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As this is my final column for you in my capacity as Secretary, it seems
like a good idea to do some rehashing; not only of those plans that have
come to fruition, but those too, which for some reason, seem never to have
got off the ground.
FRIDAY NIGHT IS BSFA NIGHT: This has been one of the more successful plans.
So popular have these meetings become it seems incredible that they've only
been going since August of last year. Apart from the hard core of regulars
who always turn up, such as Ted Forsyth, Jimmy Groves, and Joe Patrizlo, we
have collected some newish members who, in their turn, have attended just as
faithfully once they were made aware of the meetings or came to live in London.
Among those we can count: Roy Sheppard, Patrick Kearney and Harry Atherton.
Then too, we occasionally see Mike Raynor, Don Geldart, Arthur (ATom) Thomson,
Ethel Lindsay, Paul Andrews, and Ron Bennett (when he's in town). Harry Atherton
especially deserves mention. Harry travels all the way from Cambridge every week
just for the sake of a few hours in our company.
Someone, Chris Miller, I think, asked that we should appoint a 'note-taker' at
these gatherings to let you all know what goes on. Apart from the fact that
none of us can do shorthand it would mean that whoever volunteered for the job
would be too busy taking notes to join in the talk, and do we TALK! Mostly about
SF, but I have heard politics and religion come under discussion as well as films
seen and liked or disliked; we swap magazines or buy and sell them if new. Quite
often if any of your publications are ready for the duplicator they are run off
with the willing assistance of those present. More recently plans have been
discussed for attending the Convention at Easter and, of course, we drink lots
of tea and coffee. Usually we break up around 11.15 pm. We never know who will
turn up unexpectedly nor yet where the conversation will turn, but of one thing
we can be sure, it's always interesting.
Ella Parker - VECTOR #11 (Spring 1961)
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