FCA Magazine (FCAtoday) - Issue 55: Summer 2015
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 55: Summer 2015
Articles
AGM 2015
Minutes of the FCA AGM and reports from the Groups.
The Wave
Arthur Miller describes his 8 mile trek in Utah across a rocky desert with a 250ft ascent at the end. The hike is known as “The Wave”. There are no Maps. The directions consist of a series of photographs with the comment 'Go to the right of these rocks' or 'Turn left at the bush'.
The People’s History of Thetford Forest
With its focus on Thetford Forest, at the heart of the region, an oral history project is underway as part of the ‘Breaking New Ground’ Landscape Partnership Scheme funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Its focus is on Thetford Forest, at the heart of the region, an oral history project is now underway as part of the ‘Breaking New Ground’ Landscape Partnership Scheme funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Horse Logging
Richard Toleman recently attended a logging demonstration at Greenlaw in the Scottish borders. Thinning was taking place in a YC 22 SS plantation that had been turf planted so the ground was flat. This made horse extraction on a purpose built forwarder trailer very efficient. It had a small donkey engine that powered a grapple loader while, in a change of mode, it could also power a ridged drive wheel that fitted within the trailer bogie. This could be engaged when the horse was extracting the forwarder trailer up hill and could give a helping boost!
Reminiscences of a Forestry School Student
Simon Malone continues his reminiscences as a forest worker. After four years practical work in Alice Holt forest he was allocated a place at the Forest of Dean FTS in 1965. The Dean Forestry School opened in 1904, some years before the FC came into being and the building which was to become the training school for so many foresters over the years was converted from a disused mine building in 1910 for the Office of Woods. The school motto was “Sic vos non vobis”, “Not for ourselves but for others”. It closed in 1971 when the FC stopped in-house training. Simon includes photographs of fellow students. A School photo taken in July 1966 shows Simon and The Forester Instructors, Derek Davies, Geoff Waygood, Tony Joslin, John Goodwin, Harold Jones, Roger Twallin and John Niles.
From the Editor
A comment from Richard Toleman.
Obituaries
David Williams tells of Ralph Wainwright who died in May 2015 at the age of 96.
Dorothy Munn has informed us that Cliff Featherstone died in December 2014 aged 92.
Goronwy Wyn Jones has died at the age of 86.
Veronica Mackenzie died aged 85 at Inverness in May 2015. Vera, as she was affectionately known throughout the FC, ran the Work Study, Education & Training office at Smithton near Inverness for 23 years before retiring in 1995.
Roderick Leslie remembers the life of Oliver Lucas who died this year aged 67. Oliver was the author of The Design of Forest Landscapes published in 1991.