Archived Reports 2011
Date
Speaker
Topic
January
Richard Skilton
Doorkeeper of the House of Lords
February
Michael King
Parliament from the Press Gallery
March
David Bowell
Rogues, Vagabonds and Mischief Makers of Kingston
April
Derek Williamson
Beekeeping
May
No Speaker
Ladies Lunch
June
Ramesh Kapadia
Her Majesty’s Inspectors (Schools).
July
Edmund Woolley
Journey through the Americas
August
Roger Fitzpatrick
Book Publishing
September
Malcolm Wells
Canine Partners
October
Paul Sommerfield
T B Alert
November
Brian Sticklands
Elimination of Polio
December
No Speaker
Christmas Ladies Lunch
Notes on the Lunch meeting at Glenmore House - On Wednesday 19th January 2011
Doorkeeper of the House of Lords by Richard Skilton
The Chairman then introduced Richard Skilton who was to speak on his experiences as doorkeeper or doorman of the House of Lords.
Houses of Parliament
Richard’s early years were in the Services: the RAF for 16 years and later in the Royal Marines. On the eve of his retirement he was buttonholed by a former service colleague who had joined the staff of the Palace of Westminster on his own retirement and pressed Richard to consider the idea himself. Rather contrary to his expectations he became intrigued by the institution and eventually became the Keeper of the Door of the House of Lords, a role rather belittled by its corruption to “doorkeeper”. This function in fact necessitates a staff of 28 and carries many responsibilities.
Richard commenced by giving an account of a path in the history of our country which started with Charles 1st’s obsession with the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings, an idea originated among European Royalty and espoused by Charles’s father, James 1st. In Charles’s case this led to armed confrontation with Parliament in the Civil War, his own execution and a period of government by the Commonwealth (effectively a republic) led by Cromwell and later by his ineffective son Richard. The restored monarchy in 1660 under Charles 2nd was not in any sense a reversion to Divine Right but a somewhat arcane concept of a Monarch ruling through the medium of a Parliament which was a combination of elective and hereditary components. It involves a very real and ongoing element of theatre with such officials as Black Rod, processions, props such the Mace, the Chancellor on his Woolsack and so on.
Central Lobby between the two Houses
Houses of Commons
House of Lords
After this introduction Richard’s talk comprised a succession of deeply humorous anecdotes involving Gerry Fitt, the Queen and Mrs Thatcher, Baroness Phillips, Seb Coe and so on. The stories were brilliantly told and the better for their total authenticity. Richard’s opening remark that the fear of dying and speaking in public are analogous experiences was clearly inapplicable to his own performance.
After a few questions the Chairman proposed a vote of thanks to Richard Skilton, then the Probus Toast, and closed the meeting at 3.10 p.m.
Brian Jackson
Notes on the Lunch meeting at Glenmore House on Wednesday 16th February 2011
“Parliament from the Press Gallery” by Michael King
The Chairman introduced the day’s Speaker, Michael King whose subject was “Parliament from the Press Gallery”. Michael introduced himself by saying that went to school at Rutlish and left at eighteen to join the army. While learning to drive a tank he taught himself shorthand in preparation for his chosen career as a newspaper reporter. This ambition was amply fulfilled and Michael has now been retired for twenty years. His work, as it happens, was almost exclusively dedicated to the House of Commons, during which he reported no fewer that seven prime Ministers. But for many years he also reported proceedings at the now extinct GLC in the building which is now an hotel (below).
As a reporter Michael insisted that he was totally apolitical but was and is very conscious of the constantly changing character of the House of Commons. He feels optimistic about the present coalition – a situation he feels will become increasingly the norm if AV is eventually adopted. He is also a Bercow fan (both of them!). The present House comprises 227 new MPs and it looks and feels different from the last. It also gets better coverage from the media in contrast to its predecessor which had become largely the food of sketch writers.
Michael’s training started with the Croydon Times (he had a family background of newspapermen) from which he moved to the Midlands where he worked in the Stafford office of the Wolverhampton Express and Star. However, in 1953 he moved back South to the London Evening Standard. This paper has experienced drastic changes in the last few years. When Michael retired it had a daily circulation of 600,000. This had dropped to 120,000 when Russian proprietors took it over. It became a free sheet and is now making a profit with 750,000 copies distributed mainly to the City and West End, drastically cutting distribution costs.
From 1953 Michael worked as a reporter in the Commons Press gallery. The refusal of the Speaker to accept a demand from Charles I resulted in Parliament imposing a virtual censorship on its proceedings. In 1803 William Pitt made an historic speech which was not reported because reporters could not get into a crowded public gallery. The Speaker then ordered that seats should be reserved for reporters and the Press gallery was born.
But the Commons still protected its secrecy and kept the Monarch at arm’s length. Eventually George III asked for a daily report and this is sent to the Queen every day. At a more formal level, once legislation is approved by the Lords and Commons the Queen has to give her consent. A messenger carrying a wand like a billiard cue delivers the message from Parliament and until Victoria’s time it was broken in half to signify her assent. She decided to save money and have a wand that unscrewed.
Michael continued his talk with a lot more history about the Commons, much continuing to illustrate the theme of secrecy and confidentiality. A constant example of this is the convention, still strictly observed, of the Members addressing each other by reference to their constituencies rather than their personal names. Michael explained the different functions of Lobby Correspondents and the Press Gallery reporters. Strict limits apply to the extent and nature of information which can be passed on to lobby correspondents and very strict privacy rules govern the social as well as the professional activities of Members (there are six bars in the Palace of Westminster).
Towards the end of his talk Michael entertained the Club with a selection of lighter anecdotes. One that sticks in the mind is the care which was taken of Winston Churchill who attended the Commons right up to the end of his life and had expressed a hope to die in the Chamber. Officials had to be tactfully deployed, particularly at the end of sessions, to ensure that this event had not happened unnoticed.
After a number of questions the Chairman thanked the Speaker warmly, proposed the Probus Toast and declared the meeting closed at 3.15.
Brian Jackson
Notes on the Lunch meeting at Glenmore House on Wednesday 16th March 2011
“Rogues, Vagabonds and Mischief Makers of Kingston” by David Bowell
Our Chairman, Mo Lifford then welcomed our Speaker, David Bowell, and a Kingston Tourist Guide who spoke to us on “Rogues, Vagabonds and Mischief Makers of Kingston.”
In a brief autobiographical sketch David said that he was educated in Hinchley Wood and after National Service in the RAF joined Barclay’s Bank. Retiring early he was exploring things to do when he joined a Kingston Walk which sparked an interest in local history (having been uninspired by the Wars and Dates fare he had been served at school) and enrolled on the Guides course.
Kingston upon Thames is one of only four Royal Boroughs in the country; it had an early importance as a river crossing and achieved political importance when in 838 King Egbert held a Great Council here. At that time the significant parts of Cyngeston were on an island formed by a delta of the Hogsmill between its present outlet into the Thames at the Clattern Bridge and a further outlet (now filled in) in the Canbury Gardens area. The island lay in fact between the borders of Wessex with Mercia and was the site of an early Minster Church.
Hogsmill entering the Thames at the Clattern Bridge
David then referred to the widely held belief that seven Saxon kings were crowned in Kingston. This might well have been the case but actually only two such coronations are the subject of surviving documentation.
Alluding to his theme of Rogues and Mischief Makers. David spoke of the early keepers of the peace. In 1773 there is a reference to 14 paid watchmen who dragged portable sentry boxes, complete with braziers, to critical locations in the town. In 1825 a Watch House was built as headquarters for dealing with malefactors. This later became a mortuary until this facility was transferred to Kingston Hospital and would originally have been used to house bodies pulled out of the Thames. The building still exists as a teashop off the Market Place.
There was a pillory in the Market Place and a gallows where executions of exceptional public interest would take place. Otherwise the gallows were on Kingston Hill. In 1665 Gregory and eleven of his sons were hanged for horse-dealing. A lesser crime was committed by an Ale-wife who was convicted as a scold and was “set to a ducking stool”. The punishment apparently did not persuade her to amend her ways.
A Shrove Tuesday custom in Kingston – not uncommon in early times – was a free-for -all football matches played across the town centre and associated with drunkenness and injury to the person and to property. To this day in Kingston Parish churchyard the tombstones can be seen set around the perimeter. It is thought that they were moved to this position as a precaution because they were so frequently disturbed on Shrove Tuesdays
Another source of disturbance was troop movements. Columns of soldiers would be marched from Woolwich to Aldershot and be billeted for the night around the Market Place. In the opposite direction sailors would travel in groups from Portsmouth via Kingston. In both cases drunkenness and debauchery often ensued.
Justice was meted out down the years in various ways in the time of Henry II Assizes were held twice a year to deal with serious offences. This was preceded by an Assize Sermon – the subject of another illustration. Debt was a civil offence dealt with by imprisonment. There was a debtors’ prison, on a site now covered by Bentalls, run by the Licensed Victuallers Company, in which conditions were said to be grim.
Of all criminals one of the most colourful variety must have been the highwaymen and among the most notorious in this part of the Country was Louis Jeremiah (Jerry) Abershawe. Born in Kingston he started his career at the age of 17, his victims being mainly travellers on the Portsmouth road and particularly Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common. His gang was based at the Bald Faced Stag Inn in Kingston Vale. He was known for his courtesy and good humour, even on his way to the gallows at the age of 22.
There was much else and David concluded his presentation at 3.00, after which there was a lively question and answer session – and further reminiscences from members present. The Chairman thanked David and concluded the session with the Probus Toast.
Brian Jackson
Notes on the Lunch meeting at Glenmore House on Wednesday April 20th 2011
Beekeeping by Derek Williamson
After the Loyal Toast our Deputy Chairman, John Balcomb then introduced our Speaker for the day, Derek Williamson, who was to speak about one of his many interests, beekeeping. Derek had brought three “props” with him. The first, which he donned for the occasion, was a bee – proof working costume consisting of a closefitting jerkin with full length buttoned sleeves and a secure waist, plus a tubular neck piece incorporating a netted face mask. This could be worn pushed back over the shoulders or brought forward and secured at the front for handling operations.
Derek also showed us two modern hives. The first was a state of the art model, wooden and quite substantial with many removable sections for which Derek explained the use in great detail Such a hive can cost upwards of £250. The other was a complete contrast: very lightweight but strong, made of polystyrene and primarily for temporary use – and costing a tenth of the price.
Derek has been a beekeeper for some forty years and his talk was very comprehensive and technical. So much so, in fact, that your scribe will not attempt even a potted resumé
A very strong message was the almost frightening importance of bees in our food cycle. 90% of food crops depend on pollination by bees: without them the world would be dead in three years. There are many threats to bees such as the use of certain chemicals in agriculture which are poisonous to bees. Another threat is from mobile phone towers. Bees can fly up to five miles from their hives for collecting pollen and can be disorientated by radiation at the frequencies used in telecommunication.
There was much interest in Derek’s presentation and he was afterwards kept busy with questions. We then learned, incidentally, that our Hon Auditor was himself a beekeeper for ten years.
At conclusion at 3.15 the Deputy Chairman thanked the Speaker and wound up proceedings with the Probus Toast.
Brian Jackson
Notes on the Lunch meeting at Glenmore House On Wednesday June 15th 2011
Teaching Mathematics and Her Majesty’s Inspectors (Schools) by Ramesh Kapadia
After the Loyal Toast John Balcolm then introduced our Speaker for the day, Ramesh Kapadia, who was to speak about his career in teaching mathematics and as one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (Schools).
After degrees in mathematics and mathematics education at Warwick, Oxford (Brasenose) and Nottingham, Ramesh began his career as a teacher in the 1970s. This period he described as a golden age for teachers with an increase in salaries and the raising of the school leaving age. After seventeen years of teaching and research at schools and universities Ramesh was appointed by the Privy Council to be an HMI (Her Majesty’s Inspector) of Schools: an institution which celebrated the 150th anniversary of its existence in 1989.
The theme of Ramesh’s talk was “Thoughts from an Inspector on a changing and evolving scene in Education” starting with a key date: 1944, the Butler Act introducing state grammar and secondary modern schools (and “a few technical ones, which did not work”).
The next big change was in 1964 when comprehensive schools were introduced and “Margaret Thatcher closed more grammar schools than any other Minister…reflecting a valuable cross-party consensus on education.” New Math’s was being introduced at this stage and teaching was radically changed from the rote learning of the sixties.
At this point Ramesh introduced some entertaining mathematical puzzles for the group which he unravelled for us at the close of his talk (e.g. why does a mirror change left and right but not top and bottom) He also noted that at least two people in the room would have the same birthday. Such questions underlie the new approach to teaching mathematics in terms of geometry and probability. .
Continuing the history theme we reached 1984 when Keith Joseph introduced the concept of market forces into the State System. In was now to be competition between schools and parental choice: out was consensus. Education was back with the politicians.
Meanwhile Ramesh was finding great fulfillment in his role of Inspector. It gave him a unique opportunity to watch, observe and comment on what happens in real classrooms across the country, ranging not only from primary and special schools to the top public schools but also into secure units and prisons. His reports were thus all based on hard first hand evidence.
Another rhetorical question: Have standards risen and have schools improved over the period under consideration? To this question Ramesh offered a list of changes:-
No corporal punishment
More varied teaching approaches
Less rote learning
Technology for all instead of sewing for girls, saws for boys)
Science for all (instead of biology for girls and physics for boys)
Computers and calculators
The National Curriculum (widening learning for all)
More children educated for longer and knowing more
The best still achieving high standards.
At the conclusion of a very stimulating talk Ramesh offered two challenging suggestions for future improvement in school education:-
The abolition of faith schools and
The abandonment of parental choice
As he undoubtedly expected, this gave scope for a wide and lively debate.
At conclusion at 3.15 the Deputy Chairman thanked Ramesh Kapadia and wound up proceedings with the Probus Toast.
Brian Jackson
Notes on the Lunch Meeting at Glenmore House On Wednesday July 20th 2011
“Journey through the Americas” by Edmund Woolley
After the Loyal Toast Maurice
Lifford then introduced our Speaker for the day, Edmund Woolley, who was later to deliver his talk “Journey through the Americas”. Edmund is a member of Hinchley Wood and Ditton Probus ClubFor the benefit of those present who did not take part in the visit to Beaulieu Alan Neale recorded it as a very successful outing. He also spoke about the scheduled weekend away to Bristol in September, reminding us that there were still vacancies.
After the Loyal toast the Chairman introduced our Speaker, Edmund Woolley to talk to us about an event in his early life: A Journey through the Americas. The presentation was a slide show of excellent pictures mostly photographs taken by Edmund himself .He was brought up in Salford where his mother ran a wallpaper and paint shop. This was in an industrial suburb aptly illustrated by a Lowry painting. The shop was flanked by a Chinese laundry and a bakery: the latter producing a side product in the form of numerous cockroaches which periodically invaded the Woolley premises.
Edmund qualified as a graphic designer and made an early decision to see other parts of the world. America refused him but he was able to sail from Liverpool to Quebec where he secured admittance to Canada. He travelled by train to Toronto and was fortunate to secure a job with the well known publisher, Maclean Hunter. He soon settled into the social life, learned to ski and played ice hockey. Flanagan’s bar was mentioned.
But clearly the wanderlust was still in him. He explored the “Thousand Islands” north of Toronto (above) and then as a result of a conversation with a friend who had an uncle living in British Honduras he decided to visit him by the highly adventurous decision to travel all the way by himself in his car with a tent. The itinerary involved crossing the United States Midwest via Chicago, Denver, Salt Lake City, out to the West Coast at San Francisco. He then took the Pacific Highway down to Los Angeles and crossed the border into Mexico. He then traversed right across Mexico via Guadalajara down to the Yucatan Peninsula and into what was then British Honduras (it shortly after changed its name to Belize and became full independent in 1981).
Each step of Edmund’s epic journey was illustrated by stunning photographs. He took them all the way down and then methodically despatched them in batches back to his home in England. Each view was accompanied by an anecdote involving the people he met, descriptions of the scenery he saw, the history he learned and the scrapes he got into. It was a very human, humorous and often touching saga of a young man broadening his horizons and storing up a lifetime of memories.
In the end he had to make a decision. Toronto would have had him back, but the old country called. He sold his car and sailed back England.
At the conclusion the Chairman thanked Edmund warmly, found time for a few questions and wound up the meeting with the Probus Toast at 3.10 p.m.
Brian Jackson
Notes on the Lunch Meeting at Glenmore House on Wednesday August 17th 2011
“How to Get Read” by Roger Kirkpatrick
The Deputy Chairman, John Balcomb, took the Chair in the absence of the Chairman, Maurice Lifford who conveyed apologies for his absence
After the Loyal toast the Deputy Chairman asked our Speaker, Roger Kirkpatrick, who was to give a talk about his life in publishing which he called “How to Get Read”
Introducing himself Roger said that he is a publisher and has been Managing Director of Berlitz and marketing Director of the Random House group. He now runs various creative writing projects and also now writes for fun himself.
This was for fun: a gallop through the intimately related topics of writing, reading and publishing, strewn with quotations. These included fragments which were actually good advice for aspiring wordsmiths – poets, craftsmen of deathless prose, politicos or the desultory assemblers of random handbooks. They could be funny.
In the handbook category sometimes unintentionally so, such as “The stray shopping trolleys of America: a field guide to identification”; “The world outlook for 60-mil containers of fromage frais” and so on.
There were also sad bits. On the subject of rejection slips “Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good”.
There was plenty of time for questions afterwards. A fruitful topic was the importance of the editing process (usually favourable but occasionally fatal).
Not surprisingly there was a lot of interest in the impact of the IT revolution: specifically the use and future of electronic books. No doubt this will also have its funny side.
A salutary endispiece” “One sign of Napoleon’s greatness is that he once had a publisher shot” (no attribution).
The Deputy Chairman thanked Roger for his entertaining address and closed the meeting at 3.10 with the Probus Toast.
Brian Jackson
Notes on the Lunch Meeting at Glenmore House on Wednesday September 21st 2011
Canine Partners by Malcolm Wells
The President, Douglas Reynolds, took the Chair and after the Loyal toast the President then asked Malcolm Wells to speak on his subject of Canine Partners. Starting at the beginning of what Canine Partners do, Malcolm first addressed the basic question: where do these clever dogs come from? Answer they are bought as puppies and then trained. Average overall cost of a puppy is approximately £450.
Training is the key issue. Dogs have to acquire a large vocabulary: not only of sounds but of the situations they are placed in. Their human partners suffer from all human illnesses so the training has to be general and then very specific. There are some basics; perhaps the most important is that they must only “go the loo” when commanded. Another is that they do not only have to open doors but must always close them afterwards to avoid actually creating hazards. An unexpected basic is that, like humans, dogs are either left or right handed (pawed). (Some ambipawed?) A basic requirement is that they must have the stature to operate reliably buttons on traffic lights – which has a bearing on the suitability of various breeds.
They must also be able to identify certain specific objects in particular situations: such as wallets when operating in a supermarket. A skill much in demand is the operation of a washing machine. For this they need to be able to walk backwards to pull a basket – not an instinctive movement for a dog. They must first load the basket then the machine, press the start button and thereafter will enjoy watching progress through the window with tail wagging at the spin cycle!
Clever as dogs can become they cannot, of course, replace human careers. So they will never wash hair or cook a meal. Their training is an expensive process for which there is no government funding. Are dog whistles used? No - clickers are sharper. Motivation is essential. The dog must like what it is doing and “treats” are important after an accurate response to the clicker. Basic training takes twelve moths followed by a further six months specific instruction. At any one time there will be 93 puppies in course of training.
On completion of the course dog and master will need matching. So the human chooses the dog? No, the other way round. There was an anecdote about a rugby player who needed a dog and expressed a preference for a black Labrador. Three black Labradors were among the dogs available at the selection session and one by one the group was led past the man. None of the Labradors made the necessary bonding and chose him. A poodle did, and although it did not suit his image that was the one he had to have.
Malcolm answered many questions afterwards and was encouraged to suggest a visit from the Club on an open day. The President then thanked Malcolm for his most interesting address and closed the meeting at 3.10 with the Probus Toast.
Brian Jackson
October
Paul Sommerfield
T B Alert
to come
Brian Jackson
Notes on the Lunch Meeting at Glenmore House on Wednesday 16th November 2011
“Elimination of Polio a worldwide disease “ by Brian Sticklands
The Chairman then announced that at the Annual General Meeting that preceded the Lunch the Annual Subscription had again been maintained at £10. The Ladies Lunch Charge has also been retained, at £21, although the charge for cheese instead of dessert has risen to £2
A further item from the AGM, a proposal by Keith Waller, was that with effect from January we will be running an experiment whereby the table layout at monthly lunches will be changed from the present horseshoe layout to individual eight seated tables. Members will be consulted after three months to ascertain whether this would be preferable as a permanent arrangement.
The Chairman then invited our Speaker, Brian Sticklands, to address us on the subject of
“Elimination of Polio a worldwide disease “
Brian first described the disease itself, which is mostly manifest in children. It attacks the central nervous system and causes spinal paralysis. Its tragic secondary effects are the unemployable cripples it creates where victims in third world countries often end up as beggars in the streets.
Polio has been with the human race since ancient times: an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic is a picture dating from 1500 B.C. of a man with a withered leg .However the disease was not properly described until 1840 and the virus not properly identified until 1908. Among famous people to have suffered from Polio are Sir Walter Scott, President Roosevelt, pop star Ian Dury, golfer Jack Nicklaus, actor Donald Sutherland and film actress Mia Farrow.
Pop Star Ian Dury
There is no known cure for Polio which is transmitted by personal contact and is prevalent where sanitation is poor and clean water is not available. Patients are often not able to breathe on their own but the iron lung was invented in 1927 and there is now a much improved version.
Prevention of Polio by vaccination began when Dr. Jonas Salk produced his first vaccine in the early 1950s. It has been enormously effective in the U.S.A. and Europe and an oral version was developed in 1961 by Dr. Joseph Sobin. This is much easier to administer and can be produced at a cost of only 50p per child.
In 1985 Rotary International adopted the eradication worldwide of polio and developed relationships with the W.H.O. and UNICEF to this end. Brian, a Rotarian himself then described the sequence of events – fundraising by Rotary then and the world wide vaccination of children, the former much assisted by the generous help of the Gates Foundation.
Unfortunately in 2008 the disease went into reverse and started spreading again. Within six months a new more effective vaccine was developed and better mapping of outbreaks has taken place. Around two billion children have now been vaccinated but there is no intention of letting up until, like smallpox, the disease is completely eliminated. It has been estimated that if only one case remained, within twenty years we could be back to square one. Brian’s final words were “we are well on the way to winning the battle, although, perhaps ironically, the last part is going to be the most difficult.”
After a lively question and answer session the Chairman proposed a vote of thanks to Brian Sticklands and the session ended at 2.45 with the Probus Toast.
Brian Jackson
