Newsletter: August 2022

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Dear Members,

Traditionally, the Newsletter at this time of the year focused on providing our members with a Programme Card and the opportunity to renew their subscription for the forthcoming year. It also allows the Chairman to deliver a Chairman’s Report before the AGM to speed up that event. However, we are all well aware that the past two years have been anything but conventional, so there have been a couple of changes made.

Firstly, the very difficult question of whether we would have a Treasurer to enable us to carry on, has been solved. When Fred Turley retires from the post at the AGM, committee member Peter Birkert has kindly offered to take over the role. The future of the Society has been assured, at least for the present. Other changes are that we have decided to discontinue the coffee break at our meetings. Many speakers would prefer not to have them. Subscriptions will also rise slightly, from £8 to £10 and visitors will pay £3 instead of £2. These reflect the higher costs of room hire and speakers’ fees. Still great value for money.

We would like to thank Fred Turley for his great contribution to the Society. He has served as our Treasurer since 2003. Although not an accountant, he has managed the accounts with precision. He has also been the prime mover in the organisation of the annual coach trip, seen to our involvement with the Charity Commission, FoSSA, the Parish Registers Society and our website, as well as being a tower of strength at our meetings. Thank you for everything, Fred.

We are moving the AGM from December to November so our new Treasurer may take over, consequently your Membership Renewal form is followed by a Nomination Form for members of Committee. As always we would be very happy to have new committee members put forward – new ideas and fresh enthusiasm are valuable assets.

Let us take a moment to look back at the last year. The big question after our previous year of Lockdown was, “Were we going to restart?” “Was it safe to do so?”

The answer to the first question was a Yes. We were going to carry on, but to begin in September was too risky. So, it was October before the first event when we welcomed Tony Noble to talk about his 17 years’ experience on the Royal Yacht Britannia. We were overjoyed that over 80 people were happy to join us on that occasion. A very interesting evening was had by all.

In November we felt confident enough to go ahead with David Tordoff’s talk, suitably entitled ‘Remember, Remember the 5th of November.’ We were treated to a fascinating insight into the machinations behind this well-known event. Then Omicron swept into our lives and disrupted everything once again. The December meeting was cancelled followed by the one in January. Both have been rebooked.

February went ahead and was an eye-opener for many people. Few had heard of Caribee Island in Wolverhampton, but after hearing Simon Briercliffe’s excellent talk they knew a great deal about it and its existence off Stafford Street.

In March David Burton-Pye took us through the removal and restoration of Codsall Station  Footbridge, making us realise what a treasure we have in our midst. Then in April, with Dr Roger White, we looked at the impact of Roman Wroxeter on the literary and artistic world over subsequent centuries. The year finished with Dorothy Noble taking us on a detailed tour around the lovely town of Ludlow. Her knowledge was impressive and her excellent delivery made this a most informative evening.

With most of our members having taken advantage of the 4th Covid jab we organised our usual July coach trip. This was to Speke Hall near Liverpool. At the last minute four people had to drop out, but 38 of us took off in an entirely new luxury coach and after a comfort stop on the way we arrived at Speke Hall at 11.30am. The weather, once again, was wonderful, not too hot or too cold. Besides the fascinating Hall there were many things to see and lovely gardens to admire. The owners of the Hall had sold off acres of land to facilitate the development of Liverpool Airport nearby and every so often a large aeroplane would pass overhead. We all had a really enjoyable day.

Ken Gilks: We were shocked and saddened in December to lose Ken – a much-loved and respected Committee member. Besides our group Ken gave talks to several other Societies, always accompanied by his own wonderful brand of humour. There are some people who leave behind a very large gap. Ken was such a person. His dedication and enthusiasm will never be forgotten.

Website: Hopefully some of you have accessed our newly-revamped website at codsallhistory.org, The Newsletter and the Joining Form will be available on the website. Our Publications will not be available at our Meetings just yet. However, they may be ordered through the website or purchased from Codsall Library.

Tuesday, October 18th: Phil Clayton – Walking in the Past: Ramblings through History.

Phil takes a look at our past from a walker’s point of view, finding Stone Ages tracks, Roman ways, packhorse routes, turnpike roads in our present landscape.

RENEWAL OF SUBSCRIPTION 2022-2023

Please make your cheque for £10 per person payable to Codsall & Bilbrook History Society and return it to the Membership Secretary:

Mrs Margaret Dean, 162 Wood Road, Codsall, WV8 1DW.

I/we enclose a subscription of £........................

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NOMINATIONS FOR OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE 

I wish to nominate:

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If you wish to nominate a person please send this form  to Margaret Dean with your subscription.

Present Committee – Judy Davies (Chairman) Alfred Turley (Treasurer) Margaret Dean (Membership Secretary) Stephen Skinner (Programme Secretary) Val Holland, Janet Evans,  Peter Birkert, Gill Gogle.

Registered Charity 5038