't really want to see the famous paintings in the annexe, or to be spoken to sharply when I stopped walking for a moment to look at a delicate little bas-relief on a projection which the guide had ignored. It was just one round of the big chamber in double quick time, and into the gallery of the bulls where the paintings were dripping with condensation from the visitor’s breath. Perhaps there are some people who like this kind trip - there are a lot of peculiar people about. It just left a bad taste in my mouth, which I got rid of by driving back to Fuente Viesgo, where the friendly guide showed me around two other caves close to Castillo – the Cave of the Chimeneas and the Cave of Las monedas. There are other caves there; good ones too; but you need written permits from the Patronato de las Cuevas Prehistoricas de la Provincia de Santander. Both caves were delightful, with good paintings. One centres round a small knob of rock, which forms the eye of a horse. After these trips, the guide threw in a free trip into Castillo to repeat the previous day’s measurements. Then he asked for a copy of the measurements, which we discussed over a bottle of fiery Spanish gin. After Northern Spain, the next cave I saw was in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The de-climatisation from South Spain was completed - by a snowstorm. Clear signposts soon got me to the Grotte de Gargas, famous for a large number of mutilated hand outlines. A recent theory is that the missing joints were amputated to relieve pain from a type of arthritis caused by exposure to cold during adolescence. The paper proposing this theory is plausible, but I still wonder why the cave only features left hands. It was sad to see a famous cave in a disgusting mess. Graffiti on the walls which even covers some Palaeolithic paintings and litter is allowed to accumulate everywhere. The guide was scattering sweet wrappers as we went - not exactly the way to set an example to parties. North to Toulouse next, where I met Kangy and Anne King. I was told I must see the Grotte de Niaux and I was soon driving south again. Behind the huge entrance high on the mountainside there is a good cave in hard limestone. The cave is long, with interesting passages and chambers, mostly completely natural and illuminated by carbide lamps that are provided. The very famous groups of paintings are now protected by cage-like enclosures, apparently a necessary precaution in France. The best paintings give a quite extraordinary feeling of vitality. Three bison paintings overlap to form a beheaded human head in profile which cannot be accidental. Hearts and other vulnerable spots have been highlighted in red on the otherwise black paintings by later (still Palaeolithic) inhabitants. The guide, a pretty black haired girl, pointed out marks representing a Palaeolithic cave survey on R.S.D. lines, and other squiggles which she said had a sexual significance. I looked again - just squiggles. Perhaps it is all in the eye of the beholder? After a most remarkable gastronomic experience at a restaurant La Camille, on the main road from Niaux to Faix, it was time to continue northwards once more. In the Dordogne I stopped long enough to see the Grotte de Font de Gaume. As at Niaux, the French were doing their best to stop any more vandalism. The cave is a solutional feature in very soft limestone - perhaps it is so soft that it should be called a chalk. Most of the formations are inactive. The paintings, often outlined by engraving in the soft rock, are in black and ochre and the style appeared to be the same as the Altamira ones - the most distant of the caves I saw. There were a few mutilated hands unlike the Puente Viesgo hands which were intact. The guide, another girl, pointed, embarrassed to some squiggles of an obvious sexual nature – most indelicate and blushing, hurried on to the next painting. I looked again. Just squiggles. I must be missing something. There are so many good caves around here, but I had to catch the spring tides in the Seine estuary. One day, I’ll have more time to spare but of the caves I had seen, it is the Puente Viesgo caves I want to revisit some day. For the time being, it was time to get down to the job of analysing the car-full specimens I had collected, and plan the fine details of trip to Norway. Now that photo from a show cave at Mo-i-Rhana looks interesting. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Members Addresses Changes Jim Durston, 7 Estuary Park, Combwich, Bridgwater, Somerset. Nigel Taylor, c/o 'Langley', Moors Farm, Berkley, Frome, Som. Stuart Tuttlebury, 28 Butts Road, Alton, Hampshire. Jim Abbott, 28 St. Pauls Rd, Manninghan, Bradford, Yorks. Colin Clark, 186 Cranbrook Rd, Bristol BS 6 7DQ. Alan Coase, 6 Meadow Mead, Frampton Cotterrel, Bristol BS1 2BQ
95
Caving Report
Congratulations to our Caving Secretary - TIM LARGE - for being the first Club Officer to send in his annual report! As follows: The year started off rather slowly - perhaps everyone was still recovering from the dinner; but activity increased towards the middle of the year, remaining fairly constant from then on. As usual, most of the Mendip caves were visited, with Swildons and, of course, Cuthbert’s being the most popular.
Our active cavers consist mostly of new members - who stay regularly at the Belfry, but they come and go more frequently nowadays, thus never forming a really close-knit nucleus as was the case in the past. The old phrase of the "two year caver" appears to have become the "one year caver". During the year there were about ten club trips - mostly on Mendip. Response to these trips remains at a low ebb. On one trip, the leader resorted to writing to everyone personally and even then the attendance was not as good as one might have expected. There seems to be a general apathy towards caving from members these days. Cuthbert’s received its due attention with about thirty tourist trips by visiting clubs. More work has been done on the survey, which is now very nearly completed. The Tuesday night digging team has been regularly attacking the pointed end of the cave, supplemented by the Sunday morning digging team who are digging at the end of Gaur Rift. More water tracing tests have been carried out to help solve the mysteries of Cuthbert’s. Two digs have been officially designated as Club Digs. These being Bucket Bole at East Harptree and the terminal choke dig in Nine Barrows. There have been a few other digs going on throughout the year but they have not yielded their secrets yet. These are at Nettle Hole, Garrowpipe and Rookery Farm Swallet. A rescue practice was held in Cuthbert’s on January 15th, this time the route from September Chamber through the ruckle and out into High Chamber was tried. With many willing hands, all went well except for one very constricted section at the Catgut end of the ruckle, but this was overcome with various unusual contortions. Well, there’s always room for improvement, and perhaps if more members took an active interest in the genuine pursuits of the club, then, maybe, one day we could truly say that we were the best club on Mendip. Tim Large, Hon. Caving Sec. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Editor’s Report
The second of the club Officers' report s for the year - by the Editor. A number of changes have been made to the B. B. this year in an attempt to start it on its second quarter-century in a better manner. Firstly, and most importantly, we have at last managed to take the step I had been hoping for - that of changing from a duplicated to an offset printed magazine.
After some initial snags, the improvement in clarity should by now be noticeable. Although the printing process takes longer than the old duplicating did, I feel that the result more than justifies the extra time spent Secondly, we have gone metric. A B.B. which keeps on changing its size is a nuisance to librarians and to others who make a collection of them, but in this case the change was necessary - since it will become more and more difficult to get hold of the old British quarto size paper. We chose the smaller of the two metric sizes which were sensible to have - that of the A5 size. The other alternative was A4 which has been adopted by the Wessex Journal. Members may like to compare the two. I feel that our choice was the right one. Lastly, we have a new stiff cover. For this, we are indebted to Barry Wilton, who produced a number of designs from which we could choose. The cover chosen was by an almost unanimous choice of those involved.
96 After some slight controversy about how many pages of the new paper size represented a fair deal for members, I settled on a basic number of 24 pages per issue (12 pages on this re-issue). I am pleased to say that this has not only been kept up so far this year, but has twice been exceeded. This is, of course, due to the good response by club members in writing for the B.B. and I should like to record my thanks to all those who have made my Job so much easier by writing for the B.B. without prompting. I hope to incorporate some smaller improvements next year, but I feel that we shall have to wait for some time before the next major improvement can take place that of having a decent typeface. This move, when it comes, will be expensive and it is unlikely that the club will be able to afford it for some time yet. I hope that we shall hear from new authors next year in addition to those faithful stalwarts whose efforts largely keep the B.B. going. I should like to conclude by thanking Kay Mansfield for the work she does in folding, collating, stapling and distributing the B.B.; Barry Wilton, who has helped me considerably with printing and cover design and Tony Corrigan, whose knowledge of the offset litho process and willingness to help and to provide essential supplies has been quite invaluable. S.J. Collins, Hon. Editor, B.B. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Ian Dear Memorial Fund
PLEASE NOTE: THE CHANGES TO THE IAN DEAR MEMORIAL FUND DETAILED IN THIS ACCOUNT ARE TO BE PUT TO THE A.G.M. AS A RESOLUTION
At a meeting of the Ian Dear Memorial Committee (which was reported in this volume of the B.B. in January) a number of things were decided. Present at the meeting, which was held at the Belfry on December 12th of last year, were R.A. Setterington (Chairman), M.A. Palmer (minutes Secretary), N. Jago, R. Bagshaw and A. Thomas. As members will know, the late Ian Dear, an active and popular club member, left a sum of ÂŁ300 to the club for the purpose of assisting young members to visit the continent for caving, climbing etc. The Ian Dear Memorial Committee felt that insufficient use was being made of this sum. This, they felt, could be partly overcome by better publicity and by the fostering of trip to places abroad, but this in itself was not likely to be enough. They therefore propose that the rules governing the allocation of monies from this fund be altered, to allow more flexibility in the arrangements. Since this is a formal notice to club members of a resolution to be put before the Annual General Meeting, the present set of rules, and the proposed changes will be set out in full. There are seven of these rules. 1. The fund shall be known as the Ian Dear Memorial Fund. No change is proposed to this rule. 2. The bequest shall be used to set up a fund to assist junior members to visit caving or climbing areas of the continent. Further donations may be added to the fund. It is resolved that this rule read as follows:2. The bequest shall be used to set up a fund to assist CERTAIN members to visit caving or climbing areas ABROAD. Further donations may be added to the fund. The changed words have been written in capitals. The intention here is to broaden both the age limit and the places it is permitted to assist in visiting. 3. The fund will be administered by a sub-committee of five club members, of whom one must be the Hon. Treasurer of the club. The remainder to be nominated annually by the General Committee. The Sub-Committee to report to the Annual General Meeting.
97 It is resolved to amend this rule as follows: 3. The fund will be administered by a Ian Dear Memorial Fund Committee of five club members which will include the Hon. Treasurer, the Caving and Climbing Secretaries and two members to serve in perpetuity until considered necessary of replacement. This rule has been considerably modified. In line with past practice, the Caving and Climbing secretaries now form part of the committee – this happened in fact even though the old rules did not expressly state this inclusion. The other two members will give continuity to the committee. 4. Any club member under the age of eighteen may apply. Members over eighteen and under twenty one years of age may be considered in exceptional circumstances. The age qualification will apply on the first day of July of the year of the proposed trip. It is resolved to amend this rule as follow:4. Any club member under the age of eighteen may apply. Members over eighteen years of age may be considered in exceptional circumstances. e.g. members studying full time. This change is mainly to get rid of the date qualification. The upper age qualification is also removed. 5. Applications must be received by the first day of March of the year of the proposed trip. The applicant must furnish brief details of itinery and cost at the time of application. It is resolved to amend this rule as follows:5. Applications should be received by any member of the Ian Dear Memorial Fund Committee two months prior to the date of the proposed trip. A report, suitable for publication in the B.B., must be received by the Ian Dear Memorial Fund Committee within one month of the completion of the trip. These proposed changes allow more flexibility with regard to dates and make the obligations of the recipient more specific. 6. The maximum amount to be allocated in anyone year shall be limited to fifty pounds. The maximum amount allocated to each individual shall be limited to ten pounds. It is resolved to amend this rule as follows:6. The maximum amount to be allocated in anyone year shall be limited to fifty pounds. The maximum amount allocated to each individual is unlikely to exceed twenty pounds each trip. Without altering the amount given as a maximum per year, the amendment allows greater flexibility to the Ian Dear Memorial Committee. 7. The fund to be invested in National Development Bonds or a similar scheme. No Change is proposed to this rule. The above resolutions were submitted by the Ian Dear Memorial Committee as it at present stands, to the Club Committee who have endorsed the proposals and recommend them as resolutions to be put before the club in General Meeting. ______________________________________________________________________________________
DON’T FORGET TO BOOK UP FOR THE ANNUAL DINNER!
98
Climbing in Cornwall
by G.E. Oaten.
The majority of the climbing group took their summer vacation on the Cornish coast this year at Sennen. This little village is situated two miles from Land is End on the North coast. From our camp site at Trevedra Farm we were within easy reach of the major climbs in Penwith. The sea mist on our first day was so thick and damp that we went to St. Ives and played at being tourists. However, awoke on the Sunday to bright sunshine, so we decided to climb at Chair Ladder. To reach this cliff, you drive along typical Cornish narrow lanes with high hedgerows speckled with flowers of reds yellows and blues, whereupon you drop down into Porthwarra, which is a beautiful cove with a few sleepy fishing cottages nestling on the hill side overlooking the deep blue of the Atlantic. From the car park, a five minute walk brings you to the top of the cliff. Descending the aptly named gully Ash Cans you immediately see the true beauty of Cornish granite. This is yellowy-brown in colour and in places near the top, covered with a green lichen. Peter Sutton and Alan Tringham decided upon nearby 110ft Hard Severe. This is a fine line on the central buttress - a steep and strenuous crag climb. David and myself climbed Corporal's Route, a 110 ft severe on the Wolf Buttress, a nice little climb with a move through a rift that reminded me of caving. As we finished this quickly, we climbed the second pitch of the Buccaneer - 60 ft hard severe. The next day we paid a visit to Tater-Du, which lies South West of Lamorna Cove. Here, the rock is not granite but Greenstone. This is an impressive black coloured face, steep and exposed. Alan and Pete started by climbing Marine Parade - 90 ft hard v. diff while we did Crow's Nest ordinary route – 160 ft mild severe, a pleasant route that has a nice exposed last pitch. The others returned and climbed Crow’s Nest Direct - 125 ft mild severe. We all enjoyed the climbing here and hope to return on our next visit to Cornwall. The next day we went to Land’s End. We all wanted to do Cormorant’s Slab (80 ft - Mild Severe). Derek and I thought that four was too many for this route, so we went for Johnstone Route (90 ft - Hard V. Diff.) The first pitch was very good, steep but with good holds. The second was desperate for an H.V.D. up a corner on friable rock - followed by a mantelshelf - then up a short steep crack to the top. Here, we were met by the others, but Alan had to leave us then. We next decided to try Zawn Face Route (75 ft - Mild V.S.) Pete took the lead. The first ten feet was a tight belly traverse followed by an awkward move to stand up, and then he was out of sight. After a little while the rope was taken in. As I was in the middle of the rope it was now my turn. I managed the traverse, but when it came to the standing up bit, I looked down into the deep zawn, then up at the greasy rock. I thought ‘No thank you!’ - and beat a hasty retreat to safety, leaving Derek and Pete to do it. That evening, we were joined by Hoy and Ros Marshall. After a few beers in the pub that night, we decided to climb at Bosigran, which is a cliff on the road Between St. Just and St. Ives. Derek and I decided upon Doug (155 ft Severe) which turned out to be of little merit, save for a mantelshelf on the last pitch. However, the others thought they would do Suicide Wall (210 ft - Hard V.S.) but on reaching the bottom of the climb in the bright sober light of morning, they decided against it and ended up doing a Hard V. Diff instead. Next day found Pete, Derek and I at the bottom of Chair Ladder again. The first climb was Flannel Avenue (155 ft Severe). As nobody else fancied leading the first pitch, and as I had led it before, I was put on the sharp end. This pitch is a. chimney that has to be backed up, and then you step off on to a rib on the left. After several attempts, I could not manage the step off, so Derek had to lead it. The third pitch is truly magnificent, climbing on juggy holds on a steep face some hundred and fifty feet up. As you climb, if you look between your legs, the rock suddenly drops away leaving a view of a deep, clear rock pool at the bottom aptly named Suicide Pool. Next we climbed Pendulum Chimney (150 ft Severe) a pleasant climb, though smelling somewhat of birdlime. As we had been climbing every day, we thought we would have a day on the beach next, which made a pleasant change.
99 After our day of rest, we tackled Fox Promontory. This is a lump of rock that is detached from the cliff by a rift. Pete and Alan set off to do Vixen's Embrace (390 ft - Mild V.S.) This is a girdle traverse of the whole promontory. Alas! They had to retreat after four pitches. Roy and Mike Thomas, who had joined us on Friday, climbed Folly Corber (100 ft - V.Diff.) while we did Reveille (90 ft Severe) which was a worthwhile route with a delicate traverse which I found quite hard. Nigel Jago joined us on the Saturday, so on the Sunday Nigel and Derek went to climb Bishop's Rib (190 ft Extremely Severe.) This was Nigel’s third attempt at the route and this time he made it with a fine lead. On the Sunday evening, with a few pints inside me, I was persuaded to second Nigel next day up Zawn Face against my better judgment, so next morning found us at Land’s End, where I was dragged and threatened up the route to be greeted by two cormorants and the repulsive smell of birdlime. Meanwhile, Derek and Pete succeeded in climbing Vixen’s Embrace which took five and a half hours. Our last climbing trip was to Bosigran, where Pete and Mike led Doorway Climb (190 ft Severe) while we did Red Slab (100 ft Hard V.Diff.) We spent the rest of the holiday on the beaches and in the sea looking for crabs, and just taking it easy after our two weeks of enjoyable climbing. _______________________________________________________________________________________
FILM SHOW Saturday 9th September - at the Belfry - after the Hunters. 1933 EVEREST FILM PLUS FULL. SUPPORTING PROGRAMME!! Don't miss this interesting opportunity to see this film! _______________________________________________________________________________________ REPORT OF TALK AT THE BELFRY Those who attended the talk by "Sett" on Saturday the 12th August on 'Maps and their uses' found much to interest them. The talk itself was prepared by Sheila Paul, who is a Map Research Officer by profession and a founder member of the British Cartographical Society. Her paper and Sett's lecturing style proved a happy combination. The period after the talk itself was spent looking at a fantastic variety of maps which Sett had assembled and which ranged from simple classroom maps of Europe to close up pictures of the surface of the moon. In particular, the aerial photographic map of the island of Tonga caught the imagination of those present. After a talk as interesting as this was, the motto seems to be that it pays to keep ones eyes and ears open and to turn up to these functions which are held at the Belfry - usually at half past seven on a Saturday evening! _______________________________________________________________________________________ DON'T FORGET THE DATE OF THE A.G.M. AND DINNER - OCT. 7TH.
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MONTHLY CROSSWORD – Number 25. Across: 1
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3. 5p for the Hon. Treasurer! (3) 6. Paler sort of cave formation. (5) 7. Ladder, for example. (3) 8. State of affairs after successful cave dig. (2) 9. Climb. (5) 12. Essential caving aid. (3) 13. A passage might do this in Ogof Fynnon Ddu. (2) 16. Portion of a circle found in Cheddar caves. (3) 17. Let down. (5) 18. Tint. (3) Down: 1. Taken out of new cave, but don’t do this to it! (5) 2. Caving Club badge. (3) 3. Swildons has one – or is one with no lights. (5,4) 4. Empties sump? (5)
5. Increase middle part of ladder? (3) 10. Drop? (5) 11. Gee! They belong to us – these cave formations! (5) 14. Cuthbert’s Run. (3) 15. Past sump I? (3)
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