NEWS FROM THE MCC
(MORE CORITANI CAPERS)...
Leicester members have again had a very active few months, with many varied speakers attending our monthly meetings.
My last report was back in August 2003, so I resume the story from September 2003 when we had Chris Aston giving us his now annual pilgrimage and this time we were treated to an excellent variety of views of Wales in the 1960s and 1970s. Chris's slides always seem to be evocative of the age when they were taken, and always leads to lively "banter from the floor". How many of you remember his excellent shot of a Bristol Lodekka, for instance, fairly fully loaded, in open country on the Gower peninsula, which appeared to be going to the local hospital which specialised in the treatment of people with stiff (left sided) necks?
October saw us being treated to Leicester in the 1960s, and further afield in the 1960s-1970s, courtesy of Peter Smith, whilst in November Mike Fenton reviewed Lancashire in the 1970s. This included looking at the formative years of the Selnec PTE.
Simon Gill gave us the December show, covering recent developments in Madeira, Portugal, Rome, Holland and Canada, but with a competitive twist. During the course of the show, Simon slipped in twenty British slides where we were given the competitive task of identifying various chassis and bodybuilder makes. Not as easy as it sounds, Denis Hemsley being the winner on this occasion.
The January meeting was our annual quiz and slide shows. This year’s quiz was won by Denis Hemsley, on a tiebreak from Simon Gill, with 23 out of 50. I must try and make it easier next time chaps! David Pearson again produced the winning print in this year’s photo competition (out of 30 entries) with a smart shot of the Museum’s S15, whilst yours truly won the slide competition with an ex-Southern Vectis open top Lodekka of the Rexquote fleet along the esplanade at Minehead.
Trevor Follows, our regular February presenter, next showed us twenty years of Midland Fox, plus recent happenings by First Leicester and Centrebus, whilst in March, guest speaker Mark Gaughan, gave us 1980s slides, Bus by Day, Train by Night!
The April meeting was billed as Horse Tram to Supertram in Sheffield, by Howard Turner. However, in reality Howard only managed to get to 1946, so the show became Part 1 and we eagerly await Part 2 next year, please, Mike! Anyone who missed this show, take it from me DO NOT miss Part 2. Although I for one would confess to not knowing a great deal about Sheffield or its trams, the talk was incredibly entertaining. For instance, did you know that standard "equipment" at a horse tram depot would include a goat...?
Equally fascinating was our May meeting, which nearer to home, was Leicester Trams 1874-1949, a talk jointly given by John Lessells and Peter Mullahy. This coincided with the centenary of electric tramcar operation, which began in May 1904.
As I put pen to paper, or rather e-mail to disk, we are arranging our Annual Study Tour, which is envisaged will be an all-day visit to the Black Country Museum and not content with that, we have also arranged a "study weekend", but more of that later!
Many thanks go to Mike Greenwood for continuing the logistics of arranging such a diversity of presenters, Rob Pike for the room hire arrangements, Simon Gill, Trevor Follows and Phil Hayman for projector, screen, stool and extension lead arrangements, and Phil Hayman and Mike Cattell for tea/coffee/milk. See you all every SECOND Saturday.
Brian Dicks
Editor’s note:-
It is remiss that ‘Omnibus’ has not mentioned the Leicester Transport Study Group for a while. This organisation comprises largely of BaMMOT’s East Midlands members, together with other people with parallel interests, and is dedicated to compiling a comprehensive historical record of buses and trams in Leicestershire. LTSG has its own journal, ‘Leicester Wheels’. Membership is just £10 per year. Anyone interested in joining should send a 9" x 6" stamped addressed envelope to Mike Greenwood, 17 Willingham Close, Sothall, Sheffield, S20 2PD for a membership application form and a sample copy of 'Leicester Wheels'. Alternatively contact Mike by e-mail at mike@photostox.demon.co.uk or call him on 0114 248 9166.
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
A registered educational charity no 507191
