' ' • NOVEMBER, 1 969 - the DHO

The National Ski Federation
Stanley Walduck writes:
There has been a great deal of discussion lately regarding the National Ski Federation, but it is too early to
comment at this stage as the results of these discussions will not be apparent until after the Annual General
Meeting of the Federation in the middle of October.
Although this is a Government sponsored body, the Government grant forms only a small fraction of the funds
required to carry out the proposed activities. The remainder has to be found from other sources, such as subscriptions
from member clubs, which in the case of the D.H.O., in common with others, has been at the rate of
a shilling per member, per year, i.e. slightly over £50. The problem is to raise sufficient funds for the necessary
organisation and administration on a professional basis. For some years now the Federation has taken over all
the racing activities relinquished by the S.C.G.B. and some central authority would seem essential if Class A
races are to include British competitors.
Unfortunately ski-ing is not a spectator sport with the money-raising capacities of, say, football, and also of
course most of it takes place abroad, so other sources of revenue have to be found. Many people would be
astonished if they realised what a large sum would be required for the administration and organisation of the
D.H.O. racing training if it were not for the tremendous amount of voluntary work put in by various members
of the Committee and others. Over £7,000 was sent out through the Federation last year towards the cost of
our junior racing training, mainly, of course, from parents paying for accommodation and cost of training for
their children. We also received a grant from the Federation of about £150.
Hon. Treasurer -
K.D.F. writes:
FOURTEEN YEARS HARD LABOUR
Mr. Hedley Gardner retires as Hon. Treasurer of the D.H.O. after fourteen years in office. Those who are
familiar with what this entails will be amazed that he has endured the job for so long. Hedley is a professional
accountant and, as such, he is accustomed to having his raw material placed on his desk in the form of neatly
typed sheets all miraculously adding up to the same total on both pages. Things were very different for the Hon.
Treasurer in the early days when he was likely to have to have to obtain his material from old cigarette packs
bearing messages such as 'Norman owes 7 francs' 1 or '/ think we owe the Kurverein 10 francs but Susan may
have paid it'. However things have become easier recently as Mr. Latimer and Mr. Wheway have come to the
rescue by undertaking the duties of Assistant Treasurer and Auditor respectively. This additional help enabled
Hedley to give up the struggle of trying to teach D.H.O. workers the mysteries of Double Entry book-keeping.
Hedley joined the D.H.O. in 1936 and took over the job of Hon. Treasurer from the late Paul Hepworth.
His son, Dr. Nigel Gardner, is a very distinguished skier. The fact that the affairs of the Club are in such a
healthy state is due to a considerable extent to his skill, hard work and imperturbable good humour. The Club
owes him a deep debt of gratitude.
Advertising
Jimmy Gardner and Gilda Lund have, as usual, done an outstanding job in maintaining the level of
advertising. The cost of the Journal goes up each year, like most things, and, without advertising, the whole
of the membership subscriptions would be swallowed up.
We need more advertisements. Among our members, there must be many who make or sell things other
members use. D.H.O. members don't only buy skis and boots; they eat, they travel, they wear clothes,
they drink (just poke your head into the Eiger on a Wednesday evening if you don't believe it)—they use
every sort of product on sale. The cost of an advertisement is small, the readership influential—and the
Journal needs the money! If you have nothing to advertise, do you know someone who has? The Hon.
Advertising Manager would like to hear from you.
Incidentally, members can now put in personal advertisements for things like equipment, chalets available,
etc. For details, see page 53.
John Alexander Joannides
John's place in Wengen and the D.H.O. was demonstrated by the fact that several people wrote drawing
our attention to notices of his death in late August. The Eiger Restaurant at suppertime will seem incomplete
without his grey-bearded figure. An obituary appears on page 44.
Sir Arnold Lunn also wrote:
/ would like to supplement this tribute, necessarily inadequate because of time pressure in the next issue of
the British Ski Year Book, and would be grateful for any characteristic anecdotes about this great racer and
outstanding personality.
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