The 1990s

Back to the 1980s

1990

Death of Sandy Sandford. Chairman of Executive Committee for 16 years,
then one of the Trustees

See article and picture in 1989/90 Year Book, and obituary in 1990/91
Year Book

His last achievement was the new aerial runway, with help from S.E.B
colleagues (now known as “Sandy’s Ride” as his memorial — plaque presented
by Woodlarks Group)

New edition of “Love and Laughter” reprinted and updated by Alexine
Crawford

Fête — 60th year celebration — £2840 net for fund (Draw raised £965)
all to Camp Site Trust

Andy Pearson relinquished Chairmanship of Executive Committee and became a
Trustee (? 1/1/91)

Peter Railton took over as Chairman of Executive Committee (? 1/1/91)
Dennis Hayhurst (Treasurer) became a Trustee

Catherine Crawford (3rd generation of Strovers!) became a Trustee

“Trish” Nice completed the London Marathon and raised over £1,000

Silver Woodlarks Badges presented to Bert Collier, John Eaton, Eileen
Greenway, Dennis Hayhurst, Dickie Lowne, Stan Pain, Sandy Sandford and
Dennis Webb.

Pool – new thermal blanket and new diving board support (£1700)

– paving slabs in surround reset (£1880)

– three security gates erected.

Further 150 trees felled (See article ‘Life Cycle‘ by Alexine Crawford in
1990/91 Year Book)

New horseshoe shape look to Chapel following the storm damage

Roofs of dining room, main store block and bungalow garage re-laid
(£4529)

New light capacity commercial washing machine installed (£2600)

Hot plates on cooking range replaced with narrow and full-width plates
Wiring in dormitory renewed and lighting revamped

New stainless steel freezer purchased (£1100)

Pantry demolished, floor slab dug out and trenches prepared for walls
Chair for aerial runway obtained (£537)

612 Handicapped — 627 able bodied = 1239 total

1991

Dennis Webb relinquished leadership of Adventurers after nearly 60 years,
replaced by Mark Cooper

Prof. Bill Biggs relinquished leadership of Pioneer I, replaced by Peter
Jackson

New pantry, pot store and cookhouse roof completed (£21,178), including
new steel tables, benches and double-door fridge

Tree felling and replanting continued

Felled timber used for new fences to provide parking area

Pitched roof of dining room, toilet block and dormitory re-roofed (£5864)

New aerial runway in use – plaque “Sandy’s Ride” fitted (£1535)

Dudley and Suzanne Lawrence had a marriage blessing service in the chapel

Royal Navy Shark Helicopter visited during Pioneer I camp, took aerial
photographs, and had some of the lads in the cockpit

Death of Bert Collier, one of the early members of the Woodlarks Crew. He
started coming to Woodlarks before the war.

Used to sell bird tables and nesting boxes at the Fête. Ashes buried at
Woodlarks.

New mower (£611)

3 new Icelandic tents and flysheets (£1228)

540 disabled – 567 able-bodied = 1107 campers
1992

Friends of Woodlarks presented roller blinds for the dormitory, toaster,
and volley and catch ball.

Death of Harvey Miles M.B.E. Vice President since 1965. Member of
Woodlarks Crew 1948 and Vice Chairman and Chairman of group 1949/1965.
President of Group since 1973. (See article in 1992/93 Year Book)

Maximum number of campers to be 100

Gifts of two years supply of chemicals for pool, plus a submersible pump

Cookhouse floor broken up and relaid

Replanting of trees continued

Replacement trampoline (£999) and commercial tumble drier i £995)

Replacement electric cooker obtained

Archery equipment refurbished by local archery coach

Fête – weather not too good, but record profit (£1411 to Camp Site –
half of £2822)

– reverted to joint effort with Workshop

Dennis Hayhurst retired as Treasurer after 28 years, handing over to Alec
Trengrove

Souvenir profit a record for 5th successive year

Eagle made by Henry at Alice Holt Forest visitors centre, using a chain
saw, and presented to Woodlarks

Decided not to have a commercial dishwasher (AGM 5/12/92)

Death of Betty James, Treasurer of 1st Hants(Extension) Trefoil. Ashes
buried at Woodlarks

1224 campers (19 camps)

1993

Youngs’ horse-drawn dray visited Adventurers Camp
New storage baskets purchased for tent store

New flysheets received.

1500 tent pegs purchased

Sewing machine repaired.

Brick plinth, water supply and restraining chain provided for kitchen
Burco

Cookhouse floor completed

Volleyball hard—standing repaired

Dining-room mantle and fireplace repaired

New door for freezer (donated by manufacturer)

Fencing 41 posts and 81 rails purchased

New bag for pool cleaner

Chopping block provided at wood site

Ambulift hoist serviced

Two Austrians helped at Pioneer II

Fire blanket replaced

New stainless steel steps in swimming pool (one set, on trial)

New-gas heater in pantry

Mosaic tiles around top of pool refurbished

New wood-burning oven and range

New fencing along Tilford Road boundary

New gas main laid from near Workshop to behind laundry (3 foot deep
trench for 125 metres, pipe laid and backfilled, all done by Group Working Party)

Path in front of dormitory broken up ready for new concrete

Over ten tons of logs split in one weekend

Questionnaire to camps re suggestions for improvements of toilets and wash
places.

New melamine mugs and bowls (Friends of Woodlarks)

Work on mechanising aerial runway started

Incinerator finally ‘gave up ‘. Commercial waste and medical waste
collection (‘wheelie bins‘) to be used instead.

New strimmer, using donations in memoriam of Sue Lewis’s mother (her
father also died this year)

Dining room brickwork repaired

Shower in winter bathroom replaced

Handicapped camper completed a 100 mile ‘push’, raising money for
Woodlarks

Chronology of Woodlarks to 1986 in form of draft print-out from disc
completed. Researched by “Gwidge” (H.L. Gwyther). Typed by Marjorie
Chappell. Edited by Derek Travis.

1193 campers (21 camps)

1994

Death of Jean Williams, camp leader of Durham Post Rangers (1956-1981)

Death of Mary Hall (known also as Mary Goldfish), original N.A.S.C.H.
camper, still camping at 83

Death of Michael “Sprackers” Sprackling, long-time Pioneer II camper

Death of H.L. “Gwidge” Gwyther, long-time helper, Hon. Treasurer of
Woodlarks Group, and Camp Archivist

Replacement canvas cover for frame tent purchased

Icelandic tent and flysheet presented to Trust

Additional litter bins supplied

New frame tent purchased

Path behind swimming pool changing rooms blocked off as it would be
dangerous for disabled people

Coping stones around pool lifted and relaid

Mosaics around pool refitted.

Three remaining modified stainless steel steps fitted at pool
Foot bath drain cleared at pool

Sensor on pool floodlight replaced

(Total pool work cost £2,300)

‘Love and Laughter’ to be sold by Hammonds and Langhams
Cisterns replaced and/or overhauled in sluice, toilet and urinal
New gas main connected (£1,715)

Ambulift — new sling

Incinerator dismantled

Hand and grab rails fitted in toilet and urinal at pool

(last amended 03 Sep 1996)

Drinking fountain refurbished

500 tent pegs purchased

New door to pool urinal and pair of new doors for the back tool shed
fitted

Seat installed in front of bell to try to obviate people tripping over
the low wall

Wire surround to ‘new chapel’ renewed

New concrete path by dormitory laid

Pillows no longer available (disposed of due to poor condition)

Wheelie Bins and ‘sharps’ bin supplied for disposal of all rubbish and
medical waste

Nature trail set up in woods

Two Dutch members from a group of disabled scouts from Holland, camping
nearby, visited Woodlarks

Industrial sewing—machine repaired

Camp fee to be kept at 25p a head but camps to be cautioned about
excessive water usage

Young man came from Poland to help at Adventurers

New toilet block – F.W.German appointed as builder

Oven repaired and refitted (Donation of £500 from ‘Barley Mow’
allocated to this).

Archery – new square straw target and 56 arrows obtained

Very successful Fête raised £1,920.01 for the Camp Site, the remainder
going to the Workshop as arranged

CB radios located

Low-level notice board erected in dining-room

New Trust Camp — Odyssians — both sexes

1033 (510 handicapped and 523 helpers) in 19 camps
(CHECK : AM says ’18’ : Yearbook says 19

Chronology (last amended 03 Sep 1996)

1995

H.L. “Gwidge” Gwyther — ashes interred

Toilet block – new toilet block commissioned

Collecting boxes requested by ‘The Jolly Sailor’ in Farnham and ‘The Fox‘,
Lower Bourne

Affiliated to NEWHACA.

Swimming pool boiler serviced

Ron Lee responsible for pool maintenance

Wiring circuits in pump house revamped.

New chemical sensor at pool fitted.

R.Burford helping Eileen Greenway with tent repairs

Boilers in Kathleen Marshal House, pantry, laundry, toilet block and pool
shower cleaned

Two Ugandans shown round site – intended to copy cooking-range back in
Uganda

Extensive dry-rot found in toilet block extension and dormitory roofs.
Cost another £5,000 to repair with new timbers and felt roofing.

Toilet Block – bath in extension resurfaced

New flag pole made on site

‘Bradford’ (frame) tent received

New cover for yellow frame tent received.

Aerial runway proved electro mechanically but not yet safe to use under
power (although the electric motor, clutch and controls have been
successfully tested). Pulleys replaced. Runway checked over and ropes
retensioned by SEB. Solenoid supplied, engine—housing rebuilt and system
tested by lads from Lord Wandsworth College, who also cleared the bank
below the runway.

Three used Burco boilers donated.

Drop-down handrail donated

Electric fly-killer replaced

Two heavy duty yellow buckets purchased.

Video film of Odyssians Camp made by West Surrey Film Makers

New ‘Woodlarks’ and Wheelchair signs erected by working party

Emergency ‘stop’ button (for pool pump) erected at pool (in case anyone
with long hair gets trapped in pool outlet)

60 new mattresses supplied and mattress rack erected in dormitory
(see below).

John Deere tractor mower supplied

Grass roller supplied

Trees around new chapel re-arranged — 5, damaged by strimming, removed — 2
healthy ones repositioned

D. Travis appointed Camp Archivist — successor to “Gwidge”.

Donations include: ‘White Hart’, Aldershot – £200
‘Crossways’ — £105

‘Skylab’ no longer able to come to camp as authorities considered it was an
unequal opportunity for the handicapped to benefit when main-stream
children could not!

New Moneysafe payphone installed.

Pool suction—cleaner repaired.

Diving-board to be replaced

Kathleen Marshal House – exterior redecorated

Grid for the low-level sink fitted.

Ken Chandler, of the Workshop, to run the 1996 fête.

Miss Bone (‘Boney’) died in October.

Winter pool-cover refurbished.

New cistern in urinal fitted.

Poor circulation on the hot—water supply rectified.

Scarf — a Woodlarks scarf of an unknown design (probably over 21 years
old) donated.

Extra fencing delivered.

Steel plates purchased by ‘The Friends‘ for the barbecues.

Baby christened and baptised in the chapel (Daniel, son of Debbie — from
Pathfinders – and Martin)

Collection of board games donated.

Films – Sandy’s films put onto video

Swimming-pool — winter cover to be continued in use, as recommended by the
insurers (leaving the cover on could be construed as a potential danger
to people who may stray onto the site).

Projects this year included:-

New fencing in selected parts of the site, using treated timber.

General clearing work in the woods.

Pool cleaning.

Shelving in the dining-room.

Refurbishment of the chapel and camp—fire circle.

Cleaning of the netball court and replacement of fittings

Mattress racking made and fitted in the dormitory.

New slab for the BBQ site behind the chapel.

21 camps (but see 1995/6 Yearbook)

The 2000s