FCA Magazine (FCAtoday) - Issue 41: December 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 41: December 2010
Articles
Forty Years of the Northern Research Station
On May 7th past and current staff met for a lunch time celebration of the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Northern Research Station in May 1970. A photograph is shown of Silviculture (N) staff in the early 1970s sent in by John Keenleyside which was on display. From the left look for: - Dave Willmot; Andy Mair; Roger Lines; John White; Alan Green; Ken Mills; Walter Patterson; Ted Baldwin; Tony Lewis; Neville Danby; Angus Macdonald; Geoff Bartlett; Gordon Forbes; George Pringle; Graham Semple; John McNeill; Tony Sharp; Alistair McInnes; Ken Gabriel; John Keenleyside; Ivor Blackmore; Mike Hollingsworth; Ron Robson; John Kirby; Calvin Booth; Martin Rogers; John Mackenzie; Alec Reid; Don Lindsay; Neill McKell; Jim Thompson; Pat Priestley and Sandy Watson.
Locked into Oak
Some interesting facts on Lock gates which cost up to £50,000 each and take about 4 weeks to construct. Most are produced in the British Waterways (BW) workshop at Stanley Ferry near Wakefield, though the life of a lock gate begins at Pontrilas sawmill on the Welsh Marches near Abergavenny.
News from New Zealand
Musings from Tony Butcher who relocated to New Zealand after retiring.
Now it’s Lynford’s Turn
Henry Smith recalls setting off In 1951 for Lynford Hall FTS for the 2 year training course. Among his memories, he includes a photograph of the 1951-53 students: - Pat Marsh; Wilf Meek; Peter Gascoigne; John de Whalley; Paul Collings; Alan Flint; Eric Rogers; Henry Smith; Ray Monk; John Webster; Ted Baldwin; Rex Howell; Peter Kirby; Peter Davys; Dickie Bird; Peter Daborn; Peter Pritchard; Neil Cochrane; Mike Whitlock; Charlie Hinds; Norman Fugler; Bill Tyler and Paul Winkworth.
An Afternoon of Story Telling
Over the winter, the Edinburgh & South Scotland group has a members’ afternoon. In the past, members talked about DVDs, CDs or slides. This year it was a little different and they are passing this idea on to other groups. They started with the usual short visual presentations, then three members said they could tell stories, some about an object they had brought along. Nancy MacKenzie said her family never threw anything away and she had a vast amount of family documentation. She produced a bill of land sale for 1634. It was in Latin but she had the translation. She then read extracts of letters sent back to Scotland from an emigrant sheep farmer in Australia telling of life there in 1842.
The Great Sell Off
A comment on the FC proposed sell off.
Surveying Trees for the National Trust
Andy Gordon tells of his voluntary work for the National Trust’s 8000 acre estate Attingham Park. Since then, he has worked at other National Trust properties.
A Glance in the Rear View Mirror
Kenny MacKenzie joined the FC at Milbuie Forest on the Black Isle in 1949 aged 24. He has produced a well illustrated book called “A Glance in the Rear View Mirror” which has detailed descriptions of forest life and work on the Black Isle and Glen Affric.
Editor’s Report to the 2010 AGM
Richard Toleman’s report to the AGM in May 2010. It was written prior to the demise of Slasher and the paper copies of FCA Today.
Third Touchwood History Booklet
The booklet was published in August and is the third in the Touchwood series, telling the story of those who worked in and around the forests in Badenoch and Strathspey. It records the stories of foresters and forest workers on the FC forests of Glenmore and Inchriach, and of folk who lived and worked on Rothiemurchus.
AGM 2010
A report of the 2010 AGM and the visits on the following day.
AGM 2011
Next year’s AGM will be held at Betws y Coed in May, organised by the North Wales Group.
A Forester’s Thoughts – A poem by Les Howe
Les Howe sent in the poem before he died. It sums up his career which was one of dedication to, but most of all enjoyment of, forestry.
Book Publication
Woods & People. Putting Forests on the Map by David Foot.
David Foot is a retired professional forester and was a Forestry Commissioner from 1986 to 1999.
Letters to the Editor
In the December 2009 issue, Norman Davidson was looking for names in the Benmore Forestry School photograph circa 1935. Archie Cameron MacNaughton positively identified his uncle Angus Macdonald (Research Forester at Fort Augustus) as No 1 in the formal line up. Currently we have other names as follows: No 17 George Small, No 19 Alex MacLeman, No 22 Harry Watson, No 25 Jackie Frater.
From the Editor
Richard Toleman announces the first online edition of FCA Today on the FCA’s new website www.fca-today.com
Obituaries
Although Charles Taylor was not a member of the FC, he will be known to many Edinburgh forestry graduates and others in the forestry profession. He died in January aged 97 after a long and distinguished career.
Mike Whitlock remembers Alan Catchpole who was born in 1925 in rural Essex. After wartime service in the Scots Guards, he was attracted to forestry and trained at the Dean FTS (1949-51). He then joined the FC serving the rest of his career in SE England at Micheldever Forest and Orlestone before taking charge of Buriton Forest which was later renamed Queen Elizabeth Country Park and which he developed.
Julian Evans recalls David Fourt who was born in Redditch in 1923. David was at Dean FTS in 1947 and 1948 and was posted directly to research at Alice Holt in 1949. And he stayed there for 36 years retiring in April 1985. David’s first research branch, Ecology, meant his working with J M B Brown, a highly competent but crusty scientist. It was a productive time resulting in publication in 1953 of ‘Studies in British Beechwoods’ FC Bulletin 20, although regrettably he was not accorded co-authorship or adequate acknowledgement, having done much of the work. David Rice says of David “He was one of my forest heroes. On many occasions over the last 50 years, he enthralled me”.
Eric Urquhart tells of the death of Jock Chrystall in Inverness in January aged 97. He had a long and distinguished career in forestry, joining the FC as a forest worker in 1928 and retiring as Assistant Conservator in 1963. He started with the FC in a remote bothy in Clashindarroch Forest. He successfully graduated from Benmore Forester School in 1936.
Gwyn Francis and Andy Neustein have many memories of John Fletcher who died in September at his home in Farmborough aged 81. After graduation and National Service with the Royal Engineers he joined the Forestry Commission in 1953. His appointments as District Officer were first to the Lake District and later to Thetford. John became, with Bill Grant at Grizedale, an enthusiastic and hands-on supporter of the “Theatre in the Forest”.
Tony Butcher said he learned with much sadness of the passing of Bob Gladman. We had been great friends at Lynford Hall Forester Training College and for many years since. Bob ended up Head Student in 1956 after much serious study.
Mike Whitlock knew Les Howe well. After service in the RAF, Les started his forestry career at Charmouth in Dorset, transferring to Bramshill forest in Hampshire. Following training at the Lynford Hall Forester Training School from 1950-1952, he served in Mensuration Branch before transferring to Silviculture Branch based at the Wareham nursery in Dorset. Leaving Forest Research in 1976, he took charge of Shipbourne Forest in Kent. Retiring in 1983, he and his family stayed on in that area before finally moving to Christchurch in 1991. He died in May at the age of 89.