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News; September 2016

Posted: Thu 22 Sep 2016 15:03
by David Gibson
In this newsletter...
  • New Publication: BCRA Review
  • Cave Science Symposium
  • Simpson Archive
  • Cave Studies Booklets
  • Honorary Membership for Dave Judson
  • BCRA Annual General Meeting 2016
  • Paper Newsletter now in press
New Publication: BCRA Review. BCRA Review is a new publication that will appear annually, before our AGM, and will contain reports of the previous year's activities, together with annual reports from BCRA officers and a copy of our annual report and accounts that we send to the Charity Commission. It will be edited by David Lowe in a similar format to Cave and Karst Science. The first issue of the BCRA Review will cover the year 2015, but it will also include meetings reports from earlier years that did not make it into Speleology. The Review will be available by 22 October as a free download from our news page, http://bcra.org.uk/news Only a limited number of paper copies will be printed, and will be offered for sale at meetings, whilst stocks last. Please note that we will NOT be posting this item to members, although we will be sending a free copy to each Member Club (those that receive C&KS on paper) and to our overseas Journal Exchange partners. To reserve a copy for collection at the Science Symposium on 22 Oct, please email Trevor Faulkner (see http://bcra.org.uk/contact.html) by 8 Oct so we know how many to print. The cost is expected to be GBP 5.00. NB - you cannot reserve a copy for mailing; you must collect and pay at the Symposium.

Cave Science Symposium 22 October. The Third Circular for the Science Symposium was emailed recently. It is now also on the News forum at http://bcra.org.uk/forum If you are attending the Symposium, and you wish to join in the informal evening meal at The Royal Oak at 18:30 please email Gina Moseley by 8 October and she will send you the menu as soon as it becomes available. (The menu on the Royal Oak web site is their summer menu and will change by the date of the event). The BCRA AGM will take place at the Science Symposium - see notice below.

Simpson Archive. As reported more fully in BCRA Review 2015, we have embarked on the ambitious task of digitising the Simpson Archive, which comprises 100 large-format record books containing a fascinating mixture of maps, surveys, photographs, exploration accounts, news-paper cuttings and published articles. The Simpson Archive belongs to BCRA but is stored for us, under controlled conditions, in the National Geological Repository at the British Geological Survey (BGS). The plan is for BGS Keyworth to send volumes, a few at a time, to BGS Edinburgh where Bob McIntosh works; and for Bob and a team of volunteers to carry out the digitisation. Anyone who lives near Edinburgh and wishes to assist, please contact us.

Cave Studies Booklets. A small number of copies of An Introduction to Cave Photography (Cave Studies #4) have been found during a clear-out. Written in 1994, this book pre-dates digital cameras and so it may not be particularly relevant to cave photography today. For example, it discusses the problems of developing films on expeditions! The book may mostly be of interest to collectors. It is back in stock 'while stock lasts'. See http://bcra.org.uk/cs?j=4

Honorary Membership for Dave Judson. Dave Judson resigned from Council at the end of 2015 after serving since BCRA's inception in 1977. BCRA Council has awarded Dave an honorary life membership in recognition of his service to BCRA and to caving. A full citation, written by John Gunn, appears in the BCRA Review.

BCRA Annual General Meeting 2016. Notice is hereby given that the 2016 Annual General Meeting of the British Cave Research Association will be held on Saturday 22 October 2016 at 12:00 during the BCRA Cave Science Symposium at the Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3AN. Members shall be required to show their membership cards or provide proof of identity if requested. Information about the venue has been posted to the BCRA News Forum. Please contact the Science Symposium team if you have any queries on how to get to the venue. If you will be attending the AGM, please remember to bring your membership card with you (that's the gold-coloured BCRA card, not your BCA card). There will be a short break in the symposium immediately before the AGM, to allow the admission of anybody who is waiting to attend the AGM, but who is not already in the room. Important Notice: Please note that paper copies of the Agenda papers (notably the Council Report and Accounts, and the Minutes of the 2015 AGM) will not be distributed on paper at the meeting. Anyone wishing to view the papers should download them from http://bcra.org.uk/agm/2016 in advance of the meeting. BCRA's new publication, BCRA Review 2015 will also contain the above items. It is hoped that it will be available for free-download prior to the meeting.

Paper Newsletter now in press. A paper newsletter containing this and other news and information is now in press, and will be mailed to members by the end of the month. This is to fulfill our requirement to notify everyone in writing of the date and agenda for the AGM.