PROGRAMME OF TALKS AND MEETINGS for 2017-18
Regular meetings are held in Kesgrave, Felixstowe, Saxmundham and Woodbridge.
Friday 1 September 2017 Kesgrave 10.30am-12:30pm |
Open Day: your opportunity to see what our groups will be offering for the coming year. |
Friday 22 September 2017 Woodbridge 10.30am |
Bees and Flowers: the contest between bees and flowers to gain benefits from the relationship Jeremy Quinlan |
Monday 25 September 2017 Kesgrave 2.00pm |
The Swing Era, 1934-1947: Big Bands, small groups, singers, pianists – an hour in the company of Bennie Goodman and others Douglas Baker |
Thursday 05 October 2017 Felixstowe 10.30am |
River Thames Watermen: a first-hand account of the operating practices of the Port of London in the post-war era Brian Cornell |
Thursday 12 October 2017 Saxmundham 2.00pm |
A Year in the Life of Minsmere: how Minsmere became a resource and the typical birds, butterflies, plants and mammals that can be seen Alex Bass (Note this differs from the talk listed in the Handbook for this date.) |
Monday 30 October 2017 Kesgrave 2.00pm |
The Ipswich Charter Hangings: an account by the designer of the creation of the hangings made to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the granting of the Charter Isobel Clover |
Thursday 02 November 2017 Felixstowe 10.30am |
An Afternoon with Joyce Grenfell: monologues from her repertoire interspersed with details about her life and work Gillian Grimham |
Thursday 09 November 2017 Saxmundham 2.00pm |
Women Can Fly: one woman’s journey from jumping out of aeroplanes to becoming a civil pilot and the first woman to pass the RAF fast-jet training system Sally Dearman-Cummings |
Monday 27 November 2017 Kesgrave 2.00pm |
Martlesham Heath 100: an account of the creation of the military airfield through to its multiple uses today, on the 100th anniversary of aviation at Martlesham Heath Ian Read |
Friday 15 December 2017 Woodbridge 10.30am |
The Life and Laughs of a Local Journalist: a personal account about becoming a journalist, working as a court reporter and columnist Lynne Mortimer |
Thursday 04 January 2018 Felixstowe 10.30am |
The Mysteries of Easter Island: the history of the island and life today, the famous statues and theories about their provenance Chris Parfitt |
Thursday 11 January 2018 Saxmundham 2.00pm |
The Art and Mystery of Maltings: a talk by Suffolk’s last working maltster, looking at the skills used and how maltings worked Ivor Murrell (Note this differs from the talk listed in the Handbook for this date.) |
Friday 26 January 2018 Woodbridge 10.30am |
The Story of a Suffolk Bevin Boy: the tale of a rural boy conscripted down the mines during and after the war Barbara McElroy |
Monday 29 January 2018 Kesgrave 2.00pm |
The A-Z of Curious Suffolk: an alphabetical cornucopia of strange and mysterious facts about the county, including dwile-flunking! Sarah Doig NB PLEASE NOTE LATE CHANGE OF SPEAKER |
Thursday 01 February 2018 Felixstowe 10.30am |
The Black Death: the personal and social impact of village life at the time of the Black Death of 1349 Jonathan Belsey |
Thursday 08 February 2018 Saxmundham 2.00pm |
Chocolate: amazing facts, myths and ignorance surrounding chocolate – sadly no free samples! Tony Diamond |
Monday 26 February 2018 Kesgrave 2.00pm |
The Icklingham Treasure: an account of the theft of first century temple bronzes and the speaker’s fight for their return John Browning |
Thursday 01 March 2018 Felixstowe 10.30am |
How to Make A Million (dishonestly) and just possibly get away with it - an account of some of the great fraudsters and some of the little ones Martin Walklate NB change of speaker. |
Thursday 08 March 2018 Saxmundham 2.00pm |
A Year in the Life of the Medieval Household of Lady Alice de Bryene - Pip Wright NB Please note change of subject and speaker |
Monday 26 March 2018 Kesgrave 2.00pm |
Travels of a Botanical Artist: a talk on painting rare and endangered flowers in the wild by an award-winning artist Reinhild Raistrick |
Thursday 05 April 2018 Felixstowe 10.30am |
The Fall and Rise of Ermintrude: a 1929 bus, one of the oldest still certified to carry fare-paying passengers Tony Buckland |
Thursday 12 April 2018 Saxmundham 2.00pm |
An Introduction to Gemstones: the main gemstone families, mining, cutting and polishing Jason Middleton |
Friday 27 April 2018 Woodbridge 10.30am |
Suffolk Estuaries and Scandinavian Ships: why the Scandinavian Culture colonised this part of the East Coast and the evolution of their boats to provide transport for goods Paul Constantine |
Monday 30 April 2018 Kesgrave 2.00pm |
Green Man – an Alternative to Eternity: the myths and legends behind this fascinating image, older than Christianity Roger Green |
Thursday 03 May 2018 Felixstowe 10.30am |
The Way Holidays Used to Be: a light-hearted look at why we used to rush to the seaside, how we got there and what we did when we arrived Richard Mann |
Thursday 10 May 2018 Saxmundham 2.00pm |
Music Hall Memories: a pocket history of the music hall with songs and monologues Bryan Thurlow |
Monday 21 May 2018 Kesgrave 2.00pm |
It’s a Grave Business: a look at the history and development of tombs, gravestones and church memorials Peter Driver |
Monday 11 June 2018 Kesgrave 2.00pm |
Annual General Meeting |
Friday 15 June 2018 Woodbridge 10.30am |
Whatever Happened to MagnaCarta? Why was it agreed and what relevance does it have in today’s world? Martyn Hargraves |
Friday 07 September 2018 Kesgrave 10.30am – 12.30pm |
Advance Notice of Open Day 2018: your opportunity to see what our groups will be offering for the coming year. |