THE scheduled speaker for our meeting on December 15 was our popular fellow member and press secretary, Mr Bernard Howcroft. Unfortunately, a few days before he was due to talk to us, Bernard had to withdraw due to ill-health.

Fortunately, after several frenzied telephone calls, our hard working treasurer, Peter Thomas, secured the services of Neville Holt, a reliable speaker who is well known to the club.

Neville entertained us with a two-part programme. First, with a well presented slide show of The Gardens of Cornwall, accompanied by pleasant and appropriate music. His slides included views of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, Lanhydrock House, Flambards, the open-air theatre of Minak (in the area of Lands End) and the old fishing village of Mevagissey.

After the slide show, Neville discoursed on the efforts of the local gentry who, at the end of the 1914-18 world war, became concerned over the state of many of these gardens which had been neglected due to a shortage of manpower.

The gardens, designed in the Victorian era as places of outstanding beauty, were now degenerating into areas of overgrown, bramble-infested mini jungles. The families who owned these properties, the Tremaynes, the Carews, Viscount Clifton, Lord Roberts and others, including the National Trust, decided to restore their gardens to their former glory. How superbly they succeeded is obvious to the many visitors who see them today.

Neville, who is Cornish by birth, mentioned the industrial decline of his native county. Mevagissey, once a thriving commercial port, has lost its fishing industry due to the invasion of Russian, Spanish and Icelandic fleets over-fishing. The tin mining industry steadily declined with the last tin mine closing in the 1990s, and so the overall picture was one of total industrial decline.

All in all, we were treated to a comprehensive and interesting view of Cornwall, both past and present. Neville was warmly applauded for his efforts and president, Keith Ellis, thanked him particularly for coming at such short notice. Keith closed the meeting by wishing everyone a happy Christmas and healthy new year.

Since preparing this report, we have been deeply shocked to learn of the death of our friend and fellow club member, Mr Bernard Howcroft who, sadly and unexpectedly, died at home on Sunday, December 18.

Bernard was a pleasant, hard working and committed club member who was always ready to extend a helping hand. He will be greatly missed not only by his fellow club members, but also by his many friends.

Bernard served a term in office as club president and had, over a long period, served as press secretary, always producing first-class reports of our meetings.

We send our sincere commiserations and sympathy to his wife Jean and all his family.

RB