198 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Annual Report of the Geology Group,
1967
We are pleased to announce a small increase in membership
for the Group during the past year, and the indications are that
this trend will be repeated in the forthcoming period.
It is with regret that we have to announce the retirement from
the Committee of Mr I. Hunter. This is due to his taking up a
business appointment away from Essex. Mr Hunter is one of the
founder members of the Group, having served on the Committee
since the Group's inauguration, and we take this opportunity to
thank him for his past services.
The attendances on the Field Trips were very good. Once again
we wish to thank the Leaders, and those who provided transport.
for without their co-operation these trips would not have been
possible.
Apart from its Annual Dinner and Long Week-end, the Group
held four Field Trips and one Indoor Meeting.
Those attending the indoor meeting heard a recorded and
illustrated lecture given by a past chairman of the Group, Mr R.
J. Taylor, on prospecting for gold and diamonds in Africa. The
interest that this lecture aroused was evident by the volume of
the vote of thanks at the conclusion of the meeting.
The Dinner, which was held at Purfleet, was well attended, as
was also the long week-end, held over the Spring Bank Holiday,
when a return visit to Shropshire was undertaken. Although the
programme on the Saturday morning had to be curtailed owing
to the weather, a full and interesting time was had by all for the
remainder of the week-end.
On the trip to Charlton and Abbey Wood, we were able to
collect from the fossiliferous Tertiary deposits, whilst those who
braved the elements on the trip to Westerham and Sevenoaks
were rewarded with specimens from the Wealden deposits.
The two outstanding trips of the year for some of our members
was the visit made to the Ipswich area, where, under the direction
of Mr R. Markham of the Ipswich Natural History Museum, we
were able to collect from the Crags, the zones of which are of a
higher division than those of Walton on the Naze. We also saw
and collected from the Coraline Crag.
The fourth trip was to the London Clay of the Isle of Sheppey,
where, on the foreshore at Warden Point, fossils were collected
in great quantity.
R. Coates, Secretary.