NEMT LECTURES SERIES 2009-10

Our winter series of lectures were ably and excellently organised by Brian Heaton, who has taken over as our Lecture Organiser, from George Allen. These events do not happen by themselves and we had a very good turn out with one or two lectures leaving standing room only. Yes, we are well pleased that Brian has managed to seamlessly take over from George and maintain the standard. Here is what he organised for us.

Niall Ritchie - An Apprenticeship in the Scottish Hills

Niall, a local climber, produced some excellent stories and photographs from the local area, from all over Scotland and from the Alps. These turned out to be memory joggers from one time or another for many of the audience. One was left feeling that it was some apprenticeship!

Nigel Hawkins - Cherishing Scotland's wild Places

Nigel, well known as a former founding director of the John Muir Trust gave a beautifully illustrated talk on how the Trust has evolved over the years and where it is heading at the present time. John Muir Trust is a the same age as NEMT and it is a little humbling to see how much they have achieved thanks in no small part to Nigel himself.

Eric Pine - Hypothermia

Eric, a local Mountain Rescue Team stalwart, provided an authoritative account of hypothermia, illustrated with some excellent examples. The overall impression he left was one of the enormous expertise present in our local Rescue teams. If you were in trouble, Eric and the rest of the team are exactly the sort of people that you need to see coming over the hill!

David Jarman - New Twists for Old Hills

David's aptly named talk was accompanied by a set of excellent slides and proved just how varied our hills are. The same mountain can present a totally different face when approached from another angle. The talk left many of us thinking of new variations.

Nicola Seal - Lyme Disease

Nicola gave us the benefit of her dreadful experiences with Lyme disease. The message was simple: we're all at risk and right now that risk is increasing. This is a subject that needs to be taken very seriously so seriously infact that this issue of Mountain Views includes another article by her! Thank you Nicola!

Simon Richardson - Ben Nevis - Britain's Highest Mountain

Simon, well known for his new routes on Ben Nevis and his talk and slides were an absolute epic as he took us through the whole history of climbing the Ben, and the history of climbing in Scotland in general for that matter. It was particularly warming to hear so many mentions of our own past Chairman, Bill Brooker who is recognised amongst the top climbers in Scotland. Yes, this was a night to remember, especially by those who purchased a copy of his recently published superb book entitled "Ben Nevis: Britain's Highest Mountain" co-authored by Simon and Ken Crocket.

Yes, Brian, we are delighted you are now established on board. If any readers have someone in mind they would particularly like to hear a talk from next season then please let Brian know via our email address: info@nemt.org.uk. Meanwhile keep an eye on our website to see what he comes up with..

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