FCA Magazine (FCAtoday) - Issue 36: December 2008
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 36: December 2008
Articles
A Past Recollection
While attending Faskally FTS in 1962, John McNeil remembers a “Scotsman” reporter took a group photo for a feature article titled “Britain’s Future Pulp Producers”. John recalls his student days, particularly the first year under the supervision and instruction of Norman Tulloch (Principal), Sandy Cram, D’Arcy Black and Iain Garrioch. His lasting impression was that the regime had been very strict. A hint of what lay ahead was apparent when it was noticed that bearded students arriving on the first day were clean shaven by the following morning. The “thinning” process of the students was severe.
In the “Britain’s Future Pulp Producers” 1962 photograph are: - Peter MacDonald, Andrew Mott, Mike Hannafin, Don Lindsay, Ralph Nickerson, Dave Maddison, Gordon Heddon, George Watt, Dave Elgy, Dick Ogilvie, Tom Rainey, Angus (Bob) Murray, Neil MacKell, Tom Gough, John Hill, Alan Sharpe, Charlie Fleming, Dave Cotton, Tim Taylor, Colin King and Mike Cheesewright; Ian Robinson, Dave Douglas, Clark Anderson, Dave Chappell, Jim Williams, Abbey Gordon, Gordon Ray, Ted Radford, Roger Branford and John McNeil.
AGM 2009
Simon Malone is the organiser for the 2009 AGM and forest tour, which will be held in the Brecklands on 12th & 13th May.
The Ramblings of an old Forester
Peter Noot considers the life of trees fighting for survival in a glade created by a storm in 1717 to the storm in 1987.
A Forestry Dynasty
David Aston has some amusing stories of the early days. His father Tom Aston went to Friston Forest in Sussex after completing training at the Dean FTS. In 1943 Tom moved to Alice Holt Forest, and later to Challock, from where he retired. David’s uncle Orlando Aston was a forester in the New. His grandfather, Charles Aston, was at Sutton Lodge in the Dean. Charles was keeper for Abbotswood and Blaise Bailey from 1913 – 1929. Some of his sons also worked for the Forest Commission. David was born in 1934, and his memories go back to the time when he was a lad at Alice Holt when his father was forester. They had a Canadian lorry driver, Ken Tabner, whose mate was Peter Woods.
The Yew in History and Folklore
In her series of articles about the folklore of trees, Karen Bell says the Yew is an other-worldly tree which was worshipped by the Druids. It is believed the Isle of Iona is named after the Gaelic for Yew – Iubhar. The Druids were said to worship yew trees on the Island before St Columba arrived.
Want to be a Recorder?
Thousands of people across the UK are registered to record for Nature’s Calendar. Organised by the Woodland Trust, the work provides information on the effect of climate on the timing of natural events. More volunteers are required.
Lloyds, Zehetmayrs & Campbells by John Zehetmayr
John Zehetmayr researches his ancestors and puts together facts to discover his relatives.
Beating the Sheep Badgers
For 500 years Dean commoners, known as “sheep badgers” have been allowed to let their livestock graze freely, but there have been complaints of sheep mess, damage to property and hazards on roads. Wilf Meek, ex PW. Weald and now retired, recalls some incidents including a farmer at Bream being served with an ASBO for not controlling his sheep.
Visit Top Lodge
Sid Ainsworth from the old NW(E) Conservancy Office at Chester, and now retired to Ellesmere Port since 1984 was impressed with the Top Lodge Caravan Club site at Fineshade Woods in Northamptonshire and recommends a visit.
Yorkshire Branch 2008
Libby Capstick writes about the Yorkshire Branch AGM held in the new Dalby Forest Visitor Centre. Libby also gives details of visits made by the Group during the year and the planned Christmas lunch at the Forest & Vale Hotel in Pickering.
Letter to the Editor
Ted Baldwin read Les Howe’s account of the Wareham Nursery’s composting operation and was reminded of a similar operation at Broxa on the NYM in the late 1940s. He was on a Forest Worker Training Scheme at Birch Hall camp when a number of heathland nurseries were being established on Broxa Moor.
Obituaries
David Mcleod has written to tell us of the death in May of Colvin Hope, aged 82. Colvin trained as a forester at Benmore in 1952-53, and thereafter spent his career in South Scotland. He started work at Fleet Nursery, and after several moves within the Conservancy he returned to Fleet, from where he retired.
Charlie Greenlees writes of the death of two of his colleagues.
Jimmy Mitchel was born in 1925 on Inverinan Estate, Lochaweside, where his father was the estate gamekeeper. Later, his father went to work for the Commission, as did Jimmy when he left school. He started at Eredine Forest and was based there for 49 years.
Alexander Macvean, or “Vean” as he was known by all, was born in Kilmartin in 1932. When he was a young boy, the family moved to Eredine Forest, where his father worked. Vean started work in the forest himself. Although he worked at times in Dalmally, Glen Orchy, Inverliever and Kilmichael, Eredine remained his home forest throughout his long working life as forest worker and later, ganger.
Stanley Robertson’s son has told us his father’s death in June. Stanley was the fifth of seven sons born in 1921 to missionary parents who worked in India. In 1928 they settled in Hamilton. His lifelong passion for forestry began at Hamilton Academy. In 1946 Stanley entered the Commission and was posted to Dumfries. In 1957 he moved to Gatehouse of Fleet, then to Moffat in 1962. In 1976 he moved to Girvan, from where he retired in 1981.