Nick Grazebrook

I am sure that most of you will by now have learned of the tragic death of our member Nick Grazebrook in a boating accident on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal in August. Nick was a very much involved with all the canal societies in the midlands and was always happy to offer advice on legal matters.

Indeed he was very much supportive of the conversion of the BCNS into a Company, seeing this as a modernisation of our legal status and one that we needed to do given the current litigious climate in which we live. Lets us hope that we can find a fitting way to mark the great part that Nick has paid in the improvements to the midlands canal network. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.

Annual General Meeting.

As I have mentioned before in Boundary Post the format for this year’s AGM on 7th November 2002 in the Pump house will be slightly different to previous years. For the first time we shall be electing a team of council members from which the council at their first meeting shall elect the officers for the year. As outlined in the last issue of BP our treasurer Colin Riggs will be suggesting some revision to subscription rates this year. It has been a number of years since they have been reviewed and we will need to look carefully at our finances over the coming years.

Pump house Opening.

The Pump house Opening Rally was a huge success, with marvellous weather over the weekend and at least 40 boats taking part. British Waterways gave great support in the form of the boats Leo and Atlas from their working boat fleet and the Heritage Recording Project Team. It also benefited from some excellent media coverage on the TV and local papers. NB Aaron Manby carried the official party (made up of BW staff, local councillors, and representatives from local businesses and canal societies) down to Titford Pools. Graham Fisher then carried out the actual opening and addressed the large crowd on the community benefits of the restoration.

Graham then cut the ribbon and the official party went into the Meeting Room. At this point our President David Smith addressed the assembled group on the use that the BCN Society would make of the building and facilities. He then said some kind words about the work involved in putting the project together.

Then much to my surprise (especially as I thought I knew all that was going on over the weekend) he unveiled the plaque naming the meeting room “The O’Keefe Room”. Also I was presented with a canal hand bowl, painted by Dave Moore. This had been painted in the traditional “Roses and Castle’s style, however the castle was in the style of the pump house. A most attractive item and one which will be most treasured.

Thanks to all involved in arranging this and also those who worked so hard in making the weekend so enjoyable

Donations

We recently benefited from a donation of £200 from BCNS member Henry May towards our ongoing signpost project. This was a most generous contribution to our funds and is much appreciated. Our thanks to Henry.