Bulletin 10 - March 1980: Editorial

Editorial

The Annual General Meeting of the ENHG took place on January 21. By their very nature AGMs don't tend to attract large audiences but 53 stalwarts did turn up to witness the proceedings and changes.

And changes there were. First, Bish Brown resigned as Chairman, as he had long threatened to do, preferring to concentrate on research and fieldwork. However, the post is not vacant, for it goes to David MacLennan, from the British Embassy and a fitting successor to a previous Chairman from the Embassy, Tony Harris. Bish's other role, as Program Secretary, was also resigned but a nominee from the floor, Jean Burn, was elected unopposed. Bish has by no means abandoned the ENHG however for he was re-elected onto the Committee and his experience and very presence will be a tremendous fillip for the incoming Chairman and Committee.

Ernestine Munsey remains on the Committee until the Spring when she will be reposted abroad, but a new Secretary was elected in Gillian Hall, who will also take over some of the Bulletin typing.

The rest of the Committee, including the Treasurer and Correspondence-cum-Bulletin Editor, were duly re-elected unopposed.

Changes in a Committee such as ours are always welcome. Though the program for 1980 is well advanced, thanks largely to Bish Brown, new people can only inject new vitality into the Group.

This present Bulletin 10 opens 1980 with a variety of articles, including some by new contributors such as John MacRae and Marianne Prytz, one of our younger members. While every effort is made to remain faithful to the aims of the Group, the Editor is somewhat restricted by a lack of written material in some of the Recording areas, such as mammals, mollusks and geology. There is plenty of scope even for single paragraph accounts or descriptions.

The Treasurer recorded a surplus of around Dh 7000 at the end of 1979. Some of this will definitely go towards publication of a 1981 ENHG Calendar, and some for equipment, particularly for the Insect and would-be Plant Recorders.

Finally, may I invite more participation from members in 1980. Our aim is not really to provide Monday evening entertainment for its own sake but to advance the cause of natural history study in Abu Dhabi. This can only be done by people not "just sitting there!"

We wish to thank the publishers of "Sand Kings of Oman", Methuen and Co., Ltd., for granting permission to quote.