Editorial Commentary

‘All changed, changed utterly’? (WB Yeats)

All changed, changed utterly? Well, yes, but not quite. There were thoughts that after the Covid -19 pandemic there would be a new normal. That many, much needed, changes would have happened faster than expected and that the pandemic would have acted as a kind of disruptive innovation. Some changes have certainly happened. We now know that with a large injection of finance and a real imperative, scientists can produce effective vaccines in at least a fifth of the time that it normally takes. Likewise, we have seen many useful innovations in medical treatment due to the devastating coronavirus. We have all made better use of technology and words like bubble, zoom, waiting room and mute have taken on a new meaning. We have learnt to use the internet more effectively to communicate with family and friends and to order goods on-line. Many folk have learnt the importance of exercise and there has been an increase in walking, running and cycling. We have learnt that we can work from home and parents have discovered that teaching children is a really demanding skill. Amidst the trauma of the pandemic we have learnt to value the restorative aspects of nature. Particularly In the first lockdown we really enjoyed the silence of no traffic or aircraft, when we could hear the birds sing and appreciate blue skies. We have seen and often experienced acts of great kindness. We have learnt the importance of our essential workers like nurses, care workers, lorry drivers and those involved in recycling and rubbish collection.

In our organisation there have been changes caused by the external force of the pandemic, but others have been internally driven. Like SAGE our own TASK FORCE (TF) has had regular meetings, in fact weekly, on Zoom for at least 18 months. In 2019 we ceased to be a men only organisation, a change that was long overdue. After extensive consultation with our members, the TF was furnished with numerous ideas about the way forward. The TF has worked on a new name, new logo, new website, new constitution, new management committee and many other things. Other things including the new Heming bar in honour of our much loved President who sadly died during, but not of, the pandemic. Mark Blackmore and James Short have recorded this process of change elsewhere in this issue. Our last Wednesday meeting of the 2019-20 season was on Friday 13th March. No more greeting each other with an elbow bump or toe tap in our hallowed home, for more than twelve months. Geoff Wright has reported on our streaming events, which helped to keep us in touch, as have Arthur Noonan’s excellent Smoke Signals. Bill Phillips in Coming Home has captured the pleasure of our first night back together. As the summer drew on, we had regular Wednesday meetings and there was activity amongst the Walkers, the Avians, the Sappers, the Oilies and even some Cultural walks around Clifton, Betjeman’s 'handsomest suburb of Europe'. Some of these activities are recorded in this edition of Grouse. During the height of the pandemic, in May 2021, our much loved and admired president, Michal Heming, died. The previous month our nation had lost the Duke of Edinburgh. Accounts of them are in this edition. Both the Duke and Michael were men of vision who could see the need for change, innovation and progress. It is vital that our society follows their example to embrace the challenges that our ever changing world throws at us. 3

So we are now getting back to our new normal. We are not yet sure what it will be. It is an evolution not a revolution. But as we have come together again, it is clear that what we truly value about our society is the good fellowship: the sharing of stories, refreshments, projects and activities. The craic is how our joint secretary Arthur Noonan would describe it. This was finely exemplified at the end of the season with two very successful Open Doors days as reported on by Jonathan Bird, our other joint secretary. Successful because of much careful planning, goodwill, commitment and energy from our fellow members.

For this edition we have an editorial team of Jeff Mason and myself. Jeff has been the sole editor of Grouse for the past eleven years and has done an excellent job. I can only hope that my involvement will not detract from the past brilliance. Part of the modernisation of our organisation is our user-friendly website, courtesy of our webmaster Arthur Noonan. Jeff has for some time wanted to have a digital Grouse, and it will be available this year on the website, as well as in hardcopy format. Our new normal will, we trust, mean a widening of the concept of the Arts. We hope to include more poetry, perhaps some drama and dance and certainly a greater variety of 21st century music and song. The challenge for our organisation is to attract younger members and provide the art and entertainment that these generations want and appreciate. So we need some grit in our oyster to produce the pearl that we are certainly capable of.

As I write this, the Omicron variant has arrived from South Africa, with the possibility of more disruption. We must and can learn to be resilient and ride above the storms of this uncertainty. There is still, very understandably, much Covid cautiousness amongst our wise and thoughtful membership. We have changed and we are developing a new normal. But the good fellowship and companionship remains firmly intact, and we are ‘carrying on.’ Paul Main