The
Bristol
Exploration Club, The Belfry,

Wells
Road, Priddy, Wells,

Somerset . Telephone: Wells (0749) 72126.

Editor: G.
Wilton-Jones

May I take this opportunity to apologise for the late issue
of this August B.B., and offer the excellent excuse that I’ve been caving which
is what we’re all about, isn’t it.  Oh
yes, a little bit of drinking as well, but you all know what Euro-fizz is like.

Bob Hill has promised an article about our stay in the
Mont Blanc region. He and Jem successfully reached
Mont Blanc
summit, along with 288 other people, and there are many other tales to
tell.  I’ll give you all my version after
I’ve read Bob’s!

We should also have something on the 600 metre + through
trip from Tanne du Bel Espoir to the Grotte de la Diau, canoeing down the
Ardeche, and brief mentions of Orgnac and Cocaliere.

Also in next month’s B.B., which should be out for the
dinner, transcripts or extracts of letters from Blitz, recently returned from
Nigeria, Karen and Gary in the States, and Big Jim, who is now going to stay
out there a further two or three years. A short run down on the B.C.R.A. conference, more about the Manor Farm
dig, how Walsall may go the way of many

Florida
homes and disappear down a hole, plus book reviews, plus all the latest news I
can gather.

Bassett.

P.S.  BRING THIS WITH
YOU TO THE A.G.M… .. and please read it beforehand!

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE

BRISTOL EXPLORATION CLUB WILL BE HELD AT THE
BELFRY ON SATURDAY 3RD OCTOBER 1981 COMMENCING AT 10.30AM.

AGENDA

1.                  Election of Chairman

2.                  Collection of outstanding ballot papers

3.                  Election of Tellers

4.                  Minutes of 1980 AGM

5.                  Matters arising from 1980 AGM

6.                  Hon. Secretary’s Report

7.                  Hon. Treasurer’s Report

8.                  Hon. Auditor’s Report

9.                  Caving Secretary’s Report

10.              Hut Warden’s Report

11.              Hut Engineer’s report

12.              Tackelmaster’s Report

13.              B.B. Editor’s Report

14.              I.D.M.F. Report

15.              Librarian’s Report

16.              Result of Committee election

17.              Election of Officers

18.              Members Resolutions

19.              Any other business

 

Minutes of the 1980 Annual General Meeting of The

Bristol Exploration Club

The meeting was held at The Belfry on Saturday 4th October
1980 being convened by The Hon. Secretary Tim Large.  A quorum being present the meeting was opened
at 10.40am.

The Hon. Secretary asked for nominations for a Chairman.  Alan Thomas and Roy Bennett were nominated
from the floor.  A vote was taken and
Alan Thomas elected by 21 votes to 1.  In
his opening address the Chairman reminded those present that the AGM was the
right and proper place to air any grievances or dissatisfaction with the
club.  Outstanding ballot papers were
called for and the following Glenys Wilkinson, Lawrie O’Neil and Dave Irwin
elected as Tellers.  The minutes of the AGM
held 6th October 1979 had been circulated and were approved by the meeting.

Matters Arising

Rare Books – The meeting maintained its view that the
rare books should be kept in a lockable container.  This matter is in hand.

Constitutional Proposals – No further action is
required at present on the proposals put forward by Michael Wheadon.

Insurance – As no viable policy could be found at a
cost the club could consider it was considered best to leave the situation as
it was until something viable becomes available.

Officers Reports

Hon. Secretary’s Report had previously been circulated
in the B.B.  Tim Large had nothing
further to add.  It was proposed by Nigel
Taylor and seconded by Dave Irwin that he meeting adopt the report- agreed
unanimously.

Hon. Treasurers Report was circulated at the meeting,
Sue Tucker pointed out that the loses made on the boots could be explained by
the fact several pairs had been stolen and payment on three pairs was still
outstanding.  The club still had one pair
of boots in stock.  Several Belfry
accounts had not been passed to Sue Garth. Dell said he would pass these over. Nigel Taylor proposed seconded by Chris Batstone that the reports of the
Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Auditor be adopted – agreed.

Hut Wardens Report was read to the meeting by the
Chairman who expressed concern over the number of rogue keys and also the
question of group supervision at the Belfry. John Turner proposed that no person be allowed to stay at the Belfry
unless a member of a bonefide club and supervised by a member.  This was seconded by Val Wilkinson.  A vote was taken FOR – 37 AGAINST – 0 motion
carried.  The situation regarding hut
fees outstanding had now much improved. Jerry Crick proposed seconded by John Dukes that the report be adopted –
carried.

Hut Engineers Report had been published in the BB.
Nigel Taylor had nothing more to add. Jerry Crick proposed seconded by Martin Grass that the report be adopted
– carried.

Caving Secretary’s Report was read to the meeting by
Martin Grass.  Martin stated the need for
more Cuthbert’s Leaders.  Chris Batstone
proposed seconded by Greg Villas that the report be adopted – carried.

Tacklemasters Report was circulated to the meeting by
John Dukes who then amplified his report by saying that we still had tackle
missing from last year plus another 9 ladders missing this year of which 6
appear to be unaccountable for.  We have
5 ladders of other manufacture, some being found in Swildons when our tackle
has been stolen.  John said the meeting
should decide what action the club should take to prevent further loses.  He also pointed out that tackle wasn’t being
looked after properly.  Members must use
a recognised good practice and ensure it is cleaned after use.  Chris Batstone asked if the club was going to
replace and make new tackle.  John
explained that materials had been obtained and new ladders would be made and
old ones renovated.  Problems were at
present being experienced with taper pins but these should soon be
overcome.  Garth Dell proposed seconded
by Jerry Crick that the report be adopted – carried.

Pete Franklin proposed a vote of thanks to John for
maintaining the tackle seconded by Stuart McManus.  The meeting agreed.

Librarians Report – Chris Batstone said that the
library had been reorganised and a new catalogue in progress.  No books had gone missing this year as far as
he was aware.  The lockable box for the
rare books was well in hand.  Woly
Wilkinson proposed second by John Turner that the report be adopted – carried.

I.D.M.F. Report – no requests had been received for
money.  Chris Batstone proposed, seconded
by Garth Dell that the report be adopted – carried.

BB Editors Report had been published in the BB.  Dave Irwin said he had been unable to produce
a quarterly BB as proposed due to lack of material. Garth Dell proposed
seconded by Bob Hill that the report be adopted – carried.

Result of the Committee Election – 80 ballot papers
were counted and the following elected: –

Tim Large – Hon. Secretary
Nigel Taylor – Hut Engineer
Graham Wilton-Jones – BB Editor
Martin Grass – Caving Secretary
John Dukes – Tacklemaster
Sue Tucker – Hon. Treasurer
Dany Bradshaw – Hut Warden
Sue Dukes
Stuart Lindsay

Members Resolutions – The 1979/80 Committee proposed
that Martin Cavendar be made an Hon. Life Member in recognition of services to
the club.  The meeting carried this
unanimously.

Joan Bennett commented on the good effort of the club in
raising over £800 towards the Belfry Improvement Fund.

Any Other Business

John Turner asked if the club had sent an official letter of
sympathy to the Dors family re Ben’s death. The meeting considered that the club had already adequately expressed
its feelings.

Garth Dell asked whether the club subscription would remain
the same as last year.  It was proposed
by Pete Franklin and seconded by Nigel Taylor that the subscriptions are not
increased this year.  Carried
unanimously.

There being no other business the meeting was closed at
1.05pm.

 

News in Brief

Remember the rumour recently of a big new stream cave on
Mendip?  Well, I know someone who claims
to have been down it.

From a Frog newspaper article, borrowed from Rocksport:  In early August BU 56, the new deep system
leading to the Riviere St. Georges, near the P.S.M., was pushed to a siphon at
-1335m.

Arphidia, right beside the P.S.M., has been extended to
nearly 12km and parts of it run extremely close to the Verna, the huge chamber
in the P.S.M.  A link between the two
systems, which seems very likely, would give a new world depth records yet
again.

Honorary Secretary’s Report 1981:

This year has been somewhat turbulent, with much work
crossing the committee table but not much to show for it. Membership stands at
172, maintaining nearly the same total as last year.

The Belfry improvements are still in action although they
have not moved beyond the drawing board stage. There are several difficulties which have slowed progress.

Negotiations are proceeding to lease the St. Cuthbert’s land
from the paper mill.  At present a nominal
rental of £90 p.a. has been agreed.

Various projects have been started such as rebuilding tackle
and maintenance of the Belfry but a great deal of this work still needs
doing.  Greater cooperation and
involvement, both of committee members and of club regulars, is needed if we
are to complete these necessary tasks, many of which must be done before the
winter.

On two occasions this year it has been necessary to
reprimand members regarding undesirable activities.  This resulted in one member being fined £10
for contravening a committee ruling.

The Club only gets the committee it deserves? but once
elected I think it reasonable to expect support of the members.  Some may not always like all the decisions
the committee makes, but then everyone must remember that they are always made
with all members in mind, not just the active nucleus of that precise time.

Efforts have been made to find a new publications officer,
and despite notices in the B.B., nobody has volunteered.  In fact, response to comment in the B.B. on
various topics over which the committee may take action has been very
apathetic.  If we had the cooperation and
involvement so often seen on club cave digs then the more mundane tasks of
maintaining the club headquarters, producing publications, etc., would be
easily achieved.

During the year our Hut Warden, Dany Bradshaw? found other
commitments keeping him away from the Belfry so by mutual agreement Dany stood
down as warden and Quackers was co-opted to fill the gap.  At about the same time Sue Tucker advised the
committee of her intention to resign at the end of the year.  Sue has been our treasurer now for three
years and I am sure you would all wish to thank her for her service to the Club
in this important role.  To fill this
vacancy the committee is suggesting Sue Dukes, who has expressed an interest in
the job.

Every year the pressure on caving increases resulting in an
ever increasing round of meetings which need to be attended if we are to
protect our point of view.  I have
recently been invited on to the Somerset Trust Management Committee for the
Mineries and hopefully can put caver’s views and protect our interests.

Hopefully we shall now be able to look forward to better
progress in the coming year.

Tim Large.

Attendances at committee meetings, which totalled 11, were
as follows:

Tim Large Nigel Taylor Graham Wilton-Jones Martin Grass Sue Dukes John Dukes Sue Tucker Stuart Lindsay Dany Bradshaw Quackers

11 8 9 8 7 9 9 8 4 2 (out of a possible 4)

T. L,

 

Honorary Treasurer’s Report  1981

Income and expenditure has been generally on a par with last
year, with one or two drastic exceptions. The Gas and Electricity accounts have virtually doubled:

Gas Electricity

79/80 £60.60 £244.89

80/81 £128.75 £530.68

So all members using the Belfry remember and take note.  The committee have tried to remedy this but
it is up to you to switch off the lights, and turn the gas off when not in use.

It has been nice this year to write cheques for the
tacklemaster.  Let us hope that his
expenditure of £388.64 on materials has been well spent, and the club will
appreciate some new tackle and make sure it does not grow legs!!

I was disappointed to note that the committee efforts to
obtain a licence again this year to sell lottery tickets was a complete waste
of time.  What happened to the enthusiasm
of last year?  Not one lottery.  Does everything have to be left to the
committee?

I would like to express my concern to the A.G.M. of the
amount of usable cash tied up in Building Society and deposit accounts just
gathering ‘dust’ and, of course, interest, transferred over the years from the
general fund.  Perhaps this money could
be used for the good of the Club and not, I hope, subsidise the subs.

As the outgoing treasurer I would like to leave the subject
of the subs to the A.G.M.  Remember, they
did not go up last year, but inflation and wages did, re Gas and Electricity
expenditure, and unless the club wants to face a large rise in future years,
when the general funds are in a low state, they should go up this year, even if
only by £2.00

I.D.M.F.   This
account, as usual, is just gathering more and more interest, for yet again no
eligible members have asked to use this fund.

Sue Tucker.

 

Belfry Bulletin Editor’s Report  1981

During the first half of the club year there was reasonable
response to my requests for articles for the B.B.  However, more recently material has been
difficult to obtain and B.B.’s have become rather thin.  Members have promised articles, but in many
cases these have been slow in coming, if I have received them at all.  Frequently it is the same people who submit
material.  Many thanks to these.  I owe especial thanks to Tim and Fiona for
the writing and typing onto stencils of several pages of notes this year; also
to Martin, who has assisted me greatly with the compilation of notes.

No doubt the question of a bi-monthly B.B. will again arise
at the A.G.M. Several B.B.’. have been produced as bi-monthlies this year,
partly due to lack of material and partly because my own activities have not
allowed the time for B.B. production, this latter particularly precluding a
B.B. in August.

I see the B.B. as performing several functions:

1)       keeping
members in touch with the club and its activities (diary and club business);

2)       keeping
members in touch with each other;           

3)       giving
up to date and detailed news of Mendip happenings;

4)       giving
up to date news, mainly in brief, of national and international caving;

5)       offering
articles, both serious and humorous.

This last is what actually fills the B.B., and what members
must be prepared to take time to produce, if they want a journal of reasonable
size, and not simply a short, monthly newsletter.

Graham Wilton-Jones.

 

Caving Secretary’s Report   1981

1981 has been a reasonably active year far the Club, but
mainly on the tourist trip side, as little new passage has been found.  (This is probably due to inactivity on the
digging front).  Haydon Drove Swallet is
being attacked by two younger members of the Club, and hopes are high for a
breakthrough.  A regular team, led by Tim
Large, has also been active in

Goughs
Cave and Cheddar Gorge
but work has slowed up during the summer months due to the amount of tourists
about.

As usual, most Mendip caves have received at least one visit
from Club members over the past twelve months. Looking through the log it is pleasing to note a number of trips to
Swildons 12 and I have heard rumours of a Club dig at the end of Victoria Aven
– any takers?  Off Mendip the arranged
Club meets have been well attended: these include Peak Cavern, Otter Hole, the
Bradford P.C. winch meet (where five members reached the end of Far Waters) and
South Wales at Easter.  This was definitely the most popular with
about 30 members turning out with visits to O.F.D., Dan yr Ogof, Agen Allwedd,
Tooth and Llethrid, as well as a dip in the sea off Gower.

St. Cuthbert’s has had its usual tourist trips, and the
number has remained steady over the last couple of years.  Work in the cave is being concentrated at
Sump 2 and a team is regularly working, mainly on a Wednesday night, at
blasting its way across the sump.  The
Arête ladder is still out as we are still waiting for the new one to be
delivered.  Hopefully it should be
installed by the A.G.M.  Work is also
progressing slowly with refitting the pipes that take the entrance stream into
the cave although this might not be necessary now as the water appears to be
sinking in the depression and entering the cave at the ledge pitches.  Consequently the entrance rift has been bone
dry for months now.  Two new leaders have
been appointed this year: Ian Caldwell (B.E.C.) and Alison Moody (W. C. C.)

There has not been an official Club expedition this year,
which is a shame with an un-descended pitch awaiting the Clubs return in

Austria.  It seems this year that the mainstays of
overseas trips have fallen into that cavers trap known as love with J-Rat, Trev
Hughes and Bassett all doing their own thing. However, Bassett and Jane have been touring
Europe
so tales of caverns measureless to man are awaited from them.

I am prepared to stand again for committee, if elected, but
I feel more interest should be shown by members in running for committee
(competition is healthy).  Too many
members this year have complained over their beer pots about various Club
matters but none are doing anything positive about it.  Let us hope we see their names on the voting
form this year – as well as yours!

Martin Grass.

Latest news from
Yorkshire

gathered by Martin and
Geoff Crossley:

New Goyden has been connected to Goyden Pot, via a sump and
a very low air-space canal.  Total length
with Manchester Hole is over 5 miles. This adds up to a system with a downstream sump 20 and a total of 34
known, divable sumps!  Downstream sump 8
in New Goyden has also been pushed to 750 feet on its way to Nidd Head.

Hurtle Pot is now 80 feet deep and 750 feet long from the
diving base.

A shaft above Far Waters of Gaping Ghyll has been found.  This was a lost shaft from the 19th century.

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

QUOTE:  Tourist to
cave guide in Cheddar~

“Are all the caves here
underground?”

 

Hut Engineer’s Report  1981:

It is often said that hell is paved with good intentions; if
that is true then the Belfry certainly is not Heaven!

That, unfortunately, is very true with the Belfry – it is
very far from Heaven.  There are always
many small jobs here and there to be done around the hut, and it should not
take any ounce of sense for those Belfryites so inclined to see what needs
doing and get on and fix one or other of these jobs.  Often much nasty back-biting and criticism is
levelled at the committee, either individually or collectively.  But I say to those who shout loudest:
“Get off YOUR backsides and YOU do it – PUT UP or SHUT UP”.

With that to one side, I feel that the club set itself a
massive task when it contemplated great changes at the Belfry, and in certain
areas tried to pre-empt or was not aware of the various problems which arise
with building methods, planning departments or officialdom.  Yet I do not feel that we have wasted any
time as it is giving the Club a breathing space in which we can be sure that
any money spent on the club hut is not only necessarily well spent but is also
an investment in the club future.

It must be so well designed and planned that future
generations of Belfryites do not sit about the hut planning to demolish it or
tack bits on here and there!

To that end, John Gwythir, a professional and local
architect has been engaged by me to present to the Club as learned a plan as
can be devised, and thus enable the Club as a whole to make a decision on the
matter.  Hopefully, unlike the infamous
“St. Cuthbert’s Survey”, this will be ready at the A.G.M. and Dinner
(1981).

On Saturday 4th April 1981 Tim Large, Fiona, Quiet John,
Quackers, Jane Clarke, Stu Lindsay, Dany Bradshaw, John and Sue Dukes, Bob
Hill, Jeremy Pogue, Bob Cork, Chris Batstone, Graham Wilton-Jones, Andy
Sparrow, Sue Tucker, ex-member Pat Cronin and Walt ‘Farmer’ Foxwell all
descended on the Belfry and together many urgent jobs, large and small, around
the hut and site were undertaken – amongst the most useful being the
foundations for the new carbide store and gas bottle store, the erection of
‘Bob Hill’s Hut’, repair of the cattle-grid base, hut cleaning and painting and
the installation of an air brick in the bunkroom exterior wall (fixed in by
Jenny Sandicott).  Though, perhaps, it is
generally regarded to be invidious to name names, it was these people who gave
up all of their weekend to work and worked hard.

Unfortunately, despite Graham Wilton-Jones’s excellent work
on getting out the Belfry Bulletin, the only thing I lazily bothered to
contribute this year (that’s honesty, Graham) i.e. a warning of a midsummer
working weekend in July, did not get published in time – and had to be
cancelled on the actual weekend due to a massive M.R.O. mock rescue involving
the Belfry.

Tim, Fiona and I stayed for a week at the Belfry in July,
and more odds and ends were accomplished along with meetings with the planners
and architect.

What remains to be done is general upkeep of the hut nothing
new but as all householders know, vitally important.  As the season dips into winter, I believe
that the hut is generally in a good condition, but I urge each and every one of
us not to become complacent in this regard.

Lastly, due to pressures of work, it will be necessary for
me to go to

London
in January 1982 for three months, and I may not be able to attend all three of
the winter meetings.  With this in the
minds of you, the club members, I offer to stand for re-election to the Club
Committee for 1982, and would, if re-elected, prefer to stand in a ‘general
capacity’ on the committee, in order that I could concern myself directly with
the club hut redevelopment and necessary fund-raising.  May I wish my successor all the power he can
muster to his elbow.

Nigel Taylor.

 

Tacklemaster’s Report  1981

As can be seen from the following list, tackle is still
going missing but not by the quantities of last year.  Would the members please consider what they
propose to do about it as it is impossible for the tacklemaster to control the
present system with any certainty of knowing where the tackle is at any time.

All the ladders and tethers have been dipped in Croda and
approximately 150 foot of ladder has been re-wired.  Numerous ladders have had to have the ends
remade after a very short time as ladders are not being belayed correctly and
the thimbles are being pulled out.

During the last year I have bought the following:

25 1 100 100 100 1300 2000 200

Litres Croda PW 24 Metre 8 x 22mm2 chain (50 links) 4mm ferules 4mm thimbles 4mm wire 4,5 x 30mm long taper pins ft. ladder rungs “C” links

£27.32 £ 5.08   £15.96 £43.47 £73.49 £196.20 £32.20

I am at present making the jigs and tools to assemble the
materials here in stock which will give us about 60 ladders.  We have enough ladder rungs in stock to
manufacture:

100 – 4mm ladders, taper pin construction; 10 – 4mm ladders,
pin and araldite; 10 – 3mm ladders, pin and araldite.

I have had offers from a few members to assemble this
ladder, but would do with as much assistance as possible as it is very time
consuming.  When the jigs are complete, I
would like to arrange for a tackle making day, once a month, and I should be
obliged if the members will support me in this. The job which will cause a problem is the drilling of the rungs as we
need the use of a pillar drill for approximately 10 man-hours to drill the
rungs we have now.  Any offers?

Finally I would like to thank the members who helped me
during the year, and, in particular, Trevor Hughes for the donation of a wire
rope, and also remind members to fill in the tackle book every time they use an
item of Club tackle.

John Dukes,

1 –  list of tackle
overleaf

* indicates that the item was in stock on the date checked.

 

Round

Britain
Caving Trip 

Saturday 26th. September 1981.

Sponsored – proceeds in aid of Mencap, the National Society
for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults.

By the time you read this our Round England and

Wales
marathon may well be over, one way or the other.  On Friday 25th of September, at 11pm, four of
us (Tim Large, Martin Grass, Buckett Tilbury and Graham Wilton-Jones) intend to
leave the Hunters and do the following caving trips:

Little Neath – flood entrance to
sump 2 and back;

P8 (Jackpot) – to sump 5 and
back;

West
Kingsdale – valley entrance to Rowten sumps and back;

Swildons – to sump 2 and back.

We intend to be back in the Hunters before closing time on
Saturday 26th.  Obviously trip locations
or schedule may be revised if the weather is bad.  Hoping to see lots of you in the Hunters on
Sat. night!

Bassett.