FCA Magazine (FCAnews) - Issue 19: March 2003
FC staff Retirement Association magazine. The content summary below was very kindly compiled by Diane Birkett, Bedfordshire. See PDF attachment below the text to view the full document. A total of 77 issues were completed between 1997 and the final issue in 2023.
Issue 19: March 2003
Articles
Centenary of the Dean School of Forestry
In January 1904, eight young men created the first course of forestry students in the Forest of Dean. Mr C.O. Hanson was the instructor who devised this method of forestry training long before the Forestry Commission came into being.
Old Dean students are called to the Centenary Reunion and Commemorative Dinner in the Dean on 4th October 2003. The oldest surviving Dean student, Fred Beasley, who was in the school in 1929 and currently 95 years old, expects to attend. Cyril Lewis was in the school in 1935 and his father was on the first course in 1904.
Bob Hendrie, went to the School in 1934. Part of his joining instructions, which he kept are reproduced in this article.
Quadmania
A photo of members of the Edinburgh and South Scotland Group enjoying a quad biking visit to Ardentinney, Bill Sutherland’s grandson’s hill farm near Dunoon.
Heaven’s Angels
Ken Broad has many memories of his forestry career spanning almost 50 years. One particular memory is of a standoff with a group of leather jacketed motorcyclists in the style of Hell’s Angel that had a surprising ending.
Wartime Stories
Reg Waters, a Chief Forester who retired in 1972 tells a wartime story of his forestry experiences in the Elan Valley in Mid Wales. The Bouncing Bomb features in his story.
AGM May 2003 notification
Notification of the AGM being held in Aviemore with a visit also planned to Glenmore by John Keenleyside.
The Story of the Forest
Jock McRobert and Jock Low responded to the appeal by Forest Enterprise Wales, the National Library of Wales and the Museum of Welsh Life for memories of those involved in the creation of forests in Wales.
Jock McRobert began ploughing in South Scotland in 1951, then joined Jock Law's ploughing team in North Wales. Together they prepared the Trawsfynydd "bomb alley site" with armoured tractors. Jock Low recalls his crawler shovel driver reporting a bomb in the bucket after extracting gravel from a bank. The Bomb Disposal people had to pay another visit.
Jobs for the Boys – And Girls
Suggestions for retirees on green wood construction with courses by Grudrun Leitz.
More on Cycling
Sustran cycling projects to look out for.
Plant a Tree – End Isolation
An article in the Big Issue showed how local volunteering projects can help asylum seekers to feel welcome in their communities. The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers and The Scottish Refugee Council arranged for people living in temporary accommodation in the centre of Glasgow to work on Cashel Forest on Lochlomondside. The RSFS already has a very small working group headed by David Gross, and the work carried out by the asylum seekers will aid its aims.
From the Editor
Notes from Richard Toleman.
Welcome to Retirement
Patricia Ashley (Bordon)
Capel Bevan (Knighton)
Catherine Bond (Aberfoyle)
Anne Patmore (Saffron Walden)
Sheelagh Pegler (Tetbury)
Terence Pembridge (Abercam)
Gerald Walker (Tarporley)
Clive Brashier (Alton)
Allan Naismith (Aberfoyle)
Hugh Currie (Newton Stewart)
Obituaries
Alan Freeth’s son tells of his father who attended Dean FTS in 1943 and joined the FC after the war at Emery Down.
George Taylor has many memories of Graham Semple.
Bill McGivern’s son remembers his father who retired as Chief Forester at the Brennan in 1983.
Michael Osborne wrote an appreciation of Donald Kennedy which appeared in full in ‘Scottish Forestry’ Winter 2002.
Peter Graves recounts the eventful career of Isaac “Ike” Garner who died in December aged 96.
Richard Williamson remembers Calder Miller as one of those larger than life characters.