FCA Magazine (FCAtoday) - Issue 40: March 2010
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 40: March 2010
Articles
Faskally Reunion
Jim McIntyre says sixteen ex-students and a lecturer from 1957-60, accompanied by their wives, met at Pitlochry last September for their first reunion. On the first day a small group of early arrivals visited the Scottish Plant Hunters’ Garden led by Mike Cheesewright, himself an ex-Faskally student. Two photographs are included in the article.
A photo taken at the reunion shows: - Joe Meechan; Bill Thomson; Alex MacLeod; Brian “PEB” Priestley; Esmond Harris; Keith Fletcher; Mike Oxnard; Jim (Hamish) McIntyre; Barry Auld; Basil Dunlop; Donald McIntosh; John (Jack) Brunton; Peter White; Roger Cartwright; Roger Jackson; Pat Priestley and Peter Clark.
A photo taken of the 1959 graduates shows: - John Bryson; Bill Stewart; J “Hunter” Chrystall; Mike Oxnard; David Lloyd; David Coutts; Alex Robson; Jim “Hamish” McIntyre; Gordon Waugh; John Thompson; Peter Duckworth; D’Arcy Black; J “Jumbo” James; Norman Tulloch; Esmond Harris and Ian Garrioch.
AGM 2010
This year’s AGM will be held at The Loft Beechenhurst Lodge in the Forest of Dean on 11th May.
50,000 Ancient Trees Recorded
The half way mark for the Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Hunt has been passed. The target is 100,000 ancient trees.
The Holly in Folklore
Karen Bell says holly, especially the prickly or thorny species were considered a protective force against evil. Karen has more revelations on holly.
Glentress Recalled
John Keenleyside recalls being a student at Glentress from 1951-1953, He was in the last class which completed training there before it moved to Faskally.
Innovative Resource Management
John Martin joined the FC in 1975, after the Forest Training Schools had closed, but he believes he gained a lot of experience dealing with their graduates. He has some amusing stories on the resourcefulness of some of those former students.
90th Anniversary
Peter Webb writes about September’s meeting when their Peninsula Branch marked the 90th anniversary of the founding of the FC. Lunch at Eggesford was followed by a visit to Flashdown Wood, where the first trees were planted by the FC in December 1919. A photograph was taken at the meeting with members gathering around the commemorative plaque.
Ikea and the Cross Cut Saw
Martyn Wateridge from the New Forest said retired New Forest timber cutter Den Griggs came to the rescue when the new Ikea store in Southampton opened. By Swedish tradition all Ikea stores throughout the world are opened by using a crosscut saw to cut a billet of wood. The FC’s crosscut saws had all been worn out and written off, but Den Griggs lent Ikea his saw for the opening ceremony, when the Mayor of Southampton cut through the billet of wood, the saw doing its job perfectly.
You can see the saw in action on the clip of the store opening on the Ikea website.
From Peat Bog to Conifer Forest
Ruth Tittensor’s book on the recent history of Whitelee Forest was short listed for the Saltire Society’s “Scottish History Book of the Year 2009“ award. Although it did not win in its category, Ruth was delighted that such an unusual book was short listed.
Book Reviews
The Foresters by James Miller
John Keenleyside reviews this book on the Scottish forestry industry. It was written by the author of “The Dam Builders”, an account of the construction of the Hydro Electric schemes.
Obituaries
Andy Neustein recalls George Taylor who died at Inverness in November. He was born in Aldershot in 1927 and joined the FC after graduating from Aberdeen University in 1952.
David Seal has brought together the memories of the many friends and colleagues of Roger Lines who died in October last year.
Finlay MacRae recalls William Nicolson who died in November aged 86 years. A native of Uig in Skye, he joined the FC on the Black Isle in 1939 before being called up and serving with the RE throughout the war, in particular being involved in bomb disposal in London.
Peter Webb reported four deaths.
Roger Twallin who was born in Saltash, Cornwall in 1921. He flew as a navigator with Bomber Command during the war and afterwards joined the FC.
Peter Stone completed training in the Dean, went briefly to the New Forest, then spent most of his career at Haldon and Eggesford Forests.
Eddie Cavell spent his whole career in the old East England Conservancy. He retired to Burnham on Sea in Somerset and died at the age of 80.
Valerie Williams who worked in the District Office in the Forest of Dean died in December 2009 aged 72 years.
Leslie Groves who started with the FC in 1944 and retired as forester in Ringwood in 1991 has died recently. He was born and lived all his life in Verwood and was both passionate about his job and enjoyed his hobbies of organ playing and photography.
Alwyn Warriner has fond memories of Tony Withycombe who died recently. He will be remembered by many during his long career with Mechanical Engineering. He first came to work for the FC at the old Kielder workshop.