RWFCA of Royal Welsh

THE 2016 AGM saw a good number attend and members listened to a review of the past year from branch secretary Paul Hinge, which was fully endorsed by the meeting.

In his review, the secretary noted that 2015 was a very poignant year starting with the branch’s own St David’s Day celebrations which saw the newly appointed Regimental Adjutant Captain Ben Phillips honouring the branch as the chief guest.

This was followed by the spectacle at the Millennium Stadium of the Royal Welsh being presented with new colours by the Queen.

The year carried on with the annual reunion in Wrexham when the last set of colours of the RWF were laid up and in St Giles Church – a very moving experience for many of the branch.

On behalf of the branch, the secretary has attended both the Royal Welsh secretary’s meeting and the RWFCA branch secretary’s meeting, both of which set out to outline the year ahead which will centre mainly on the visit to the 100th anniversary memorial event at Mametz Wood in July.At this event, all antecedent regiments of the Royal Welsh, who were all part of the 38th (Welsh) Division, and sadly all took hor-rendous casualties in 1916, will be there to remember the regimental fallen.This will be a national event so there will be thousands there from the UK, France, Belgium and the Commonwealth to pay homage to those who laid down their lives so that we might enjoy the freedoms we have today.The last part of the AGM was to elect a new executive committee for 2016/17.

Last year’s chairman, Mike Binks, takes over as this year’s president; Alex Luckhurst-Doig takes on the mantle of branch chairman; elected into the vice-chairman’s role is Duncan Sykes; welfare officer is Richie (Cambrian News) Evans; standard bearer is Tony Meyler; and the secretary and treasurer will continue in post – namely Paul Hinge and Peter (Sam) Lansley respectively.

The AGM was closed and members went straight into the first branch meeting of 2016 with the vice-chairman in the chair.

The normal business was conducted and then the main thrust of the discussion was around the forthcoming St David’s Day celebrations on 27 February at the Marine Hotel and the trip to Mametz Wood in July. There was very little to update on the Mametz Wood trip, save that the main transport for the Aberystwyth contingent will leave from Maindy Barracks in Cardiff, not Wrexham.

The St David’s Day celebrations will take the normal format with Paul Hinge being Master of Ceremonies, Perter (Rusty) Jones conducting the leek eating party, with Mike Binks and Duncan Sykes providing the leek and loving cup party. Members and supporters are asked to ensure they contact the branch secretary with their intention to attend by 23 February.The next branch meeting will be on 24 February at 8pm in the RNA Club.

Probus

DENTIST Sion Griffiths was the speaker on 27 January. His topic was dentistry in the Dark Ages, and very dark indeed they seemed to be by modern standards.Sion started with Egyptians and Etruscans, both of them dealing with tooth problems thousands of years before the Christian era. Some of the work done was technically good, though no doubt painful. Nevertheless, even by Aristotle’s time some strange remedies were being practised including the use of a mouthwash of a liquid made from dogs’ teeth boiled in urine. Later, there was a practice of tying a frog to the jaw, perhaps to reduce pain.Some early techniques showing new ideas included an implant made of iron, the idea of filling bad teeth and, by the time of the Arabs (1,000 years or so ago), of scaling. By 1450 the use of gold leaf for filling was recognised.An indication of the pain involved occurred when Queen Elizabeth I allowed the Bishop of London to demonstrate the contrary by himself having a tooth extracted to show her how straightforward it was.Artificial teeth were available in the 18th century and by the Victorian age laughing gas was being used as a general anaesthetic as a precursor to the local anaesthetics mostly used nowadays.Sion made reference to the well-known Aber ystwyth dentist Niclas y Glais who had on one occasion extracted a tooth by the road-side for a man he had met who was in need of immediate attention. Niclas was renowned for his many other activities in the town, some of which were referred to by members of the audience who remembered him.Sion was thanked for his fascinating talk by Hywel Jones.Further information on the club can be obtained from the secretary, John Andrews, on 01970 358095 or from the website at www.aberprobus.org.uk

Cardiganshire Horticultural Society

THE NEXT meeting of the society will be on Tuesday, 9 February, at 7.30pm in the Waunfawr Community Hall. However, Sheena Crossley, a regular broadcaster and columnist from Cardiff, who was booked as the speaker, is at present unwell. The speaker will now be Helen Warrington of Ty Cwm Nursery, a small but very interesting plant nursery at Llanybydder. One of Helen’s specialities is growing carnivorous plants. These are plants which have developed to grow in places where the nutrients in the soil are poor and they’ve had to get their lunches elsewhere – from insects. They are widely distributed across the world and small sundews can be found happily growing on peat bogs high up in the Cambrian Mountains. They are fascinating plants and there are absolutely stunning displays of them often to be seen at the big flower shows. They are quite easy to grow, but the right growing medium – low in nutrients and acid – is essential and they need to be kept constantly moist with rainwater. Helen will have carnivorous plants for sale. The meeting will also have the first preview of the six trips which have been organised to a range of gardens for the coming season, and for which bookings will open in March.All are welcome to attend the next meetiand further information on the society is available from the secretary, David Hughes, on 01974 241458.