Young Member's Weekend

Calling all young members of SWCC, fireworks weekend is also your weekend with loads of activities and fun caving trips organised. If you haven't told James Meredith yet that you're coming, please let him know on jamming29@hotmail.co.uk

James has produced an itinerary / list of activities and I think the grown-ups are going to be jealous!

Floor Replacement Plans - Cottage no8 ~ by Paul Meredith - Chairman

I am writing to you to seek your views on an important matter concerning the SWCC HQ .

As some of you may know the upstairs floor in the front of No. 8 cottage is in very poor condition and ‘moves’ considerably. A physical investigation in 2010 revealed that the joist ends have failed and that the joists need replacing, something we have done in other cottages.

To do this work at the heart of the HQ will mean considerable disruption to the normal running of the club including temporary relocation of some activities e.g. the destination board and key cupboard. All of this is unavoidable but manageable.

However this is also an opportunity for us to carry out some additional work which would enable us to make better use, and improve the flexibility, of the upstairs sleeping accommodation. In essence the proposal is that we create separate Ladies and Gents washrooms, both of which would be directly accessible from any of the adult upstairs bedrooms . . . Click here for full details and diagrams.

Please feel free to send me your feedback chairman@swcc.org.uk

Bill Birchenough ~ by Jem Rowland - President

Members will be saddened to hear that Bill Birchenough passed away on Monday 15th Oct.

Always known in the club as 'Bill Birch', he joined the club in 1958, was a very active member through the 1960s, and his interest in the club continued for many years beyond. He served for several years on the club committee, as Tackle Manager and as Warden, and was a member of the 'Planning Committee' set up to organise the move to the 'new' HQ at Penwyllt in 1960.

He was a key player in the first Balinka Pit (Yugoslavia) expedition in 1964 and was the first and only one to reach the -650ft level, having used timber to engineer a way of getting the cage past an awkward slot at -550ft. His tenacity was again displayed during the extensive blasting efforts to push the Cwm Dwr crawl, when on one occasion he finished up in Morriston Hospital, having spent too much time working in banger smoke which apparently caused him to exhale 'green foam'!

Bill built the club's first 'radio location' device for use in caves. A transmitter was placed in the cave, and a receiver used on the surface; each had an aerial a bit like a car steering wheel. The aerial in the cave was placed horizontally and the one on the surface was used as a direction finder, eventually locating the point on the surface immediately above the transmitter. It worked well. Its primary use was in improving the accuracy of cave surveys and it was also used to help find the point at which to dig into OFD Top Entrance.

See photos of Bill outside SWCC with his location device and near the brickworks with Bruce Foster (l) and Charles Freeman.

Bill's funeral will be held at St. Mary's Church in Cardigan this Saturday, 20th Oct at 12 noon.