Year of publication 1960 - Fell and Rock Climbing Club

ANNUAL DINNER, 1959F. H. F. Simpson'And he help'd his guest to a bit of the breastAnd he sent the drumsticks down to be grill'd.'A Lay of St. Nicholas.In accordance with custom the Friday 'early birds' wedgedthemselves in the upstairs lounge at the Queen's to view the year'saccumulation of members' colour slides, ranging from Skye tosylvan mid-Surrey and the Canadian west, many of them studdedwith Club personalities in action and repose. The rain fell convenientlyin the night, and on Saturday everyone was away early, inair keen and dry, and sunlight strong in the lee of any well-placedoutcrop.The Annual General Meeting will always be remembered for itslength. After a quiet start proceedings hotted up when the 'establishment'came under heavy fire for permitting the use of cementbreeze blocks in parts of the Raw Head extension. The promise thatslates would be hung to disguise the blemish was no more favourablyreceived than the reasoning which required access to shower bathsto be 3 ft. 6 in. wide. The debate exploded in a laugh when G. G.Macphee suggested concealment by Virginia creeper. H. P.Spilsbury was re-elected President and F. Lawson Cook recited sixlines of verse recording the presidency of three Clubs and suggestingthe Yorkshire Ramblers as a fourth member of the Spilsburycommonwealth. More routine business gave place to two greatdebating points: new provisions for the election of members, andthe admission of young children to huts. The Fell and Rock neverhas rows, only differences of opinion, and many of these wereexpressed in lively oratory. The meeting divided on the secondissue, and the President glanced anxiously at his watch during thecount.With minutes to spare members hurried away, the ladies totransform themselves, the men for a quick flick of the hair brush.Places filled quickly in the main dining-room and the two overspillareas. Canon Hervey said grace, and, statistics say, 329 sat down tosoup, at least two squadrons of turkeys, cranberry sauce and sausage,assorted vegetables and the sweet. At 9 o'clock a toast to AbsentFriends, telegrams from afar and coffee. In the interval menuscirculated for signatures and the big room filled up. The Presidentopened the proceedings by drawing attention to the presence of theofficial guests, calling upon each to rise for identification. MissBrown of the Northumberland Mountaineering Club was savedthis duty when neighbours lifted her chair above the table.Showell Styles, the chief guest, in proposing the health of theClub, explained that there were three ways of making a speech—thediffusive, the exclusive and the abusive. Before making a choice hetold several funny stories and described the ascent of somethingcalled Murray's variation* on Raven Crag. Like 1959 diplomacy it*See Climbs Old and New—Editor.