Executive News
A Statement from The Nepal Trust
A complaint has been received from the Directors of The Nepal Trust, that the Guest Article published in Scottish Mountaineer Issue 21 entitled ‘The Hidden Himalaya’, by Hugh Mackay, and attributed to ‘The Himalayan Innovative Society’ has caused confusion and damage to The Nepal Trust and its development work. The information in the article describes the work of The Nepal Trust and was written when the author was still a director of that trust. It appears that the author made a few minor changes to the original article and then attributed the work described to another organisation. The Directors of The Nepal Trust wish it to be known that the author of the said article is no longer a Director of, nor in any way connected with, The Nepal Trust. Further, The Himalayan Innovative Society’ is not in any way connected to ‘The Nepal Trust’, nor its work which was described in the said article. For more information about The Nepal Trust see http://www.nepaltrust.org/
Annual General Meeting Report
The AGM was held during the weekend of The Gathering at Glenmore Lodge. The substantive items on the agenda as they were agreed are as follows. The full version of the minutes is available from the MCofS office and on the website.
Subscriptions were agreed as:
|
2004/05 [agreed] |
2005/06 [estimated] | |
| Civil Liability (CLI) | including CLI | excluding CLI |
| I.M. [Ordinary] | £22.50 | £24.80 |
| I.M. [Youth] * | £10.00 | £10.00 |
| Concession | £14.50 | £12.50 |
| Joint/Family ** | £40.35 | £37.50 |
| Club (per head) | £ 9.30 | £ 6.90 |
| Associate **** | £65.00 | £70.00 |
| Civil Liability Insurance Premium | [£ 3.00] | +£3.90 [estimated] |
Notes - Civil Liability Insurance [CLI]
* Youth members do not pay for CLI.
** For Joint/Family members add a CLI premium for each adult member.
*** Associate members do not receive CLI cover as a membership benefit.
Proposed changes to the Constitution:
The Executive decided to propose a percentage of Individual members that represents a similar number as the minimum number of Club members who are empowered to call a Special General Meeting, rather than a fixed number. The following change to Clause 13. Special General Meetings, paragraph (b) was adopted.
The Executive Committee, if requested to do so by ten or more member Clubs, or 10% of the Individual Members, shall within 21 days call a Special General Meeting to be held within not more than 42 days from the date of the notice, to deal with the business specified in the request.
Elections to the Executive Committee:
Mary Webster (LSCC) was elected to the Office of Vice President.
Derek Edge (IM) was re-elected to the Office of Honorary Treasurer.
Nicholas Halls (IM) was re-elected to the Office of Honorary Secretary.
Susan Jensen (Edinburgh JMCS) was elected as an Ordinary Member.
Richard Spencer (IM) was elected as an Ordinary Member.
Peter Willimott (IM & Kirkintilloch MC) was elected as an Ordinary Member.
Chris Townsend (IM) was elected as an Ordinary Member.
Keith Miller (IM) was elected as an Ordinary Member for a second term.
Next Years AGM:
As Glenmore Lodge had proven to be such an excellent venue it was agreed to return on Saturday 18th June 2005.
Your New Executive Members:
Richard Spencer
Richard just turned 60, six days after completing the Munros. He is a retired soldier and solicitor, now living in Laggan, where he is perfectly placed to be the Mountain Bothy Association's Maintenance Organiser for Ben Alder Cottage. He is an Open University student and hence a member of the OU Mountaineering Society.
Chris Townsend
Chris will be known to many members as a writer and photographer; having written fifteen books including the award-winning Backpacker’s Handbook and walking guides to the Isle of Skye, Ben Nevis and Glencoe. He is also equipment editor for TGO magazine and writes regular magazine features on outdoor topics.
Chris completed two rounds of the Munros, the second a continuous walk taking in all the Tops, as told in his book The Munros and Tops. Other long walks include the 3,000 mile Continental Divide Trail down the Rocky Mountains in the USA, the 2,600 mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada, 1300 miles south to north through the mountains of Norway and Sweden, 1,000 miles south to north through Canada’s Yukon Territory and 1600 miles along the length of the Canadian Rockies (the first time this walk had been done). He has also led ski tours in many areas including Lapland, Greenland, Spitsbergen, the High Sierra and the Tombstone Mountains in the Yukon.
Peter Willimott
Born in Norfolk in 1947 and arrived in Scotland in 1969 having hardly seen a hill. He intended to stay for about 2 years but, in the early 70’s, began hill walking. Since then he only returns south of the border under duress. He has worked in the steel and whisky industries but is now semi retired working for a software house.
He's a member and former chairman of Kirkintilloch Mountaineering Club and an individual member of the MCofS. Recently he's been co-opted to represent the MCofS on the UK IT Steering Committee.
Holidays have taken him to almost all the European mountain ranges including the Caucasus and in recent years he has been making regular visits to remote corners of the Atlas Mountains.
He believes that Scotland’s mountains and wild land areas must be conserved for the enjoyment of current and future generations. He can be found on these hills, or in a highland hostelry, almost every weekend.
Not Talking but Doing ……
MCofS Annual Gathering Events
Report by Kevin Howett
The Annual Gathering weekend was held on 18th – 20th June this year, again at Glenmore Lodge National Outdoor Centre. There were over 100 members attending various parts of the event with families, happy campers, as well as those preferring B&B at ‘The Lodge’, all making the best of the facilities (swimming pool, sauna and wall). It was a busy place. The technical facilities are excellent and well suited to hosting a whole range of activities both outdoors and this year, luckily, indoors as the weather was particularly awful – blizzard conditions and a foot of drifting snow in the Northern Corries of Cairngorm. Saturday morning saw most opting for indoor sessions taken by volunteer members of the MCofS, although a hardy few accompanied Hick Halls into the snow for some scrambling. They returned by lunchtime having been beaten off by the blizzard. Other outdoor activities were organised but cancelled due to the weather, but we would like to thank Great Glen Ranger Clelland ??? and Diana Gilbert of the Cairngorm National Park for all their help. Hopefully next year the weather will allow us outside.
The debates gave excellent presentations by all our speakers: Alan Kimber, Nick Halls, Keith Miller, Mike Scott and David Bruce and have been reported in Talking Point. Whilst all this was going on, members of the MCofS Executive Committee were also involved in the Mountaineering Coordination Group and Mountain Training Trust meetings. Feedback from all who attended was an excellent weekend that seems to get better, the only concern was that more time was needed for discussion of the items of the AGM and this we will do next year.
Thanks must go to all the staff at The Lodge, to Mat for the excellent buffet meal, to all the volunteers who took sessions and those who helped Pet with the administration of the weekend. See you all next year!
Greggor McCoshim kindly held a session on podiatry – that’s sore and smelly feet to you and me. This excellent seminar opened a lot of people’s eyes to how badly we all look after our feet, until it is too late! Greggor runs several clinics across Scotland, and specialises in problems associated with walkers.
John Armstrong held a session on ‘holding a fall’ in climbing; an eleven stone barrel of sand being dropped some distance to simulate a fall. This was an activity that anyone climbing should definitely try – it’s a real eye-opener.
And Bill Park kindly jumped into the fray to take up the wet weather demand and took a session explaining digital mapping.
Dave MacLeod coaching in rock climbing sessions helped young and old alike; the youngest being only 7 (it obviously worked as he romped home to a win at the BRYCS the following weekend). The more senior climbers included BMC eminary Derek Walker and self-proclaimed bouldering guru and ‘Climber’ magazine editor Bernard Newman, who confessed to never even thinking about such things for his 30+ years of hard gritstone action.
Scott Muir coaching sessions in winter climbing used the unique ‘dry-tooling’ wall at the lodge to great effect. Balance and precision was the key to success and the result of failing to concentrate saw spectacular ‘explosive’ falls – hence the full face guard helmets!
Pete Hill and Paula Griffin took a sizable class in belay management, that included people with a range of experience from beginners to experienced climbers. The tangle normally associated with a belay half-way up a cliff can seem daunting even for those with years of experience, but even the best ‘knitters’ had a better idea by the end of the session.
Bob Hodgekiss took sessions for absolute beginners in climbing. Aimed toward families, young people and adult walkers who have never tried it, the sessions included a basic introduction to the equipment needed, climbing systems, top roping and belaying.
It has long been recognised that Scotland’s walkers and climbers are perfectly placed to be the eyes and ears of the Police in their fight against wildlife crime. The MCofS has joined with The Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW) to help educate mountaineers on the subject and PAW staged a particularly gruesome demonstration by officers of the Ministry of Defence Police. Further joint events followed at the Arrochar Alps car park in July where scenes were recreated so that walkers can recognise a crime and preserve any evidence. For more information see our website.
