President's Page
Del Smith 12 Tring Gardens, Harold Hill, Romford, Essex RM3 9EP
delsmith444@btinternet.com
Our longest serving President of recent years, Mark Hanson resigned unexpectedly in
October, and it has fallen to me as vice president to pick up the reins. It is a privilege to
follow on from Mark, who has headed the Field Club with enthusiasm and energy for
nearly three years now. I am not sure I have his energy so 1 will not attempt to compete
in that area. But I will thank Mark for all the effort he has put in over the years, and
knowing Mark as well as I do I doubt we have seen the last of him (he will be held in
reserve for a year or two).
Sadly Charles Watson, also a past President and stalwart of the club, died suddenly in
November. The Field Club Council was heavily represented at his funeral along with a
large number of Charles' friends and family. We shall all miss him. Not because he was
sweet and charming but because he was Charles. There is a brief obituary on the first
page, and a full appreciation of Charles and his work will be published in the 2006
Naturalist.
A couple of years ago The Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge Museum in Epping decided
that they no longer wished to display a number of cases of various stuffed birds and fish
that belong to the Field Club. Members of the club collected the items and since then
they have been in storage, many at Mark Hanson's home. The Council decided at our
last meeting to dispose of those specimens which had no provenance or connection
with Essex and it fell to me to arrange the sale. After consultations the bulk of the birds
went to an Essex dealer, but three cases were retained and put up for auction on Ebay.
These included a Tench and a Pike both in bow fronted cases by the celebrated
taxidermists Cooper and Sons. The Tench fetched £870 and the Pike £1,386, remarkable
prices (perhaps they became Christmas presents). All together £3378 was raised and
total costs were only £65. That money has gone into the club's general fund.
The collections are a constant source of concern for us all and our search for a permanent
home continues. Mark Hanson's house extension is likely to go ahead in 2006 and the
use of that facility may well ease the pressure, but we are also actively pursuing other
long term possibilities with third parties. As yet a final solution still seems a long way
off.
The Annual Exhibition and Social was held on December 3rd and it was agreed by all to
have been a very pleasant and enjoyable afternoon. Again there were more than a hundred
members and friends in attendance and we had the largest number of exhibitors ever.
Remarkably the whole event is financed entirely by our members collecting their journals
and saving us £2 each in postage. Mary and Patrick Smith supplied their usual splendid
buffet, which was consumed with relish and in its entirety - what would we do without
them?
2 Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 49, January 2006