Change of Hon. Sec.

As all members will know, Bob Bagshaw has retired after 15
years as Hon. Sec. of the B.E.C.  When he
moved some time ago from

56
Ponsfords Road, Knowle to

699 Wells Road, Knowle, it took some of
us quite a time before we had really memorised the new address.  Now we have another one which we must
memorise.

Most of us have occasion to get in touch with the Hon. Sec.
at least once a year and so, whilst introducing our new Hon. Sec. to you via
the B.B., we are printing his address in bold type to help you (like myself)
who always have difficulty in getting a new address right….

R.D. STENNER;

38 Paultrow Rd.  Victoria Park,

BRISTOL 3

The Editor is sure that you will join him in welcoming Roger
to this unenviable job, and will give him as much help as you can.  Best of luck, Roger!

Long Term Planning.

Those of you who were not at the A.G.M. will be interested
to hear that a six man committee has been set up to prepare plans for a
permanent Belfry.  The club has not yet
decided to go ahead, but the committee has been given the job of preparing
plans in case it does.  If YOU have any
views on this matter, please get in touch with any member of the planning
committee.  The address of all members of
it will be printed as soon as the Editor has them.  Meanwhile, those of which he knows are…S.J.
Collins, c/o “Homeleigh”, Bishop Sutton,

Somerset.  P. Ifold, “Sunnyside”,

Rectory Lane,
Compton
Martin, Somerset.  A. Thomas,
Westhaven
School,
Uphill, Weston-Super-Mare,

Somerset,.  R.S. King, 22 Parkfield Rank, Pucklechurch,
Nr. Bristol…. And questionnaires form last month’s B.B. may still be sent to
Bob Bagshaw,

699 Wells Road,
Knowle,

Bristol
4 or to Roger.

Annual General Meeting.

In view of the length of the notes taken from the recent
A.G.M., it has been decided to print them in full in the B.B. for Christmas,
rather than overload a normal size one in the meantime.  The Christmas B.B. will also contain a
complete list of club officers for the year. Meanwhile some of these are to be found below…

Hon. Secretary                  R.D. STENNER

Hon. Treasurer                   R.J. BAGSHAW

Caving Secretary                R. BENNETT

Climbing secretary             E. WELCH

Tacklemaster                     N.
PETTY

Hut Warden                       G.
TILLY

Assistant hut Warden         D. SEARLE

Belfry Engineer                  G. DELL

Hon. Librarian                    JOAN BENNETT

The Committee have co-opted G. Dell to act as Belfry
Engineer.

M.R.O.

The M.R.O. are holding an open meeting at Priddy Village
Hall on Sunday, 13th November at 2.30pm. All cavers are welcome.

Financial Statement for the Year to 31st August, 1966.

British Speleological Association 1966 Conference

If you are one of those who have
read this notice and say “So what?” or words to that effect, we should like to
point out that those few members who went to recent B.S.A. conference (and some
of them went at first just out of a sense of duty) finished up by becoming very
enthusiastic about it.  Nearly all agreed
that it had given them new slants on caving and that those who didn’t go missed
a very good thing.  We are sure that the
same applies to this M.R.O. meeting, and urge all who can to attend.

A write up on the B.S.A.
Conference follows……

By Eddy Welch

On September 10th – 12th, the Student’s
Union
Building
of the

University of
Bristol was the scene
of the annual conference of the British Speleological Association.   Subjects discussed were as diverse as recent
the discoveries in Dan-Yr-Ogof and early visitors to Mendip.  Educational lectures included micro-organisms
in relation to food and energy sources in caves and the water table concept in
limestone.  Foreign parts were ‘visited’
with news from

Australia
and demonstrations on how to be got out of wet, tight spots were given in the
conference swimming baths.

The conference opener, Sir John Wedgwood, stressed the fact
that caving has become respectable and that we are no longer looked at as
juvenile delinquents.  The extent of the
growth of caving as a science and a sport is shown by the news that the Duke of
Edinburgh is to be patron of the 19767 all-British expedition to the Gouffre
Berger, led by D. K. Paerce.

High spots remembered included the “Burial at sea”
appearance of the voluntary sump rescue victim – and the consternation of one
lowered carefully into the water with the ‘open to atmosphere’ valve open!  And the reluctance of northern cavers to pay
anything towards a cave, as they fear this will be the thin edge of a wedge
towards higher costs of caving.

Editor’s
Note:    As
well as the M.R.O. meeting, we would commend to club members the special
exhibition at present running at the

Bristol
Museum on the B.E.C.  This exhibition closes on the 29th of this
month, and includes pictures of the new parts of Dan-Yr-Ogof taken by Alan
Coase.  These pictures will be found in
the Geology Gallery.  Why not make a trip
to the museum and see what a fine club you belong to?

Letters

Firstly, from our ex-Hon. Sec

699 Wells Road
Bristol 4.

Dear Members,

Now that we have recovered somewhat from the wonderful
presentations made to us at the Annual dinner, my wife and I would like to
express in more coherent form our sincere appreciation.  The silver tankard will always be an
appropriate and treasured reminder of my association with the club, and my wife
will take great pleasure in wearing the beautiful silver broach. 

We both thank you all very much indeed

Yours sincerely,
Coral and Bob Bagshaw.

*****************************************

Our second letter is from that venerable (I think that’s the
right word) gentlemen who seems to be taking over where ‘Stalagmite’ left off….

To the Editor, Belfry Bulletin.

Dear Sir,

I should like to pass comment on the A.G.M. that I recently
attended.

First, let me say that it would have been very much better
if more members had made the effort to be punctual so that the meeting could
start on time.  I remember what happened
last time so I waited for quarter of an hour before going round to the hall
myself, and even then found that we had to wait for the quorum.

Secondly, I think that sobriety should be a minimum
qualification for attendance; one member was quite clearly present in spirit
only.

I was sorry I was not nominated for the Long Term Planning
Committee, especially as people seemed to be nominated who were quite unknown
to the rest of us (who is Pat Ifold?). I would suggest that this committee
consider whether we need to have any sleeping accommodation at all.     Everyone has a car and most of the people
who go caving come out for the day anyway. What we want in the Belfry are some first class changing and washing
facilities and a club room where members can meet and talk.  The Belfry in its present form serves only to
encourage festering.

Yours Faithfully
            St. Cuthbert’s

Well, there you are. Perhaps you agree with him. If so, or if why not write in and tell us?

Steepholm – with the Other Club

by Bob White

A tranquil sea under a pleasant sun was the setting as 19 of
us cavers made the trip from Weston in a small boat, to land on the pebble
beach lying under the crumbling concrete defences now with corroded shutters
and rust stained, cracked wall.  The
overgrown zigzag path rising steeply through the trees, reaching up to the
hand-hewn sturdy barracks at the cliff top, seemed endless as we toiled upwards
in the thundery atmosphere, weighed down by provisions and camp beds etc.  Shocking two old dears who were paddling on
the slipway by Weston with their dresses nearly at knee-height, we had carried
aboard two crates of ‘life preserver’ and now, as we struggled up the old
narrow gauge railway which clings to the route of the path and had been built
many years ago to carry shells and supplies to the fort, we looked forward to a
handsome cup of tea at the barracks.

Standing at the very top of the sheer cliffs in the still of
twilight, buffeted gently by the scented breeze – only the mournful cry of
gulls marred the peace of this sanctuary (until we arrived, anyway) although
when the fisherman’s cottages were used (before pollution spoilt the catch of
sprats and cod off the island) and soldiers manned the many guns, the pub
(which is now in complete ruins) must have seen many a jolly night similar to
the Hunters.  Looking across the blue
seascape, dashed here and there by white horses caught by the beams of a dying
sun, there was a simple feeling of peace which made a lovely change from the
more usual violent Mendip Saturday evening existence.

Late into the night we sat on the roughly made plank benches
around a hot spitting wood fire in the ancient blackened chimney breast of the
barracks, enjoying the warmth of the fire and beer with everyone turning in at
about one o’clock.

After a late breakfast most of us, with the exception of Pam
Davies (who woke to find herself complete with bed and shortie nightie on the
cliff top) made our way to the shore for the ‘serious’ side of the
expedition.  Unfortunately, for some time
the waves crashed relentlessly against the base of the cliff and stop us from
reaching these vast caverns, but eventually we decided that the tide was indeed
going out and proceeded to First cave and thence to Hall cave.  Our gear consisted mainly of trunks,
plimsolls and torches and one point worth noting is that salty water soon makes
the scratched caver resolve to wear a boiler suit next time.  The caves are on the South to South East side
of the island and have been mainly seaworn. Everyone had an enjoyable time scrambling in and out of the various
holes, and a round trip was possible for smaller people between

First
Cave
and an opening further along the cliff. Tony Philpott was first through this connecting passage which has a fair
little stal. rift.

The technical side of our activities over, everyone split up
(must have been rather messy – Ed) and enjoyed themselves in various parts of
the fair island.  Some of us went
swimming, although poor Pam once more found herself in trouble since she seemed
to enjoy swimming around fully clothed! One of the other habitations of the island was a priory, which was built
in the XIIIth Century, consisting of only one cell.  This old chap was unfortunately convicted of
Grand Larceny and hanged.

The wild life consists mainly of various types of seagull
which appear quite tame.  Several rabbits
were also spotted as was a slow worm. The gulls fly to Weston on day trips and return with food to eat in
peace.  The island is believed to be in
the parish of St. Stephen’s – the church near the centre in

Bristol – but this is not definitely known to
be true.

Trips can be arranged with the consent of the Trust, who
send along a representative with each party. This trip was very well organised and perhaps it would be a good idea to
revive the B.E.C. trips to the island, which do not seem to have taken place
for some years, providing as it does, an agreeable and worthwhile substitute
for Mendip.