1st July 2009 - “Life on the Reef”

I am pleased to report on our 1st July 2009 Meeting. Our speaker for the morning was Mr. Neil Stewart. The subject of his talk was “Life on the Reef”. Mr. Stewart had been always inspired in the past with the television programmes of Cousteau and Hans Haas when he was a boy. After serving in the Royal Engineers he was lucky enough to fulfil his dream in his 40’s, when he learned the basics of diving. Mr Stewart thenprogressed to scenic, wreck, cave and archaeological dives. Over the following years he visited many far flung places around the world.

We saw many fantastic slides of marine life in both the Tropics and around the British Isles. One of the many interesting subjects covered , was when he was diving in Scotland around the coast of St. Kilda. The trip to the area he was diving inaround St. Kilda took 15 hours in very rough seas. The inhabitants of St. Kilda had been evacuated between the wars. It was found as there had been so few inhabitants on the Island, that over the many years of climbing the steep cliffs , the children that were there had far greater physical ability than their counterparts on the main land. Their fingers and toes were considerably longer also, due to the evolution over the years of climbing up the cliffs to retrieve eggs, etc.

Viewing the exotic marine life with such wonderful photography and the dangers he encountered whilst swimming with sting rays, sharks, red octopus, that are normally nocturnal and change colour to blend with the background, was truly amazing.

We will endeavour to ask Mr. Stewart to return again and give another inspiring talk, in the future as there was insufficient time to answer all the questions his talk provoked.

The next Meeting of Dean Rise W.I. will be at 9.45a.m. on August 5th and will take place at Mrs. Audrey Jacobs beautiful garden at Harwood Acres, Spring Lane., CookhamDean. There will be a raffle, book and plants stalls. Coffee and cakes will also be served.