THE COBHAM MEET

For many years The South Thames Group has had meetings, ably organised by Joan Tubbs and Ven Dodge, in Dorking. But last year the duo felt they had done enough and so Joan Bingley offered to host these meetings in Cobham, Surrey.

Above: Centre - Joan Bingley welcomes the attendees, Left - Frank Dobson, Right - Tony Dutton.

After coffee the programme started with two talks; the first by Tony Dutton on microphotography - the art of making photographs so small (often only 1mm square) that they can only be seen through a microscope.

Tony started by explaining that the technique was first developed by J B Dancer, a most interesting man, who made microscopes and other optical instruments, and was responsible for numerous innovations, including such things as limelight.

He was followed by several others, including Joseph Sidebotham, and George Shadbolt, editor of The Photographic Journal.

Tony then showed pictures of his own apparatus for producing these, and some splendid examples by Dancer and others:

Tony concluded by relating how in Victorian times the family was happy to sing around the piano while paterfamilias looked at his slides through his microscope. Little did they know that Father was actually poring over microphotographs of ' Naughty Nude Ladies of the Ninety's'!

It's every where - Antarctica to the Tropics!

Summer to Winter- makes no difference!

It's been around for millions of years!

It's LICHEN!

Frank Dobson has the three necessary qualities that make a good speaker: knowledge, enthusiasm and good communication skills. He is a prominent member of the Lichen Society, and author of several books on the subject.

(Frank's latest book: A Field Key to Common Churchyard Lichens (and to the commoner species found elsewhere on stone, fences and gates), may be obtained direct from him: email - Franks(at)Dobson57.freeserve.co.uk for details)

[Ed - many of the following pictures were shot by me off the screen, so inevitably quality has suffered.All the pictures are (c) Frank Dobson]

Frank started by defining what lichens are: it's generally accepted that they are a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and an internal alga - the alga gets protection from the elements and the fungus gets nutrients from the alga.

They have been studied since early days as this charming cartouche shows!

And they are found in the strangest places!

Frank was happy to be able to say that with much less sulphur dioxide, from coal-fired power stations these days, lichens were flourishing as never before. He dealt with the many different morphologies, ranging from the flat patches familiar on gravestones in churchyards, to the feet-long tendrils of Old Man's Beard.

They are found in all sorts of places:

From the heights...

To under the ice in the Antarctic.

Frank then dealt with their uses, which are much more varied than you might think.

Left to right: a psychedelic drug, dyestuffs, and the cure for a mad dog bite!

At the end of an entertaining talk Frank took us on a field trip, just fifty yards to the Churchyard.

Clockwise from top left: the group in the churchyard, Frank makes a point, Joan gets down to it, and Maurice gets even further down to it!

After the chill wind in the churchyard a very welcome excellent hot lunch was served:

As in previous years a gossip meeting followed

Tony Dutton and his splendid microphotographic apparatus

Left - Barry Ellam adjusts the microscope, which is fitted the Prior cruciform phase equipment. On the right is an appropriate slide of a cross section of a lichen. The alga can clearly be seen on the lower left edge.

Vaughan Dodge showed this pretty Cary microscope

Dennis Fullwood showed the use of simple LED torches used as microscope lamps. They produce a light much closer to daylight than tungsten, as shown by the polarised rock section on the left.

I didn't have time to get around to all the exhibits, but these are a few that caught my eye.

Finally the President, Maurice Moss(right), gave a well-deserved award to Doug Harvey for his many years service as Sales Officer.

So ended an excellent meeting at Cobham, and our thanks are due to Joan Bingley for her hard work in organising an enjoyable event at such a congenial venue - thank you Joan!

Joan has already fixed the next meeting for Saturday 4th March 2006