An Apology

The late appearance of this issue, owing to your editor’s indisposition, is regretted, especially since there was a good response to the appeal for contributions! Consequently it has been necessary to hold a small number over until the October number – but this does not mean that articles, etc., are not required for that issue. We are most grateful to Yeovil Opportunity Group for affording us the use of their duplicator to produce ‘Chronicle’, this time – the Secretary’s letter, which follows, will explain the circumstances.

Secretary’s Letter

It is time again to prepare a few notes for ‘Chronicle’ – does everyone find that time seems to pass faster and faster, presumably as one gets older and adds to life’s experiences.

One change during the last six months that all of us will feel rather sad about, is the decision by Miss Isabel Rendell not to stand at the Annual General Meeting last December for a further term of office as our chairman. Her seven years’ tenure of the chairmanship has seen many changes in the Society and many improvements, and I am sure that her able guidance has contributed in large measure to them all. I am personally most grateful to her for the help that I had in settling into the secretaryship. The change is not all bad, however, as it has made way for the return to a more active role as our new chairman of Bill Chapman, my predecessor for several years as Secretary, and I am sure that you will all join in welcoming him in his new post.

Though perhaps I should not be the one to say so, we can look back on a very interesting and varied series of winter evening meetings, reported in detail, as usual, on another page by Russ Clynick, for whom we have to thank also for the short notices on these meetings that have appeared in the ‘Western Gazette’.

The highlight among the talks for most if not all of us must be the Silcox Memorial Lecture by the Very Rev.Dr.Patrick Mitchell, Dean of Wells. While I am never very sure whether everyone signs our attendance registers, a check over recent years shows that his talk in February produced our largest total to date for an evening meeting, the runner-up being the previous occasion when he was our guest speaker.

Those of you that were present may have heard the Dean offer to show a party round Wells Cathedral one afternoon during the forthcoming- summer if we could find a mutually convenient date. Your committee were eager to accept his kind offer, but as we already had a full summer programme arranged, felt that it would be better to make Wells the venue for a full day’s visit during 1984 if the Dean’s offer remained open. This has already been confirmed, but a definite date has yet to be fixed.

This brings me to the subject of this year’s summer programme, and in particular to the three excursions for which coach travel is arranged and for which advanced booking forms have been issued and should be returned as soon as possible. All are interesting places to visit, in most cases we enjoy a reduced admission charge by going as a party, coach travel is very reasonable by today’s standards and if we can fill the coaches (which have irony more, seats than our minimum party size) there will be a useful addition to Society funds. Please come along, bring your friends, and if you know of any other local societies whose members may be interested, please let me know.

The number of members who have advised me by the slip enclosed in the last issue of ‘Chronicle’ that they are able and willing to contact neighbouring members with last-minute advice of changes in the programme or similar information, has been a bit patchy but enough to be worthwhile. The scheme may well. be put to the test during the summer – there is no need for it during the winter, when most of us meet monthly.

May I remind members of the programme of visits and excursions arranged by the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society to which we are affiliated. A brief selective list of those appears below. Further information and booking forms where required, are available from me.

Postscript

The delayed production of ‘Chronicle’ due to our Editor’s illness, enables me to add a few words. Firstly, the fact that you receive this issue means that he is on the road to recovery, and I am sure that all our members will want to join me in wishing him and Mrs.Brooke (who has been afflicted with a similar bug) a rapid return to complete health and activity.

When it was clear that this issue of ‘Chronicle’ would be delayed it was suggested that it should be combined with the Autumn one, but your committee felt you would prefer it late rather than not at all. This does bring about a minor difficulty with distribution, but most copies can be delivered without incurring postal charges. Some, however, will inevitably have to go by post, and the committee: felt it was not right that this should be e general charge on our limited funds – could those who receive their copies by post please bear this in mind an reimburse the Society at the next opportunity – this sounds rather petty, but the Society is run on a shoe-string.

Finally, the Society has acquired, without cost, by the efforts of our Chairman, a duplicator to replace one which has served us for years, and is now worn out. The replacement is, however, not yet in working order, and this copy of ‘Chronicle’ is being produced on a machine made available to us by the Yeovil Opportunity Group, a voluntary organization, possibly unknown to many of our members, which provides a play-school for mentally and physically disabled and otherwise deprived children of under school age and also a centre where the parents of such children can meet and receive guidance. We are very grateful indeed to them for making their duplicator available to us for this issue.

John MOON

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