2012 Monthly Meeting Programme
January Meeting
Roger Bricknell
Canals and narrow boats
A full hall with at least one hundred members came to listen to Roger Bricknell talk, this time about Canals and Canal boats. Previously he gave a talk on his experience flying with the Concorde. From the fastest plane to the slowest form of travel. He told us about the history of the canals. Birmingham is the centre of a network of canals and it was in this area that a coalmine owner decided to build a canal to transport coal from his pit to the suppliers. Transporting coal by horse and cart was expensive and when the canals started to be used the price of coal came down considerably. Soon other businessmen in the area, such as Josiah Wedgwood, saw the advantage of canals and provided money for more to be built. Soon factories were being built beside the canals.
February Meeting
Mrs C Salter
Homeopathy as an alternative to healing
She became interested in homeopathy when her son had severe asthma and the treatment given by allopathic medicine was getting stronger and stronger to counter his worsening symptoms. In desperation she tried homeopathy and after some time there was an improvement this led her to study it and finally become a practitioner. We were told about the benefits of the popular Arnica and the soothing Rescue Remedy which some of our members indicated that they too took some of these aids to health.March Meeting
David Greenway
Humour in Uniform
GROUP CAPTAIN DAVID GREENWAY OBE
David Greenway served 37 years in the Royal Air Force as a pilot. He flew large, multi-crewed aircraft and, amongst many postings, he served in Malta, Cyprus, Germany and Belgium. Throughout his career, he undertook many public speaking engagements both within and outside the service environment. He commanded the Royal Air Force’s only Airborne Early Warning Squadron. He also flew the Royal Family. This was the second time he addressed us and today he gave us an example of the talks he now gives on cruise ships and if the Queen heard some of the jokes she would have had to cover the corgis' ears
April Meeting
A.G.M
Smaller attendance today. All officers re-elected and June also joins the committee. Our speaker today was Chris Perry of Aged Concern Hampshire, Secretary to the Board / Director of the Charity Chris qualified in Social Work in 1965 (current General Social Care Council Registration) and obtained a Master's Degree from Brunel University in 1973. His 34 years' local government/social services experience included twenty years as a deputy or chief officer and eight years as the Director of Social Services for South Glamorgan County Council. He spoke for half an hour and was very knowledgeable as to how we are robbed by successive governments
May Meeting
Richard Moore
Life story
Ninety eight members attended on a very wet afternoon to hear Richard's working life story mainly as a policeman. A very interesting career with many highlights including TV crime stoppers programs. He recounted how one reenacted hold up led to armed police rushing to the scene and he had to admit he forgot to warn the local police it was taking place. Amongst other incidents involving cars he took credit for introducing Neighbourhood Watch. Now he is an Estate Manager for Hanover in Westwood Road June Meeting
Martin Lloyd
Passports Assassins Traitors and Spies
Martin Lloyd a retired Immigration Officer entertained us in a very distinct voice recalling the early days of the passport, he is now a writer, broadcaster and speaker. He told us, amongst other things, about how a group of assassins brought about a change of the passport regulations, how unmasking a spy caused a modification in passport design. Lord Haw Haw was also a subject of interest. At the end of the war William and his wife Margaret fled to a town called Flensburg near the German/Denmark border and it was there, in a nearby wood, that Joyce was captured by two soldiers. They, like Joyce, were out looking for firewood. Joyce stopped to say hello and one of the soldiers asked “You wouldn’t by any chance be William Joyce, would you?”. To ‘prove’ otherwise, Joyce reached for his false passport and one of the soldiers, thinking he was reaching for a gun, shot him through the buttocks, leaving four wounds. The arrest was utter poetic justice. The soldier who had shot the infamous broadcaster was called Geoffrey Perry, however, he had been born into a German jewish family as Hourst Pinschewer and had only arrived in England to escape from Hitler’s persecutions. So in the end a German Jew, who had become English had arrested an Irish/American who pretended to be English but had become German.
July Meeting
Tim Selwood gave us a commentary to the video showing them winning a Chelsea gold medal. The Furzey team was made up of designer Chris, students with learning disabilities, staff, horticultural instructors and volunteers from Furzey Gardens and The Minstead Training Project. Chairman of the Furzey Gardens Charitable Trust Rev. Tim Selwood explained that “We’ve done this to celebrate and highlight what can be achieved by people with learning disabilities with the appropriate support and funding. They can be up there with the best of them.” August Meeting
Cream Tea
Quiz
A good attendance of members and another nine joined us. Sally and singers entertained us including a solo violinist. Dave set us all a quiz and best of all for those who could eat all the cream had a cream tea.
September Meeting
Richard Burton
Forgery in British Currency
Packed hall to listen to Richard's entertaining talk on money as well as seeing some of the banknotes he brought along to show us. He also had examples of genuine notes that were issued which were badly printed some so serious that it is hard to imagine that anybody could miss the defect. If you accidentally wash notes in Persil they will register as being false because they will shine when they shouldn't when exposed to UV light. He ended by telling us how badly contaminated money was with bacteria and drugs and offered to take it off our hands.
October Meeting
Geogina Babey
New Forest Art and Artists
A popular talk going by the numbers in the hall. For centuries the New Forest has been a magnet for artists. Part One of Georgina's talks looks at the lives and work of William Shayer, George Elgar Hicks, John Emms, Arthur Batt, Frederick Golden Short, Allen Seaby, Lucy Kemp-Welch and Augustus John plus a look at some local masterpieces.
November Meeting
Katy England
Stone Age
December Meeting
Women's choir Segalula (African word meaning "it's easy") entertained us today with Christmas songs of times gone by from the thirties. A full meeting with over ninety in the hall and no one slept today with our participation in the Twelve days of Christmas my true love said to me, meant physically taking part. A record raffle making over £40 profit despite paying out £80 for prizes.
