Greetings!
I didn’t
think it would be possible to become attached to a tree, but I
was genuinely upset when Bullington Manor river keeper Si Fields
sent me this photo on his return after the holidays.
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For as
long as I have been associated with Bullington Manor, and I am
now into my fourth decade, this ash tree has stood on the
righthand bend halfway up Beat 2. Its trunk had become part of
the opposite bank; once upon a time the tree stood well back from
the river, but over the years the flow gently caressed away the soil
and turf that once delineated tree and water.
Was it
this that did for the ash tree, the undercut exposing the roots?
It might have been eventually, but it was the wretched ash die
back that ultimately caused its early demise. No longer will we
have the shade afforded by the tree, an insect larder for the
fish, the ash being only second to our native oak as home for the
greatest variety of insects and bugs, numbering somewhere above
two hundred species.
On the
plus side it won’t be there as a magnet for your flies; such are
the number impaled upon it we did joke that it may have died of
metal fatigue. But don’t worry the respite will only last a year
or two. We are off to find a suitable replacement from the
surrounding woods.
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Executive Director Test & Itchen Association
You may
not know this but the Hampshire chalkstreams have their own trade
union in the Test & Itchen Association.
When I
first became a member, it was a long way from the professional
body it is today. Back then it was a loose collection of river
owners headed for many years by Peggy Baring, a fearsome
matriarch. The membership, closer to 300 rather than the 500 it is
today, read a bit like an extract from Debrett’s. Was it more or
less effective when compared to today?
The
truth is, I don’t think it is fair to judge. In the 1980’s we
really didn’t have true idea of the ecological disaster that was
to later unfold, though the twin evils of sewage and pollution
were addressed by the Association. The primary concern was for
the fishing which largely involved the schedule for weed cutting
which required the only proper meeting of the year. It was
usually a two-way fight: in the red corner the river keepers who,
given the choice, would be free to cut whenever they wished. In
the blue corner it was mostly me, that rapacious
agent, trying to suggest that maybe more days spent fishing
than weed cutting might be a good idea.
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Much of
the work the Association does today involves lobbying government,
quangos and various agencies. It is through necessity rather than
choice; you have to play the game to get your voice heard in the
corridors of power or you’ll soon find yourselves on the wrong
end of some diktat or unwelcome policy. That is a big change from
the past, in the days before the environment movement and
privatisation of the water industry. The predecessor to the
Environment Agency, the National Rivers Authority and the River
Boards before that, preferred to get on with the work and worry
about policy later, if at all.
That
said there was one huge policy issue in the 1980’s when a group
of canoeists asserted their right to paddle on any section of the
Test or Itchen. This resulted in a mighty legal tussle. As
members we pledged £70,000 (£225,000 today) to fight the case all
the way to the House of Lords, calling in anyone on the
membership list who happened to have the initials QC after their
name to help pro bono. As it turned out it did go all the way to,
but not into, the House of Lords, the case being settled on the
steps with a compromise that restricted canoeing to the tidal
sections.
Today
the Test & Itchen Association is a far more rounded
organisation, encompassing a far wider range of members and
interests. Needless to say, we still have the annual weed cut
slugfest but that is minor compared to keeping riparian owners
abreast of new regulation proposed or actual, plus a series of
annual events aimed at the wider membership who are chalkstream
enthusiasts rather than owners.
I tell
you all this because our current Executive Director Jeremy Legge
is standing down after six years in the job so there is a vacancy
for this well-paid part-time role that advises the Board on the
strategy of the Association, represents the Association's riparian
owners, river keepers and fly fishing members on all issues
impacting on Hampshire's rivers; and coordinates and advises on
river management best practice.
I’m sure
Peggy Baring, reading this beside a chalkstream in the sky, will
let out a full-throated laugh at this moment. She styled herself
Secretary and received no pay. But as I say, times change as
have the rivers and the county through which they flow.
If you
know of anyone interested in the Executive Director role, please
email Jeremy
Legge director@testanditchen.co.uk who will
forward full details for the position which is based at Kimbridge
on the River Test with some scope for homeworking. Applications
close 12th February.
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Feargal Sharkey on BBC New at Ten
I was
hoping to bring you Feargal Sharkey on BBC News at Ten talking
about river pollution last week.
Sadly,
for reasons best known to the BBC and nobody else, the clip
disappeared from iPlayer after three days. It is a shame. It is
an impassioned 10-minute piece that eloquently explains to a
wider audience than usual, the nub of the river pollution debate
on prime-time TV.
It was,
coincidentally, mostly filmed on Beat 2 at Bullington Manor just
days before the ash tree fell.
PS
Feargal's pollution tweet is up from 4m views when last reported
to 12m.
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The Wright Flyer
I am
always astounded the huge variety of people who read this
Newsletter. Aside from the global spread the knowledge base and
vast range of professions is extraordinary. I have learnt that if
I get something wrong, I’ll know in less than an hour!
As I mentioned
last time, I got it wrong with the question regarding the first
aircraft to fly it being The Wright Flyer rather than the Kitty
Hawk, the latter being the name of the place it took off from in
North Carolina 17th December 1903.
Ged
Clarke, a Fishing Breaks regular, not only gently put me right on
this but also included the advert he made for Virgin Atlantic on
the very topic. Enjoy!
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Quiz
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The
normal random collection of questions inspired by the date,
events or topics in the Newsletter.
It
is just for fun with answers at the bottom of the page.
1) What
was scored for the first time in a cricket Test match on this
day in 1898?
2) Is
ash a hardwood or softwood?
3) If
you suffered from entomophobia what would you fear?
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Have a
good weekend.
Best
wishes,
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Quiz answers:
1) A six by
Australian cricketer Joe Darling (pictured)
2) Hardwood
3) Entomophobia
is an abnormal and persistent fear of insects
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TIME IS
PRECIOUS. USE IT FISHING
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The Mill,
Heathman Street, Nether Wallop,
Stockbridge,
England SO20 8EW United Kingdom
01264
781988
www.fishingbreaks.co.uk
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