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The Essex Field Club
Annual Report for 1959
THE past year has been one of considerable advancement in
the Club's standing as the only society of its kind to embrace
the whole of Essex. In the early part of the year the Council
appointed a Committee to make recommendations on future
policy. The first outward sign of its labours was the considerable
alteration to the Rules adopted at the Annual General Meeting,
but many other developments during that year stem from the
advice of this Committee.
The Recorders' scheme has been extended to cover almost
all aspects of the Club's interests, and members can help the
Recorders materially by sending in notes or specimens for
identification. An innovation of 1959 was the founding of the
first specialist group in the Club. The inaugural meeting of the
Geological Group was attended by over 30 members and guests.
The Council anticipates that the Group will be actively engaged
in geological studies in the near future which will add to the
existing knowledge of a hitherto rather neglected county. This is
the first of the Club's Groups to cater for those naturalists of
specialist interests; others will be formed as occasion arises, and
it is the Council's hope that before long all disciplines will be
represented by Groups.
Towards the end of the year it was agreed that the Club
should organise three ecological surveys in Essex, and during the
coming year a number of informal meetings will be held at these
sites. The Recorders are confident that by directing their
interests to these relatively small areas, a real contribution to the
study of Essex can be made. These surveys are probably one of
the most important projects that the Club has undertaken in
recent years.
During 1959, the Council was pleased to make a grant from
the Research Fund in aid of the exploration and study of the
Dene Holes at Grays. The results of this work have been given
in part at one of the indoor meetings; they will be published in
due course in The Essex Naturalist.
The agreement with the Corporation of West Ham concerning
the Passmore Edwards Museum, concluded in 1956, required the
Council to appoint three Governors of the Museum this year. The
Council were pleased to appoint the President, Mr. E. F. Williams,
Mr. L. S. Harley and Mr. C. B. Pratt as Governors. The Club's
gratitude is due to Mr. E. E. Syms who served as a Governor for
three years.
Membership of the Club has continued to increase, forty-four
members have joined during 1959, one member died, ten have
resigned, and fifteen have been written off for non-payment of
subscriptions. The Council wishes to remind members again that