GENERAL MEETING 2016

FEBRUARY 2016: TERRY LOCKE - FRIENDS OF GEDLING COUNTRY PARK A good informative talk about something close to us all – our Country Park. Terry gave a brief history of the former Gedling Colliery – started in 1899 and closed in 1991. It went down 1200 feet and extended out under the Trent to the south, down Porchester Road and out to Calverton. There were about 130 deaths at the pit through that time. In 2013 Gedling Borough Council acquired a 25 year lease of the site from its private owners, and on 28th March2015 Gedling Country Park was officially opened to the community. Terry explained how the Friends of Gedling Country Park (a charitable body) will run the Park for the Council and what is there on the site and what proposals are. There is a methane extractor still taking a little out. 35,000 tons of coal was cleared from a site for housing (mixed with other waste for the power station) and 35,000 tons of fill replaced it.

The Solar Farm is on top of the hill, a Children's Play Area and Visitors Centre are still to come. The plan is to replant native species, including oak trees from the area, preserve bird nesting areas, create a butterfly walk and wooded glade area for children’s play and a Miners Memorial Garden. From the top of the hill, views can include Lincoln Cathedral and Belvoir Castle.

They had about 3,000 visitors on the opening weekend and similarly at Christmas. Terry also talked about the wider plans for the surrounding area including some of the land for housing and a business park, and the major water management scheme required to bring it all together. The potential for a tram extension using parts of the old railway (opening up the Park to more people) is being studied.

I was interested to note that Terry had obviously done his homework on our U3A before he talked to us and could refer to our activities. Not all speakers bother. MARCH 2016: BOB MASSEY - GOOSE FAIR Bob Massey spoke about Goose Fair as our March Guest Speaker. More specifically, its history. He illustrated it with a lot of images of bygone Goose Fairs, including some movie newsreel. The origins were as trade events in the Market Square in Nottingham, where farm produce among others was sold. Only one was cancelled in 1646 due to bubonic plague. Bob mentioned the Nottingham Cheese Riots in 1764 when the Mayor was flattened by a rolling cheese. Side shows were much more important in the older times (including theatre) as was pickpocketing. There were also exotic animals including elephants and Wallace the famous lion. 1855 brought the first roundabouts and electricity came by the turn of the century. Nottingham Goose Fair is still the largest travelling fair in the world (beating Hull Fair). Film shows were popular attractions, making a lot of money from showing short newsreels to thousands of people before the era of cinema. Betsy Ross was a big star in films which were hand coloured. The Goose Fair was stopped at the start of each World War but soon brought back for morale reasons. It relocated from the Market Square to the Forest in 1928 when work started building the current Council House and the new square. The evocative pictures Bob showed us were fascinating and well received.

APRIL 2016: MICHAEL HARRISON – IT SHOULDN’T HAPPEN TO A BUS DRIVER It shouldn’t have happened to us - but did! Michael Harrison gave an illustrated talk about his days as a Midland Red Bus Driver in Birmingham in the 60’s and 70’s. Not quite what some expected – funny situations on the buses, perhaps? Transport enthusiasts would have enjoyed some of it but too much information about the “infamous Model D9 buses”. Some of the description of the primitive driver's cabs was interesting – 'crash boxes', 'double de-clutching', the cabs having no seat (drivers brought their own cushion to sit on top of the fuel tank), the cab having only a gear stick, a brake and an iffy speedometer. But it was long! I thought it was a good sign when he reached a slide titled 'It Shouldn't Happen To a Bus Driver' – this is where he finishes and says thank you? Oh No. The best parts were what most of you in the audience couldn't see – Pat Downing, our speaker seeker, standing at the back of the room frantically waving her arms trying to get Mr Harrison's attention to stop (and failing heroically). I think the U3A needs to invest in a big hook! Eric Rennie MAY 2016: COLIN BOWER - MY FARCICAL CAREER AS A LIAISON OFFICER ON A CRUISE SHIP

Colin Bower began with his Bank Manager being “very concerned” about him taking money out of his account but not putting in. What could he do to earn money? Entertainment seemed to be his only prospect. An Entertainments Officer – never seen any adverts for one. Got an interview with British India Shipping (which included tea and cakes!). Went on his first cruise by simply driving up to the ship at Hull docks – no security checks in those days. The job was wonderful – as a senior officer, he had his own steward. Passengers were the problem. On ship, staff were 'on duty' 24/7. Passengers were quite rude to them. Passenger stories included “what time is the 10 o'clock film?”, Lady So&so couldn't get out of her suite – sign on the back of the door said 'do not disturb', a passenger was having difficulty getting the room microwave to cook – yes, it was the safe, another on the cruise asked Colin if he 'lived in', while others have said “this cruise is the highlight of my life”. Colin lasted 7 months (twice as long as anyone else). Sadly, I missed a lot of what Colin was saying as it was marred by poor sound quality. I thought it was just my hearing aid being mardy again but it seemed others had difficulty as well. Eric Rennie JUNE 2016: STREET PARTY

AUGUST 2016: ELAINE & PHIL BARLOW - OUR WORK IN TANZANIA August’s talk by our own Elaine & Phil described their recent return visit to the St Phillip’s Clinic in Tabora, Tanzania. They regularly volunteer in the work of the St Phillip’s Clinic which delivers development, social and health care over an area of 96,000 sq. km, to a widely spread population. The work of the church is supported by Medical Mission Aid and other charities and the St Phillips Clinic, headed by an English GP now has a staff of 5-6 doctors, around 10 nurses and well equipped clinics, a diagnostic laboratory and a dispensary. The clinic draws in clients from a wide rural area, some walking ten or more miles to attend, but their needs can be all met with diagnostics, treatments and dispensing of medications in the one visit. Eighty percent of the population live in even more remote rural areas, miles from medical help, and their needs are delivered by travelling clinics every week. Normally these clinics will see three to four hundred patients in a four hour session. Elaine & Phil described meeting again with several former patients of the clinic whose lives and livelihoods had been saved thanks to the medical & social support of the foundation. They explained how their expertise and knowledge were of use in construction and social projects both at the clinic campus and on an outlying farm. Accommodation during their stay was in a guest house on the campus converted from a former store room - “The House under the Mango Tree”, very picturesque, but very noisy when ripe fruit dropped onto the roof at night. Power was not always available, leading to many candle-lit dinners, but there was no shortage of local fruit at breakfast. Because of new regulations requiring volunteers to purchase working permits there was time for an enforced holiday of five days visiting the Livingstone Centre at Tabora. Exhibitions there document the slave trade, Tabora being on the 1000 mile route that slaves were forced to travel on their way to the Zanzibar slave markets. Elaine & Phil plan to return to continue their work with the organisation, where ongoing projects include solar power installations. A collection at the end of the talk raised a donation of £53.00.

SEPTEMBER 2016: TREVOR LEEE – THE MALT CROSS

September’s talk was given by Trevor Lee and gave us a very entertaining illustrated history of Music Hall in general and Nottingham’s Old Malt Cross Music Hall in particular. Opening with a song and accompanying himself on ukulele Trevor explained how the music halls were a place of popular entertainment, making a living by selling alcohol and providing free entertainment.

The Old Malt Cross was only one of many in Victorian Nottingham, and had a chequered history, opening in 1877 and closing in 1911 as the large variety theatres became popular. During that time many of the stars of the music hall such as Billy Williams and Vesta Tilley appeared on this stage. Eventually the licence was revoked due to disorderly conduct of patrons, but fortunately since then the building found many uses and has survived to become listed due to its exceptional architectural and historical merit.

OCTOBER 2016: STEPHEN WRIGHT – A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Stephen Wright was our speaker for October and he presented a slide show of photographs taken during a holiday to Moscow and St Petersburg. The holiday was to celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary. Now for such an auspicious occasion one might have expected him to take his wife to a small boutique hotel, but this hotel was far from small with 6000 bedrooms!

They took a train from Moscow to St Petersburg and paid for 2 beds in a 4 bed bedded carriage which they had to share with a business man – no romance there then. I just hope if he bought his wife some flowers he got the amount right. Apparently in Russia, for a happy occasion you should buy an odd number of flowers and for sad times an even number.

NOVEMBER 2016: TRACEY AKEHURST - CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS

Our speaker was Tracey Akehurst who gave us a very interesting talk on the history and customs surrounding the plants and trees we traditionally display at Christmas time. Who’d have thought that Mistletoe, traditionally kissed under was, many years ago, thought to be magic and one of its many uses was as a brew to increase fertility or that holly was believed to be protect against witches! It was thought the bushes had a protective field around them and that a witch could not fly through it.

Next time you are out in a storm sheltering under a holly bush it may protect you, it was also believed that it would reflect lightning. Christmas trees were first introduced into Britain by Prince Albert in Victorian times. Nowadays over 100 million trees are sold every Christmas. But if you think hanging trees upside down was a new fashion, then think again. Back in the 15th century trees would be nailed upside down to the rafters. Tracey also told us of the customs and history surrounding the foods we eat and just remember all you mince pie lovers, technically you could be imprisoned for eating a mince pie on Christmas Day.

DECEMBER 2016: CHRISTMAS PARTY

230 members and visitors were at the December General Meeting to see the Drama group put on a their pantomime Cinderella and then boogied away the morning to the ever-popular Vibrants.

To watch the video of the pantomime click Cinderella video