iwa cambridge branch gouse news spring 2012

A January Day in Ely

Ouse News - Spring 2012 The Cambridge Branch Newsletter

covering the Great Ouse area

Campaigning for the conservation,use, maintenance, restoration and

development of the InlandWaterways.

The InlandWaterwaysAssociation

Photo: Keith AldertonThe views expressed in thispublication are notnecessarily those of theInland WaterwaysAsscociation or of theCambridge Branch. Theyare, however, published asbeing of interest to ourmembers and readers.

Contents:Branch Committee p3

Chairman’s Corner p4

A lock too far? p5

Moorings p7

Meetings report p8

Ship’s Doctor p9

Book Review p12

Branch News p14

Half-cut Theatre p16

See Appendices forAGM information

Ouse News 6

The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited byguarantee. Registered in England no 612245 Registered as a charity no 212342Registered Office: Island House, Moor Rd, Chesham, HP5 1WA. Phone 01494783453

Catch a quickgl impse ofsome of thec h a r a c t e r sintroduced byDerek Harrisfrom ‘The Pubon the Cut’ .

Another successful branch meeting held onThursday, 24th November!

Ouse News Ouse News Page 15

Phone 01638-613102www.burwellprint.co.ukRegistered Charity No. 1053026

(Non-residential boats only)

Our newsletter is printed by:

Ouse News Page 14

We welcome the following newmembers to the branch andhope they will introducethemselves to us when comingto an event or meeting:

Our March meeting will be ourAGM and update from the rivermanagers of the EnvironmentAgency. This will be held on:

MAY DAY BANK HOLIDAY

WEEKEND

Winter MeetingsBranch News

THURSDAY 16TH FEBRUARY 2012

are at 8 pm on Thursday eve-nings at the Cole’s RoadCommunity Centre, Milton(North Cambridge) CB24 6BL.

Members & Visitors welcome.

Our February meeting will bea quiz together with a fish andchip supper and will be held on:

THURSDAY 22ND MARCH 2012

Saturday, 5th May - Gatheringof boats at Reach, followed byan evening meal at the DykesEnd. (Book your place with StephenFoote)Sunday, 6th May - Ladies’morning walk, lunchtimebarbecue and quiz. Eveningparticipation in village quiz.Monday, 7th May - IWA standat Reach Fair.

Mr B Bourne, Sandy, Beds

Mr J & Mrs E Wainwright,Ely

Mrs H Grislin & Mr C Lindley,Horningsea, Cambridge

Members who have movedto Branch

Mr & Mrs R & J Griffen,Peterborough

Mr G J Meade,Priory Marina, Bedford

Mr & Mrs R & S Thompson,March

Ms E M Dexter, Ely

Ouse News

Branch Committee

Chairman:Keith AldertonHolly Cottage, 57 Globe StreetMethwoldThetford, IP26 4PQTel. 01366 727236 e-mail:[email protected]

Secretary:John Hodgson9 Beaufort Way, BrickhillBedford, MK41 7XQTel 01234 344884e-mail: [email protected]

Treasurer:Enid Hodgson9 Beaufort Way, BrickhillBedford, MK41 7XQTel 01234 344884e-mail: [email protected]

Ouse News Editor:Carole AldertonHolly Cottage, 57 Globe StreetMethwoldThetford, IP26 4PQTel. 01366 727236e-mail: [email protected]

Sales Officer:David Anderson21 Cambridge StreetSt NeotsPE19 1JLTel 01480 477227e-mail:[email protected]

Membership Officer:Peter Webb35 Norfolk RoadEly, CB6 3EJTel 01353 658581e-mail: [email protected]

Webmaster:Stephen Foote14 High Street, ChrishallRoyston, SG8 8RPTel 01763 838936e-mail: [email protected]

MemberDerek Bradley24 Witchford RoadEly, CB6 3DPTel 01353 661601e-mail: [email protected]

Chairman’s Corner

Looking back at the autumn issue of Ouse News, I see that I complainedthat summer had never arrived. Needless to say, as soon as we had sentthe copy to the printers, the weather changed dramatically and we enjoyedthe warmest October week on record. If you remember, last year winterarrived with a bang with sub-zero temperatures in early November. Likemany others, I got caught out and suffered frost damage to the water sys-tem on the boat before I had a chance to drain down. By the time you readthis edition, with any luck the majority of the winter should be behind us andwe will be looking forward to spring again. Let’s hope that I do not get itquite so badly wrong this time!

You will have seen from recent press releases that the charitable body totake over from British Waterways next year has been named the Canal andRiver Trust. Much good work has been carried out to determine how thenew body will operate. However, there are still some concerns being ex-pressed in this respect as only 5 out of 35 trustees are to be from the boat-ing community, the rest being drawn from other interested parties such asramblers, fishermen, cyclists and land owners, etc., plus government ap-pointees. Whilst all of these bodies have a legitimate interest in the water-ways, it is essential that we keep a very close watch on how the situationdevelops and make sure that the purpose for which the canals were built,i.e. ‘navigation’, does not become a side issue. The thorny issue of ad-equate on-going funding is still undecided, but at least the government isnow listening to our reasoned submissions.

Locally, the debate continues over the future of Welches Dam, with strongopinions being held for and against spending vast sums restoring a lock thatonly ever saw some 20 boat movements a year in the good times. I wouldlike to thank those members who have expressed their views so far (seepage 5). Please keep sending in your comments on this and any otherimportant issues affecting the waterways and we will try our best to fit themin to future editions.

Ouse News Ouse News Page 13

In fact as well as the fascinating subject matter, the book is beautifullyproduced in hardback by the publisher, Phillimore and Co. of Chichesterand will grace any bookshelf, desk or coffee-table where it may be placedas its owner dips in and out of its contents.

The cover price is given as £15.99 but at the time of writing the IWAbookshop has the work for sale at £9.99 plus p&p. Lovers of the GreatOuse and its history will be glad they purchased a copy.

Phillimore and Co., 2006; ISBN 1-86077-417-2

The River Great Ouse and the River Cam –from Brackley to Kings Lynn

Josephine Jeremiah

This is a charming work by a lady called JosephineJeremiah – who has made historical reviews of navi-gable rivers her speciality, having authored bookson, amongst others, the river Avon, the river Nene,the river Wye and the river Severn.

Her book is somewhat reminiscent of the series by Alan Sutton Publishingcalled ‘Britain In Old Photographs’ which were based in great measurearound the Francis Frith collection of photos from the turn of the century.However – in addition to the very focussed subject matter, Ms. Jeremiahprefaces her collection of photographic and other illustrations with a de-tailed and fascinating history of the river.

Indeed it is more that a preface as it comprises almost a quarter of thecontents of the book. She has chosen to guide her readers on an historicaljourney down the river, using the delightful ‘Ouse’s Silent Tide’ by Rev’dC.F.Farrar, published in 1921 and describing a canoe journey from Brackleyto King’s Lynn, which he undertook in 1920, as her reference. This par-ticular work is long out of print but until recently there was a copy availableto borrow in the public library in St. Ives. It may still be there.

Josephine has, as might be expected, extensively researched her subject,and has graciously acknowledged numerous well-known fenland river his-torians and writers, including Brian Carter, Dorothy Summers, Iris Wedg-wood, Ronald Russell, Teddy Edwards and Andrew Hunter Blair.

That said, students of fenland rivers may think that the occasional photo-graph looks a bit familiar – as indeed it might be – but this in no waydetracts from the book and its purpose.

Ouse News Page 12

Book Review by Stephen Foote

Ouse News

‘As expected, a very well written article. I agree with all yourcomments. It is patently obvious that a few members are in-tent on spending our small resources on a lost cause; after allthe drain referred to is no more than that, a drain (and a verypoor drain at that) more water leaks from it than is retained,and the number of vessels that would navigate this water isminimal. Use our funding on fighting for something that wemight gain some advantage from.’ Roly Griffen

A lock too far?

After our Chairman’s article in the Autumn 2011 edition of OuseNews we have had the following responses - please contact us if youwould like us to print your view:

You will see from the published programme that the next meeting will beheld on Thursday, 16th February at the Community Centre in Coles Road,Milton as usual. Rather than having a speaker, we are trying a new formatand are holding a waterways themed quiz, followed by a fish and chip sup-per. All are welcome – there is no need to fear that your lack of knowledgewill let you down as can be demonstrated by our dismal performance at theReach Fair last year! Advance notification of your intention to attend wouldbe appreciated, although we can fine tune our food order on the night.

Finally, I would like to draw your attention to the separate sheets outliningthe agenda for the Regional AGM together with the officers’ reports andagenda for the Cambridge Branch AGM. The latter will be held on Thurs-day, 22nd March at Milton, followed by a talk by the Environment Agencyreporting on work carried out during the past year and outlining plans forthe future.

Keith Alderton

Ouse News

‘I have been a member of IWA for many years, although I confess that I havenot been a regular attendee of meetings. However, and especially as an en-thusiastic boater on the Fen waterways for the last 20-30 years, I have beenpleased to add my weight (and subscription income) to the various IWA cam-paigns over the years. In the last edition (Autumn 2011), in an article “A locktoo far”, Keith says at the end that “these are difficult issues with no easysolution” and asks for our views. My view is that there is a very easy solutionto this not very difficult issue, especially in these challenging financial times -forget it! There are a small number of “rights campaigners” and an even smallernumber of boaters who want large amounts of scarce public money spent onkeeping this lock open. It serves no purpose for the vast majority of boaters.Other users of the waterways have no interest in whether it is navigable or not.Boaters want the facilities on the main rivers, which almost all of them use,kept in good working order and even improved with more pump outs, toiletdisposals, moorings and water points. The EA need no encouragement to gooff on finance-depleting projects and our campaigning efforts would better beexpended encouraging them to stay focussed on what the majority of boatersactually need. I would actively oppose any attempt by the IWA to persuadethe EA to divert finances from the facilities on the main waterways to a “prin-ciple” such as Welches Dam Lock.’ Philip Baker

‘It’s time that the interests of the majority were given a greater priority, asyou say let’s have pump-outs that work properly, more moorings, moreenforcement of live-aboards who overstay on EA 48hr moorings and donot pay for a marina berth, so that the vast number of us that play by therules get what we pay for.’ Sid Fisher

‘Keith asked for views about the restoration of Welches Dam lockwhich I last navigated in November 2005. The amount of work re-quired is trivial compared with other navigations which have been re-opened eg Kennet and Avon, Rochdale and the Huddersfield Nar-row canals. I also believe that this situation would have been sortedout years ago if it had arisen on the main canal system where BWand not EA were the navigation authority. It follows that I am firmlyof the view that Welches Dam lock must be restored now, notwith-standing the current budget constraints.’ John RevellJohn RevellJohn RevellJohn RevellJohn Revell

Ouse News Page 11

A well stocked Inland Chandlery with friendly and knowledgeable staff catering for Cruisers & Narrowboats

Come and see us (you'll find us 2 minutes walk from Ely waterfront), or have a look at our easy to use mailorder website

Boat Safety SchemeExaminations

Ouse News Advertising

• Do you want to contact boating enthusiasts?

• Circulation 350 within 30 miles of Cambridge

• Adverts cost £30 (+ VAT) per half page for a year

• Three editions a year

• Contact The Editor

(carolealderton @sky.com)

I had left Deannie in the nearby Warners Holiday Hotel (Nochildren – in fact, no-one under 85! We felt much too young tobe there and we had never before been to an hotel with anelectric buggy park in the restaurant). She had been to see thebeautician, a slip of a girl who had been sent on the same courseas me “in case she ever had to go to sea” and had been seri-ously traumatised. At evening meal, the waitress, who, at break-

fast, had reassured Deannie that I would be OK, looked at me sideways andtold us that she had known exactly what I would be going through but did notdare to tell Deannie. I was delighted to pass the assessment but I definitelyfall into the “never again” class. Dr Ian Nisbet

Ouse News Page 10

I thought “Some people must have a really rough time in thistank”. We were taken up onto the high platform, taught howto put on a large and fiendishly difficult lifejacket and thentaught how to step into the water without breaking one’s neck.The right hand is cupped under the chin (to stop it slippingupwards) and the nose is gripped between forefinger andthumb. The left hand is used to hold the lifejacket down when you hit thewater. Heart thumping, I stepped off the platform – the lifejacket knocked myhand off my face and water shot up my nose, ending up somewhere in theback of my head! We were then taught how to swim backwards in a long lineand how to preserve body heat. Suddenly, at the throw of a switch, we arebobbing around in massive waves, there is a howling gale and monsoon-typerain! We had to make our way to the liferaft at the other end of the pool, climbup and in (extremely difficult), fall out, swim back to the other end of the pooland get into a noose to be winched up onto the platform. The whole exercisewas then repeated in the dark – pitch black! We then had to do it all again,each of us righting an upside down liferaft. This procedure, which was ex-tremely difficult given the prevailing “weather conditions”, involved climbingonto the top of the raft, grabbing a rope and walking backwards on the top(bottom) of the raft until, with a flip, it turns over and you are underneath it!Swim out, climb up, and so on.

After this episode, by the time I had made my way yet again to the far end ofthe pool, I was exhausted, heart thumping and quite sick and dizzy. “Take offyour lifejackets and put it on that pile over there” he said – the sweetestwords ever. Then, over the tannoy “This is your captain speaking – prepare toabandon ship”. Grab the wet, unmanageable lifejacket, put it on in the dark,drop the terrible height into the water, notice the water shooting up into yourbrain somewhere, battle the waves, the wind and the monsoon rain to find theliferaft, climb up and in, climb out, swim back to the other end of the pool and

get winched up into “the helicopter”. All the other partici-pants in this exercise were over 30 years younger thanme and some actually enjoyed it! “Hey, mate, this is great– do you do stag nights?” some of them shouted. Me, Islunk off to the changing room and spent the next weekgetting over the post-traumatic stress.

Ouse News Unofficial Moorings at Riverside, Cambridge

It looks as though the long-standing uncertainty over ownership of the moor-ings alongside the railings at Riverside, Cambridge is about to be resolved.The city council now believe that having looked back at historical records,they can determine that the City is in fact the rightful owner. If this can beproven, it will be the first step towards regularising the mooring situation.

Boaters will be aware that ‘the railings’ host a weird and wonderful collec-tion of craft, many of which are used for residential purposes. Due to the factthat they have no official tenure, some live-aboard boaters are afraid to moveoff of their spot even to get water as they are concerned that someone elsewill move in whilst they are away. As a result, some have resorted to knock-ing on the doors of the flats opposite to fill water bottles. This, together withcomplaints about smoke from solid-fuel stoves has not endeared them totheir neighbours.

In view of the drastic shortage of moorings in Cambridge, it would be a greatshame if these facilities were lost. However, they do need to be improvedand regulated. I have long since refused to carry out boat safety examina-tions on boats moored there as there is no safe means of access. I’m a bitlong in the tooth to climb over 4ft. high railings and drop down to roofs of theboats below and am sure that some boat owners must have the same prob-lem.

I would suggest that in order to make full use of the facility, floating pon-toons could be secured against the wall, safe access provided by means ofsteel stairways. However, I suspect that this would upset the rowing frater-nity as the river width would be effectively reduced. Smoke should not bea problem as there are plenty of DEFRA approved stoves for smokelesszones available on the market and water points could easily be installed.

All of this of course would cost a considerable sum and would have to berecouped by charging market rates for residential moorings. We couldeven get a few 24-hour public moorings within walking distance of town!

Keith Alderton

Ouse News October meeting - RSPB Lakenheath Fen Reserve

Speaker - David WhiteOur first tentative outing after acquiring a boat was up the Little Ouse, andits remoteness has always fascinated us. Since listening to the excellentspeaker David White from RSPB Lakenheath at the meeting on 27th Octo-ber there is more incentive to spend time on this special river.

David explained about the setting up of the reserve, originallyto preserve the habitat (poplar trees) of the Golden Orielewhich had settled there (sadly, these birds have since declinedin number), but also to make an inland safe habitat for theBittern, as their Norfolk base could be endangered by coastal

erosion. Naturally, quiet expanses of water and reed beds have encour-aged many other species. With an events programme for both adults andchildren, the Reserve is now a must for anyone interested in birds and wa-ter-loving wildlife.

What a great start to the winter programme!

I look forward to next summer’s cruising along the Little Ouse in the expec-tation of seeing Crane or Marsh Harrier, and listening for the boom of theelusive Bittern (best in April/May) or the pinging call of the Bearded Tit.

Jean Webb

Don’t forget our meeting on Thursday,16th February!

Order your fish and chip supper now by emailing:[email protected]

or ring Carole on 01366 727236

Come and take part in our quiz.??

Ouse News Page 9

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines have kindly agreed to take me onas one of their “panel” of ship’s doctors. From time to time,I will have the opportunity to spend two or three weeks onboard one of their vessels as the ship’s doctor, looking afterthe passengers and crew, much as a GP would look afterhis patients. With the job comes the pleasure of hosting atable at dinner and Deannie, my wife, who is embracingthe entire project with enthusiasm, has already started look-

ing at the dress shops for suitable outfits to wear.

As I shall be a member of the crew, it has been necessary for me to undergoa medical examination, receive many vaccinations, have a hearing test (ab-solutely normal – tell that to Management!), produce 2 photos for a Baha-mas seaman’s Record Book and, horror of horrors, undergo training andobtain a Certificate of Proficiency in Personal Survival Techniques. Havingspoken to a variety of people who had undergone this training, I noticed thatthey went pale when thinking about it, some broke out into a sweat, severalsaid that they would never ever do it again and most mentioned that the testinvolved a jump from a significant height into the water.

Ship’s Doctor

The training and assessment are carried out at the Centre for Maritime andOffshore Technology in Lowestoft College, a building full of gruesome post-ers of men with their arms torn off by watertight doors. I was really agitatedabout the jump into the water as, at the age of six, I had nearly drowned in aswimming pool and, ever since then, I have been phobic about swimmingpools and water, always frightened when out of my depth.

The morning went well; we were in the classroom and learned about immer-sion, preserving heat, flares, seasickness tablets (in the life raft), hypother-mia, GMDDS radio, EPIRB, SART (Google them!), where to tie the life raftpainter, what to do if the life raft inflates upside down, which equipmentinterferes with radar in a rescuing craft, and so on. All went well with theexam at the end and I passed with 93% correct answers.

After lunch, we were taken to an enormous tank, which looked about thesize of a football pitch, 15ft deep with high walls. During the briefing, I lookedaround at the inshore lifeboats, liferafts, dinghies, etc around the tank, and Inoticed large spray jets above and massive fans at the end of the pool.

Ouse News Page 8October meeting - RSPB Lakenheath Fen Reserve

Speaker - David WhiteOur first tentative outing after acquiring a boat was up the Little Ouse, andits remoteness has always fascinated us. Since listening to the excellentspeaker David White from RSPB Lakenheath at the meeting on 27th Octo-ber there is more incentive to spend time on this special river.

David explained about the setting up of the reserve, originallyto preserve the habitat (poplar trees) of the Golden Orielewhich had settled there (sadly, these birds have since declinedin number), but also to make an inland safe habitat for theBittern, as their Norfolk base could be endangered by coastal

erosion. Naturally, quiet expanses of water and reed beds have encour-aged many other species. With an events programme for both adults andchildren, the Reserve is now a must for anyone interested in birds and wa-ter-loving wildlife.

What a great start to the winter programme!

I look forward to next summer’s cruising along the Little Ouse in the expec-tation of seeing Crane or Marsh Harrier, and listening for the boom of theelusive Bittern (best in April/May) or the pinging call of the Bearded Tit.

Jean Webb

Don’t forget our meeting on Thursday,16th February!

Order your fish and chip supper now by emailing:[email protected]

or ring Carole on 01366 727236

Come and take part in our quiz.??

Ouse News

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines have kindly agreed to take me onas one of their “panel” of ship’s doctors. From time to time,I will have the opportunity to spend two or three weeks onboard one of their vessels as the ship’s doctor, looking afterthe passengers and crew, much as a GP would look afterhis patients. With the job comes the pleasure of hosting atable at dinner and Deannie, my wife, who is embracingthe entire project with enthusiasm, has already started look-

ing at the dress shops for suitable outfits to wear.

As I shall be a member of the crew, it has been necessary for me to undergoa medical examination, receive many vaccinations, have a hearing test (ab-solutely normal – tell that to Management!), produce 2 photos for a Baha-mas seaman’s Record Book and, horror of horrors, undergo training andobtain a Certificate of Proficiency in Personal Survival Techniques. Havingspoken to a variety of people who had undergone this training, I noticed thatthey went pale when thinking about it, some broke out into a sweat, severalsaid that they would never ever do it again and most mentioned that the testinvolved a jump from a significant height into the water.

Ship’s Doctor

The training and assessment are carried out at the Centre for Maritime andOffshore Technology in Lowestoft College, a building full of gruesome post-ers of men with their arms torn off by watertight doors. I was really agitatedabout the jump into the water as, at the age of six, I had nearly drowned in aswimming pool and, ever since then, I have been phobic about swimmingpools and water, always frightened when out of my depth.

The morning went well; we were in the classroom and learned about immer-sion, preserving heat, flares, seasickness tablets (in the life raft), hypother-mia, GMDDS radio, EPIRB, SART (Google them!), where to tie the life raftpainter, what to do if the life raft inflates upside down, which equipmentinterferes with radar in a rescuing craft, and so on. All went well with theexam at the end and I passed with 93% correct answers.

After lunch, we were taken to an enormous tank, which looked about thesize of a football pitch, 15ft deep with high walls. During the briefing, I lookedaround at the inshore lifeboats, liferafts, dinghies, etc around the tank, and Inoticed large spray jets above and massive fans at the end of the pool.

Ouse News

I thought “Some people must have a really rough time in thistank”. We were taken up onto the high platform, taught howto put on a large and fiendishly difficult lifejacket and thentaught how to step into the water without breaking one’s neck.The right hand is cupped under the chin (to stop it slippingupwards) and the nose is gripped between forefinger andthumb. The left hand is used to hold the lifejacket down when you hit thewater. Heart thumping, I stepped off the platform – the lifejacket knocked myhand off my face and water shot up my nose, ending up somewhere in theback of my head! We were then taught how to swim backwards in a long lineand how to preserve body heat. Suddenly, at the throw of a switch, we arebobbing around in massive waves, there is a howling gale and monsoon-typerain! We had to make our way to the liferaft at the other end of the pool, climbup and in (extremely difficult), fall out, swim back to the other end of the pooland get into a noose to be winched up onto the platform. The whole exercisewas then repeated in the dark – pitch black! We then had to do it all again,each of us righting an upside down liferaft. This procedure, which was ex-tremely difficult given the prevailing “weather conditions”, involved climbingonto the top of the raft, grabbing a rope and walking backwards on the top(bottom) of the raft until, with a flip, it turns over and you are underneath it!Swim out, climb up, and so on.

After this episode, by the time I had made my way yet again to the far end ofthe pool, I was exhausted, heart thumping and quite sick and dizzy. “Take offyour lifejackets and put it on that pile over there” he said – the sweetestwords ever. Then, over the tannoy “This is your captain speaking – prepare toabandon ship”. Grab the wet, unmanageable lifejacket, put it on in the dark,drop the terrible height into the water, notice the water shooting up into yourbrain somewhere, battle the waves, the wind and the monsoon rain to find theliferaft, climb up and in, climb out, swim back to the other end of the pool and

get winched up into “the helicopter”. All the other partici-pants in this exercise were over 30 years younger thanme and some actually enjoyed it! “Hey, mate, this is great– do you do stag nights?” some of them shouted. Me, Islunk off to the changing room and spent the next weekgetting over the post-traumatic stress.

Ouse News Page 7Unofficial Moorings at Riverside, Cambridge

It looks as though the long-standing uncertainty over ownership of the moor-ings alongside the railings at Riverside, Cambridge is about to be resolved.The city council now believe that having looked back at historical records,they can determine that the City is in fact the rightful owner. If this can beproven, it will be the first step towards regularising the mooring situation.

Boaters will be aware that ‘the railings’ host a weird and wonderful collec-tion of craft, many of which are used for residential purposes. Due to the factthat they have no official tenure, some live-aboard boaters are afraid to moveoff of their spot even to get water as they are concerned that someone elsewill move in whilst they are away. As a result, some have resorted to knock-ing on the doors of the flats opposite to fill water bottles. This, together withcomplaints about smoke from solid-fuel stoves has not endeared them totheir neighbours.

In view of the drastic shortage of moorings in Cambridge, it would be a greatshame if these facilities were lost. However, they do need to be improvedand regulated. I have long since refused to carry out boat safety examina-tions on boats moored there as there is no safe means of access. I’m a bitlong in the tooth to climb over 4ft. high railings and drop down to roofs of theboats below and am sure that some boat owners must have the same prob-lem.

I would suggest that in order to make full use of the facility, floating pon-toons could be secured against the wall, safe access provided by means ofsteel stairways. However, I suspect that this would upset the rowing frater-nity as the river width would be effectively reduced. Smoke should not bea problem as there are plenty of DEFRA approved stoves for smokelesszones available on the market and water points could easily be installed.

All of this of course would cost a considerable sum and would have to berecouped by charging market rates for residential moorings. We couldeven get a few 24-hour public moorings within walking distance of town!

Keith Alderton

Ouse News Page 6

‘I have been a member of IWA for many years, although I confess that I havenot been a regular attendee of meetings. However, and especially as an en-thusiastic boater on the Fen waterways for the last 20-30 years, I have beenpleased to add my weight (and subscription income) to the various IWA cam-paigns over the years. In the last edition (Autumn 2011), in an article “A locktoo far”, Keith says at the end that “these are difficult issues with no easysolution” and asks for our views. My view is that there is a very easy solutionto this not very difficult issue, especially in these challenging financial times -forget it! There are a small number of “rights campaigners” and an even smallernumber of boaters who want large amounts of scarce public money spent onkeeping this lock open. It serves no purpose for the vast majority of boaters.Other users of the waterways have no interest in whether it is navigable or not.Boaters want the facilities on the main rivers, which almost all of them use,kept in good working order and even improved with more pump outs, toiletdisposals, moorings and water points. The EA need no encouragement to gooff on finance-depleting projects and our campaigning efforts would better beexpended encouraging them to stay focussed on what the majority of boatersactually need. I would actively oppose any attempt by the IWA to persuadethe EA to divert finances from the facilities on the main waterways to a “prin-ciple” such as Welches Dam Lock.’ Philip Baker

‘It’s time that the interests of the majority were given a greater priority, asyou say let’s have pump-outs that work properly, more moorings, moreenforcement of live-aboards who overstay on EA 48hr moorings and donot pay for a marina berth, so that the vast number of us that play by therules get what we pay for.’ Sid Fisher

‘Keith asked for views about the restoration of Welches Dam lockwhich I last navigated in November 2005. The amount of work re-quired is trivial compared with other navigations which have been re-opened eg Kennet and Avon, Rochdale and the Huddersfield Nar-row canals. I also believe that this situation would have been sortedout years ago if it had arisen on the main canal system where BWand not EA were the navigation authority. It follows that I am firmlyof the view that Welches Dam lock must be restored now, notwith-standing the current budget constraints.’ John RevellJohn RevellJohn RevellJohn RevellJohn Revell

Ouse News

A well stocked Inland Chandlery with friendly and knowledgeable staff catering for Cruisers & Narrowboats

Come and see us (you'll find us 2 minutes walk from Ely waterfront), or have a look at our easy to use mailorder website

Boat Safety SchemeExaminations

Ouse News Advertising

• Do you want to contact boating enthusiasts?

• Circulation 350 within 30 miles of Cambridge

• Adverts cost £30 (+ VAT) per half page for a year

• Three editions a year

• Contact The Editor

(carolealderton @sky.com)

I had left Deannie in the nearby Warners Holiday Hotel (Nochildren – in fact, no-one under 85! We felt much too young tobe there and we had never before been to an hotel with anelectric buggy park in the restaurant). She had been to see thebeautician, a slip of a girl who had been sent on the same courseas me “in case she ever had to go to sea” and had been seri-ously traumatised. At evening meal, the waitress, who, at break-

fast, had reassured Deannie that I would be OK, looked at me sideways andtold us that she had known exactly what I would be going through but did notdare to tell Deannie. I was delighted to pass the assessment but I definitelyfall into the “never again” class. Dr Ian Nisbet

The River Great Ouse and the River Cam –from Brackley to Kings Lynn

Josephine Jeremiah

This is a charming work by a lady called JosephineJeremiah – who has made historical reviews of navi-gable rivers her speciality, having authored bookson, amongst others, the river Avon, the river Nene,the river Wye and the river Severn.

Her book is somewhat reminiscent of the series by Alan Sutton Publishingcalled ‘Britain In Old Photographs’ which were based in great measurearound the Francis Frith collection of photos from the turn of the century.However – in addition to the very focussed subject matter, Ms. Jeremiahprefaces her collection of photographic and other illustrations with a de-tailed and fascinating history of the river.

Indeed it is more that a preface as it comprises almost a quarter of thecontents of the book. She has chosen to guide her readers on an historicaljourney down the river, using the delightful ‘Ouse’s Silent Tide’ by Rev’dC.F.Farrar, published in 1921 and describing a canoe journey from Brackleyto King’s Lynn, which he undertook in 1920, as her reference. This par-ticular work is long out of print but until recently there was a copy availableto borrow in the public library in St. Ives. It may still be there.

Josephine has, as might be expected, extensively researched her subject,and has graciously acknowledged numerous well-known fenland river his-torians and writers, including Brian Carter, Dorothy Summers, Iris Wedg-wood, Ronald Russell, Teddy Edwards and Andrew Hunter Blair.

That said, students of fenland rivers may think that the occasional photo-graph looks a bit familiar – as indeed it might be – but this in no waydetracts from the book and its purpose.

Ouse News

Book Review by Stephen Foote

Ouse News Page 5

‘As expected, a very well written article. I agree with all yourcomments. It is patently obvious that a few members are in-tent on spending our small resources on a lost cause; after allthe drain referred to is no more than that, a drain (and a verypoor drain at that) more water leaks from it than is retained,and the number of vessels that would navigate this water isminimal. Use our funding on fighting for something that wemight gain some advantage from.’ Roly Griffen

A lock too far?

After our Chairman’s article in the Autumn 2011 edition of OuseNews we have had the following responses - please contact us if youwould like us to print your view:

You will see from the published programme that the next meeting will beheld on Thursday, 16th February at the Community Centre in Coles Road,Milton as usual. Rather than having a speaker, we are trying a new formatand are holding a waterways themed quiz, followed by a fish and chip sup-per. All are welcome – there is no need to fear that your lack of knowledgewill let you down as can be demonstrated by our dismal performance at theReach Fair last year! Advance notification of your intention to attend wouldbe appreciated, although we can fine tune our food order on the night.

Finally, I would like to draw your attention to the separate sheets outliningthe agenda for the Regional AGM together with the officers’ reports andagenda for the Cambridge Branch AGM. The latter will be held on Thurs-day, 22nd March at Milton, followed by a talk by the Environment Agencyreporting on work carried out during the past year and outlining plans forthe future.

Keith Alderton

Chairman’s Corner

Looking back at the autumn issue of Ouse News, I see that I complainedthat summer had never arrived. Needless to say, as soon as we had sentthe copy to the printers, the weather changed dramatically and we enjoyedthe warmest October week on record. If you remember, last year winterarrived with a bang with sub-zero temperatures in early November. Likemany others, I got caught out and suffered frost damage to the water sys-tem on the boat before I had a chance to drain down. By the time you readthis edition, with any luck the majority of the winter should be behind us andwe will be looking forward to spring again. Let’s hope that I do not get itquite so badly wrong this time!

You will have seen from recent press releases that the charitable body totake over from British Waterways next year has been named the Canal andRiver Trust. Much good work has been carried out to determine how thenew body will operate. However, there are still some concerns being ex-pressed in this respect as only 5 out of 35 trustees are to be from the boat-ing community, the rest being drawn from other interested parties such asramblers, fishermen, cyclists and land owners, etc., plus government ap-pointees. Whilst all of these bodies have a legitimate interest in the water-ways, it is essential that we keep a very close watch on how the situationdevelops and make sure that the purpose for which the canals were built,i.e. ‘navigation’, does not become a side issue. The thorny issue of ad-equate on-going funding is still undecided, but at least the government isnow listening to our reasoned submissions.

Locally, the debate continues over the future of Welches Dam, with strongopinions being held for and against spending vast sums restoring a lock thatonly ever saw some 20 boat movements a year in the good times. I wouldlike to thank those members who have expressed their views so far (seepage 5). Please keep sending in your comments on this and any otherimportant issues affecting the waterways and we will try our best to fit themin to future editions.

Ouse News Page 4 Ouse News

In fact as well as the fascinating subject matter, the book is beautifullyproduced in hardback by the publisher, Phillimore and Co. of Chichesterand will grace any bookshelf, desk or coffee-table where it may be placedas its owner dips in and out of its contents.

The cover price is given as £15.99 but at the time of writing the IWAbookshop has the work for sale at £9.99 plus p&p. Lovers of the GreatOuse and its history will be glad they purchased a copy.

Phillimore and Co., 2006; ISBN 1-86077-417-2

Ouse News

We welcome the following newmembers to the branch andhope they will introducethemselves to us when comingto an event or meeting:

Our March meeting will be ourAGM and update from the rivermanagers of the EnvironmentAgency. This will be held on:

MAY DAY BANK HOLIDAY

WEEKEND

Winter MeetingsBranch News

THURSDAY 16TH FEBRUARY 2012

are at 8 pm on Thursday eve-nings at the Cole’s RoadCommunity Centre, Milton(North Cambridge) CB24 6BL.

Members & Visitors welcome.

Our February meeting will bea quiz together with a fish andchip supper and will be held on:

THURSDAY 22ND MARCH 2012

Saturday, 5th May - Gatheringof boats at Reach, followed byan evening meal at the DykesEnd. (Book your place with StephenFoote)Sunday, 6th May - Ladies’morning walk, lunchtimebarbecue and quiz. Eveningparticipation in village quiz.Monday, 7th May - IWA standat Reach Fair.

Mr B Bourne, Sandy, Beds

Mr J & Mrs E Wainwright,Ely

Mrs H Grislin & Mr C Lindley,Horningsea, Cambridge

Members who have movedto Branch

Mr & Mrs R & J Griffen,Peterborough

Mr G J Meade,Priory Marina, Bedford

Mr & Mrs R & S Thompson,March

Ms E M Dexter, Ely

Ouse News Page 3

Branch Committee

Chairman:Keith AldertonHolly Cottage, 57 Globe StreetMethwoldThetford, IP26 4PQTel. 01366 727236 e-mail:[email protected]

Secretary:John Hodgson9 Beaufort Way, BrickhillBedford, MK41 7XQTel 01234 344884e-mail: [email protected]

Treasurer:Enid Hodgson9 Beaufort Way, BrickhillBedford, MK41 7XQTel 01234 344884e-mail: [email protected]

Ouse News Editor:Carole AldertonHolly Cottage, 57 Globe StreetMethwoldThetford, IP26 4PQTel. 01366 727236e-mail: [email protected]

Sales Officer:David Anderson21 Cambridge StreetSt NeotsPE19 1JLTel 01480 477227e-mail:[email protected]

Membership Officer:Peter Webb35 Norfolk RoadEly, CB6 3EJTel 01353 658581e-mail: [email protected]

Webmaster:Stephen Foote14 High Street, ChrishallRoyston, SG8 8RPTel 01763 838936e-mail: [email protected]

MemberDerek Bradley24 Witchford RoadEly, CB6 3DPTel 01353 661601e-mail: [email protected]

Ouse News Page 2 Ouse News

Phone 01638-613102www.burwellprint.co.ukRegistered Charity No. 1053026

(Non-residential boats only)

Our newsletter is printed by:

A January Day in Ely

Ouse News - Spring 2012 The Cambridge Branch Newsletter

covering the Great Ouse area

Campaigning for the conservation,use, maintenance, restoration and

development of the InlandWaterways.

The InlandWaterwaysAssociation

Photo: Keith AldertonThe views expressed in thispublication are notnecessarily those of theInland WaterwaysAsscociation or of theCambridge Branch. Theyare, however, published asbeing of interest to ourmembers and readers.

Contents:Branch Committee p3

Chairman’s Corner p4

A lock too far? p5

Moorings p7

Meetings report p8

Ship’s Doctor p9

Book Review p12

Branch News p14

Half-cut Theatre p16

See Appendices forAGM information

Ouse News

The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited byguarantee. Registered in England no 612245 Registered as a charity no 212342Registered Office: Island House, Moor Rd, Chesham, HP5 1WA. Phone 01494783453

Catch a quickgl impse ofsome of thec h a r a c t e r sintroduced byDerek Harrisfrom ‘The Pubon the Cut’ .

Another successful branch meeting held onThursday, 24th November!

Ouse News - Appendix 1

EASTERN REGION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGNotice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of theEastern Region of the Inland Waterways Association will be held onWednesday 14th March 2012 at the Peterborough and DistrictIndoor Bowls Centre, Burton Street, Peterborough at 7.30 p.m.

AGENDA1. Apologies2. Approval of the Minutes of the AGM held on 16th March 20113. Matters Arising from those Minutes4. Chairman’s Report5. Election of Committee Members (see notes below)

Notes: [following the amendment of Region Byelaws which came intoforce on 14/3/09]

a) The Chairman of the Region is elected in a separate ballot and theChairmen of each of the branches within the Region are members of theRegion committee ex officio. This is an election for the remaining mem-bers of the Region committee.

b) The period of office of none of the existing elected members of thecommittee comes to an end at the 2012 AGM but there is no limit to thenumber of members of that committee.

c) It is no longer necessary for those who wish to stand for election to thecommittee to be nominated and seconded but all who wish to stand mustagree to do so. Consents from members of the Region who wish to standfor election at the AGM 2012 must be deposited with the Region Secre-tary [Nigel Long 7 Georgian Court, Peterborough PE3 6AF or by email [email protected]] before the start of the Annual General Meeting.

CONSENT FORM

I agree to stand for election to the Eastern Region committee at the 2012Annual General Meeting. I am a member of Eastern Region.

(Sign) ——————————————Print Name ——————Date ____________________


Ouse News - Appendix 5 cont’d.

You will know from elsewhere in this magazine, that the branch part of theIWA web site is now in operation so please have a look at this. I found theeasiest way was to go to the IWA home page www.waterways.org.uk andfollow the links from there via region and branch.

The thorny issue of Welches Dam has re-emerged. I do not have the roomhere to go into this in great length but I am sure most will know the issuesinvolved. That, relatively short, length of waterway has always been verydifficult to keep open because of water loss etc. It is, however, a legitimatepiece of our valuable waterway system and, indeed, of the heritage of thispart of the country. If EA were to restore it to a fully useable condition itwould cost a huge amount of money. This, in the present economic climateespecially, cannot be justified. However, nor can one of the alternatives, thatof abandoning that stretch completely. This has occupied the minds of yourBranch and Regional committees at some length. The philosophy of the Cam-bridge Branch committee is NOT to abandon it but to encourage EA to re-store it to its former glory by funding the works from other sources than thenavigation maintenance budget. If that fund were used it would deflect fartoo much money away from the, already under-funded, maintenance of therest of the system. They could, for example, enter into partnership agree-ments with other bodies (possibly private) as has been used before. Evenbetter, enlist the help of the IWA’s own restoration arm, the Waterways Re-covery Group. In the spirit of the Government’s “Big Society” perhaps thisfits the bill.

The branch magazine is now looking a lot better than it ever has! Our neweditor, Carole Alderton, has now introduced some colour into it and it’s im-proved it so much. Of course she also ensures that there is editorial by chas-ing up various people for contributions (yes, me for one.) I am sure she wouldbe grateful for articles long or short from members for inclusion. This wouldintroduce variety of style and it spreads the load too. Considering the smallsize of the branch this is an excellent publication!

Finally, I would like to wish everyone a sunny and happy boating season andhope to meet as many of you as possible somewhere on the system.

John Hodgson


Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of theCambridge Branch of the Inland Waterways Association will be heldon Thursday, 22nd March 2012 at the Community Centre, Milton,Cambridge, CB24 6BL at 8.00 p.m.

AGENDA1. Chairman’s welcome and apologies for absence2. Approval of the Minutes of the AGM held on 24th March 20113. Matters Arising from those Minutes, not included on this agenda4. Chairman’s Report - printed in Appendix 45. Secretary’s Report - printed in Appendix 56. Treasurer’s Report and presentation of accounts - printed in Appendix 67. Proposal to change the name of the branch to the ‘Great Ouse Branch’8. Election of Branch Committee9. Close of Meeting

Notes: (following the amendment of Byelaws dated 14/3/09)1. Accounts are audited by IWA Head Office. There is no need to adopt the accounts or appoint an auditor.2. There is no longer any limit to Committee numbers. Members serve for 3 years after which they retire but may seek re-election.3. There is only 1 committee member due for re-election this year and that is David Anderson.4. New Committee Members are most welcome. Those who would like to stand must sign the consent form below and send to the Branch

Secretary, John Hodgson (Address on page 3) before the AGM.

INLAND WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION CONSENT FORMI agree to stand for election at the Annual Meeting of the CambridgeBranch. I am a member of the Cambridge Branch.

(Sign) .................................................. Print Name ............................

Date ...............................

The Branch has had a stable year in terms of membership numbers, varyingonly by about two from month to month throughout the year. This is encourag-ing when considering the financial climate over that period. We would alwayswelcome new members to the branch, so please tell your friends about us!

The re-organisation of navigation authorities nationally is continuing and thenew waterways charity, the “Canal and River Trust” has been formed andcontinues to be developed. Although the River Great Ouse catchment systemis not included within this initial formation, it is, at the moment, planned to beincorporated at a later date and so it is of interest to us in Cambridge branch.We anticipate an update at the AGM when we will have our traditional pres-entation by EA navigation staff. All the more reason to attend!

I mentioned in this piece last year that the Cam Conservators (CamCon) andEA were contemplating a different charging regime for boaters on the twoparts of the system i.e. above and below Bottisham lock. In simple termsCamCon were looking to increase their revenue which they considered to beinadequate to fund their responsibilities. They carried out a survey of usersasking for views on preferred licensing arrangements.

Meetings have been held between the two Authorities, IWA, GOBA and oth-ers to try to negotiate a sensible arrangement. To date we know that EA havegiven a 6 month notice period that the present Interchange Agreement will endin March. Both Authorities would like a similar arrangement to replace it butnaturally, EA do not want a smaller slice of that particular cake. It is doubtlessthat all this will mean increased costs for river licenses as EA are alreadymaking noises about increases of 2% above RPI in their fees.

I mentioned last year the issue of using FAME (fatty acid methyl esters) dieselin our boats, as insisted upon by the EU, and the problems that could be en-countered by leaving that type of diesel in our engines over a winter lay-upperiod. The government has taken the view that the current red diesel is,indeed, compliant with the relevant EU Directive. The European Commission,as is their wont, disagrees and is currently taking action against the UK Gov-ernment. This will roll on and on. Again, watch this space as the outcomecould have important ramifications!


Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Cambridge Branchof the Inland Waterways Association on Thursday 24th March2011 held at the Community Centre, Milton, Cambridge at 8.00p.m.

Present: Keith Alderton (Acting Chairman) plus 17 Cambridge Branchmembers and visitors.

1.Apologies for absence The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and noted apologies for absence from: Archie and Jennie Ferguson, Robin and Jane Bradford and Ian Cornish.

2. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 18 March 2010 The minutes of the previous AGM were printed on page 7 of the Spring 2011 issue of the Branch newsletter “Ouse News” mailed to all members. It was proposed by Peter Webb, seconded by Derek Bradley that these be adopted as a true record. This was agreed unanimously.

3. Matters arising from the AGM on 18 March 2010 There were no matters arising.

4. Chairman’s Report The Chairman’s report was printed on pages 8/9 of Ouse News. There was nothing to add to those notes. There were no questions for the Chairman.

5. Secretary’s Report The Secretary’s report was printed on pages 10/11 of Ouse News. There was nothing to add to these notes. There were no questions for

the Secretary.

6. Treasurer’s Report The Treasurer’s report and accounts were printed on page 12 of Ouse News. There were no questions for the Treasurer.


Secretary’s Report 2011-12


You will note from the Treasurer’s Report, that the branch is financially sound;although we are a little concerned that the costs associated with room hireand providing a speaker for our general meetings are not being covered bydonations on the night. A more generous contribution would be much appre-ciated. Likewise, the per capita grant from head office for the branch maga-zine is failing to cover all of the printing and postage costs. We are trying tomitigate this by selling advertising space and by encouraging members toobtain their copy of Ouse News via email. If you do not already receive yourcopy in this manner and would like to do so, please forward your emailaddress to [email protected].

Many thanks for your support over the past year. Keith Alderton

My task as Chairman has been greatly aided by a small team of hardworking,dedicated committee members and I would like to thank them all for theirsupport and enthusiasm throughout the year ie :-

David Anderson has done sterling work managing the sale of books andmaps at our branch meetings and also has the onerous task of storing andcarting around all of the equipment required for our attendances at outsideevents throughout the year.John Hodgson spends many a midnight hour tapping away at his computerproducing agendas and minutes and corresponding with other branches andhead office whilst Enid Hodgson has successfully taken over the Treasurer’srole.We have another husband and wife team with Peter Webb looking afterMembership and along with his wife Jean, providing refreshments at bothcommittee and general meetings.Stephen Foote, after many years as Branch Chairman is now learning howto develop the branch website. Derek Bradley, after stepping down asRegional Chairman, still attends many regional and national meetings.I must also mention my wife Carole, who spends many long days preparingOuse News.

As you can see, we are a small team and would welcome some new bloodon the committee. In particular, we are still seeking a Programme Secretary.

7. Election of Committee Members. Keith Alderton and John Hodgson were due to retire by rotation after

their 3 year term of office. Enid Hodgson and Carole Alderton, havingbeen co-opted during the year were eligible for substantive election tothe committee. Nomination forms having been received by the Secre-tary for all four, it was proposed by Derek Bradley and seconded byJack Maiden that all four be elected to the Committee. This waspassed unanimously.

8. There being no further business, the Chairman closed the meeting at 8.07 pm.

In February, John Wilson’s talk on the subject of raising what was possiblythe last surviving example of a Fen Lighter proved to be particularly fasci-nating.Following the AGM in March, the Environment Agency gave us their usualcomprehensive review of the year’s activities on the rivers Nene and GreatOuse.The good spring weather (if you ignore the howling wind!) over the MayDay weekend encouraged a much larger turnout than usual at the eventssurrounding the Reach Fair and as well as having a great time, we were ableto talk to a lot of people about the local rivers and the aims and objectivesof the IWA.The autumn programme kicked off with a first class talk by David Whiteabout the establishment of the RSPB reserve at Lakenheath Fen beside theLittle Ouse.Last, but not least, was another fine performance by the Half Cut Theatre inNovember.


Chairman’s Report 2011-12It is fair to say that we can chalk up another successful year for the Branch,having completed yet another varied and interesting programme of talksand events. The number of members and guests attending may not havebeen overwhelming, but meetings were much enjoyed by those who didmanage to attend:-


The Branch has had a stable year in terms of membership numbers, varyingonly by about two from month to month throughout the year. This is encourag-ing when considering the financial climate over that period. We would alwayswelcome new members to the branch, so please tell your friends about us!

The re-organisation of navigation authorities nationally is continuing and thenew waterways charity, the “Canal and River Trust” has been formed andcontinues to be developed. Although the River Great Ouse catchment systemis not included within this initial formation, it is, at the moment, planned to beincorporated at a later date and so it is of interest to us in Cambridge branch.We anticipate an update at the AGM when we will have our traditional pres-entation by EA navigation staff. All the more reason to attend!

I mentioned in this piece last year that the Cam Conservators (CamCon) andEA were contemplating a different charging regime for boaters on the twoparts of the system i.e. above and below Bottisham lock. In simple termsCamCon were looking to increase their revenue which they considered to beinadequate to fund their responsibilities. They carried out a survey of usersasking for views on preferred licensing arrangements.

Meetings have been held between the two Authorities, IWA, GOBA and oth-ers to try to negotiate a sensible arrangement. To date we know that EA havegiven a 6 month notice period that the present Interchange Agreement will endin March. Both Authorities would like a similar arrangement to replace it butnaturally, EA do not want a smaller slice of that particular cake. It is doubtlessthat all this will mean increased costs for river licenses as EA are alreadymaking noises about increases of 2% above RPI in their fees.

I mentioned last year the issue of using FAME (fatty acid methyl esters) dieselin our boats, as insisted upon by the EU, and the problems that could be en-countered by leaving that type of diesel in our engines over a winter lay-upperiod. The government has taken the view that the current red diesel is,indeed, compliant with the relevant EU Directive. The European Commission,as is their wont, disagrees and is currently taking action against the UK Gov-ernment. This will roll on and on. Again, watch this space as the outcomecould have important ramifications!


Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Cambridge Branchof the Inland Waterways Association on Thursday 24th March2011 held at the Community Centre, Milton, Cambridge at 8.00p.m.

Present: Keith Alderton (Acting Chairman) plus 17 Cambridge Branchmembers and visitors.

1.Apologies for absence The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and noted apologies for absence from: Archie and Jennie Ferguson, Robin and Jane Bradford and Ian Cornish.

2. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 18 March 2010 The minutes of the previous AGM were printed on page 7 of the Spring 2011 issue of the Branch newsletter “Ouse News” mailed to all members. It was proposed by Peter Webb, seconded by Derek Bradley that these be adopted as a true record. This was agreed unanimously.

3. Matters arising from the AGM on 18 March 2010 There were no matters arising.

4. Chairman’s Report The Chairman’s report was printed on pages 8/9 of Ouse News. There was nothing to add to those notes. There were no questions for the Chairman.

5. Secretary’s Report The Secretary’s report was printed on pages 10/11 of Ouse News. There was nothing to add to these notes. There were no questions for

the Secretary.

6. Treasurer’s Report The Treasurer’s report and accounts were printed on page 12 of Ouse News. There were no questions for the Treasurer.


Secretary’s Report 2011-12


You will know from elsewhere in this magazine, that the branch part of theIWA web site is now in operation so please have a look at this. I found theeasiest way was to go to the IWA home page www.waterways.org.uk andfollow the links from there via region and branch.

The thorny issue of Welches Dam has re-emerged. I do not have the roomhere to go into this in great length but I am sure most will know the issuesinvolved. That, relatively short, length of waterway has always been verydifficult to keep open because of water loss etc. It is, however, a legitimatepiece of our valuable waterway system and, indeed, of the heritage of thispart of the country. If EA were to restore it to a fully useable condition itwould cost a huge amount of money. This, in the present economic climateespecially, cannot be justified. However, nor can one of the alternatives, thatof abandoning that stretch completely. This has occupied the minds of yourBranch and Regional committees at some length. The philosophy of the Cam-bridge Branch committee is NOT to abandon it but to encourage EA to re-store it to its former glory by funding the works from other sources than thenavigation maintenance budget. If that fund were used it would deflect fartoo much money away from the, already under-funded, maintenance of therest of the system. They could, for example, enter into partnership agree-ments with other bodies (possibly private) as has been used before. Evenbetter, enlist the help of the IWA’s own restoration arm, the Waterways Re-covery Group. In the spirit of the Government’s “Big Society” perhaps thisfits the bill.

The branch magazine is now looking a lot better than it ever has! Our neweditor, Carole Alderton, has now introduced some colour into it and it’s im-proved it so much. Of course she also ensures that there is editorial by chas-ing up various people for contributions (yes, me for one.) I am sure she wouldbe grateful for articles long or short from members for inclusion. This wouldintroduce variety of style and it spreads the load too. Considering the smallsize of the branch this is an excellent publication!

Finally, I would like to wish everyone a sunny and happy boating season andhope to meet as many of you as possible somewhere on the system.

John Hodgson


Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of theCambridge Branch of the Inland Waterways Association will be heldon Thursday, 22nd March 2012 at the Community Centre, Milton,Cambridge, CB24 6BL at 8.00 p.m.

AGENDA1. Chairman’s welcome and apologies for absence2. Approval of the Minutes of the AGM held on 24th March 20113. Matters Arising from those Minutes, not included on this agenda4. Chairman’s Report - printed in Appendix 45. Secretary’s Report - printed in Appendix 56. Treasurer’s Report and presentation of accounts - printed in Appendix 67. Proposal to change the name of the branch to the ‘Great Ouse Branch’8. Election of Branch Committee9. Close of Meeting

Notes: (following the amendment of Byelaws dated 14/3/09)1. Accounts are audited by IWA Head Office. There is no need to adopt the accounts or appoint an auditor.2. There is no longer any limit to Committee numbers. Members serve for 3 years after which they retire but may seek re-election.3. There is only 1 committee member due for re-election this year and that is David Anderson.4. New Committee Members are most welcome. Those who would like to stand must sign the consent form below and send to the Branch

Secretary, John Hodgson (Address on page 3) before the AGM.

INLAND WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION CONSENT FORMI agree to stand for election at the Annual Meeting of the CambridgeBranch. I am a member of the Cambridge Branch.

(Sign) .................................................. Print Name ............................

Date ...............................


EASTERN REGION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGNotice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of theEastern Region of the Inland Waterways Association will be held onWednesday 14th March 2012 at the Peterborough and DistrictIndoor Bowls Centre, Burton Street, Peterborough at 7.30 p.m.

AGENDA1. Apologies2. Approval of the Minutes of the AGM held on 16th March 20113. Matters Arising from those Minutes4. Chairman’s Report5. Election of Committee Members (see notes below)

Notes: [following the amendment of Region Byelaws which came intoforce on 14/3/09]

a) The Chairman of the Region is elected in a separate ballot and theChairmen of each of the branches within the Region are members of theRegion committee ex officio. This is an election for the remaining mem-bers of the Region committee.

b) The period of office of none of the existing elected members of thecommittee comes to an end at the 2012 AGM but there is no limit to thenumber of members of that committee.

c) It is no longer necessary for those who wish to stand for election to thecommittee to be nominated and seconded but all who wish to stand mustagree to do so. Consents from members of the Region who wish to standfor election at the AGM 2012 must be deposited with the Region Secre-tary [Nigel Long 7 Georgian Court, Peterborough PE3 6AF or by email [email protected]] before the start of the Annual General Meeting.

CONSENT FORM

I agree to stand for election to the Eastern Region committee at the 2012Annual General Meeting. I am a member of Eastern Region.

(Sign) ——————————————Print Name ——————Date ____________________


iwa cambridge branch gouse news spring 2012

Documents

elyouse news page

news editor

elyouse news spring

successful branch meeting

branch committeechairman

thecambridge branch

branch andhope

bedsmr j mrs e wainwright