February 74 No. 96
THE HOUSE MAGAZINE OF RANK XEROX MITCHELDEAN
Partygoers provide sound effects for ‘Old MacDonald had a farm.’ More pictures on page 9.
Junior Participation worl<s—and how ! So entertainer Colin Gosling discovered when confronted with some 400 children between five and seven years old in the Social Centre on Saturday, January 19. Cartoons, a party tea, followed by a mixture of magic, Punch & Judy and s o n g s — w i t h plenty of audience participation—proved the perfect package deal. And to cap it all, there were presents handed out by Father Christmas, who showed a marked resemblance to Bill Jones of the Machine Shop! The children, and their parents, w o u k doubtless like us to say thank you to the Sports & Social Club team who made it all possible, not forgetting the Company who footed the bill. Topping up Operation Inside the temporary Terrapin offices. As everyone on Mitcheldean site can see for themselves, Building 50, which houses our new Datacentre, is not remaining a single storey affair. It was designed to accept upper floors, and now that the necessary approval has been received, three more storeys are being added. These upper floors will abut Building 44 and will be linked with Engineering Building 38 by a bridge similar to that linking Buildings 44 and 23. This means an authorised person could walk right from, say, the Drawing Office in Building 38 to Finance & Administration in Building 23 without getting his feet wet on a rainy day. The first floor will be given over to Design Engineering. The team working on a new product in the Terrapin building will be given a more permanent home here, enabling the removal of the temporary offices as forecast. The second floor will enable the expanding Production Engineering Department to acquire much needed space and also provide new Architect’s sketch of the completed Building 50. showing (right) the bridge linking it to Building 38. accommodation for other departmental personnel at present in rather cramped quarters. The third and t op floor will be reserved for the Manufacturing Group Administration staff, including those in Buildings 40 and 4 1 , and a Directors’ suite. Each floor will have its own reception area, and a central reception area will be provided on the ground floor where there is a common entrance between the North and South Blocks of Building 50. Stringent security measures, particularly w i t h regard to the Datacentre in the North Block, are having to be observed, in line with corporate requirements. While construction is going on, the area is potentially dangerous and the temporary chain-link fence is a necessary safeguard. Our new computer is already installed in the Datacentre, and Information Systems Department is completing a phased removal into Building 50 while the existing computer runs concurrently with the new one. The space thus vacated in Building 23 will give short time relief to certain overcrowded departments. Personnel Department will ultimately be located in this area, giving them a direct link w i t h the reception area at present undergoing modernisation. All these and other moves involved are being co-ordinated by Facilities Planning who are evaluating people’s requirements and working out detailed aspects of the new building work. All being well, we hope to have the building completed in the spring of 1975. Preece Payne Partnership are the architects responsible, and W. F. Giles & Sons are our main building contractors. 2 A Future for our Past A 50-minute colour f i lm designed to bring home to the individual the full significance of his architectural heritage is part of the Rank Xerox contribution to European Architectural Heritage Year 1975. The Company is also sponsoring a 48-page magazine called European Heritage, six issues of which will appear during 1974-75 in four editions: English, French, German and Italian. The international campaign, initiated by the Council of Europe following the success of European Conservation Year 1970, has four main objectives: 1. To awaken the interest of the European peoples in their common architectural heritage; NEW APPOINTMENTS Mike Clibbens is joining the Manufacturing Group Staff on March 1 as Controller Finance & Administration. He will report to Graham Price, Director of Manufacturing Information & Control. Finance & Administration functions within the Plant will report functionally to Mr Clibbens; currently Manager Finance El- Administration, Mitcheldean, he will retain responsibility for the Plant for the time being. His appointment is the culmination of significant changes within Manufacturing Group Finance & Administration. Peter Vince, whose appointment as Manager, Special Projects, last autumn was reported in our December issue, has now been appointed Chief Accountant, Mitcheldean Plant, w i t h effect from February 1 last. He continues to report to the Manager, Finance & Administration Department. Peter Walton has been appointed Manager Inventory Control, Manufacturing Group, w i t h effect from February 1 last, to replace Brian Crosby, who has taken up an appointment with another company. Mr Walton, who joined us in September 1973 as a Programme Manager, now reports to Graham Price. John Robley Dixon has taken over the product group which has hitherto been managed by Mr Walton, while J im Mitchell has assumed responsibility for the product formerly managed by Mr Robley Dixon. John Hankin, formerly Executive Assistant to Mr Portman, has joined the Programme Management team as an Assistant Programme Manager reporting to Mr Mitchell. 2. To protect and enhance buildings and areas of architectural and historical interest; 3. To conserve the character of old towns and villages; and 4. To ensure for ancient buildings a living role in present-day society. The Heritage Year information and publicity campaign, to be conducted at international, national and local levels under the slogan ‘A Future for our Past’, begins this year and reaches its climax in 1975. National committees, backed up by government money and patronage, have been established in European countries. Represented on the UK Council, and supporting the campaign, are Government Departments, industries from public and private sectors, business and professional interests, the principal religious denominations, trade unions and the leading voluntary organisations. A top-level international businessmen’s committee is advising on the role of industry in the campaign, and our chairman, Mai Thomas, has been asked to chair this new body. A campaign on such an extensive scale gives Rank Xerox, as a multi-national organisation, an excellent opportunity to demonstrate its responsibility to the communities within which it operates. Mike Clibbens Peter Walton When Roger Haggett, newly appointed Director of Manufacturing Operations (UK), arrived at Mitcheldean at the start of 1974, one of his immediate tasks was to get to know personally as many of us as possible. As one way of tackling this challenge, he lunched with managers, and met representatives of the Unions, the Long Service Association and the Sports & Social Club at an informal get-together on January 4. Here he shakes hands with Jim Mackin (PED), vice-chairman of the TASS Joint Offices Committee (seen left). When Reg went to the wedding There was this lady of 6 5 ; she’d been waiting since 3 pm the previous day, then she collapsed and never saw the wedding at all.’ But for Reg Caldicutt, November 14 was a never-to-be-forgotten occasion. The only member of the Ross group of the St John Ambulance Brigade to attend the wedding of Princess Anne, he was up at 3 am and on duty outside the Guildhall at 8.30. ‘My first casualty occurred an hour later — a lad of nine who was crushed in the crowd.’ At 1.15 pm (very precise about times is Reg), he went over to the Abbey where ‘I was as near the royal couple as I am to you now.’ After a further spell of duty at Buckingham Palace, he and some 3,000 other St John members enjoyed a dinner in the Coldstream Guards Depot. He got home around 10 pm, very tired and glad to have been given the following day off to recuperate. A former ‘Desert Rat’, Reg has been a PT instructor, a driver for Red & White Services and an RAC patrolman. L e f t : Reg Caldicutt in the uniform he wore to the wedding. Incidentally, both Reg’s sons work at the Plant — Ron in PED and Keith on the 4000 mini line. B e l o w : Jack Osborne, Central Records supervisor, draws the winning tickets for the raffle run by Nurse Miles of Medical Dept. The prizes — Monty, a dog of the Heinz variety, and a dressed doll— were won by Miss L. Davis and Keith Murrow respectively and £130 10 was raised in the process for the Ross Nursing Division of the St John Ambulance Brigade. Nurse Miles, who is superintendent of the Division, said the money will be used to buy uniforms and equipment. Watching the draw are some of the people who kindly helped collect this very useful sum. On the lighter side — he’s a keen ballroom dancer w i t h three silver cups to his credit. He joined us ten years ago and for the last f ew years he has worked in Sorter Assembly and acted as Safety Officer for Building 11 ; he’s also one of our Plant First Aiders. Accidents are fortunately rare, but there are one or t w o in the area who have been very glad to have him on hand. The St John Ambulance Brigade is his greatest interest. ‘I’m devoted to it,’ he told us. ‘I’ve been ten years with the Brigade and a First Aider for 15.’ Fetes, jalopy racing, football, scrambles — they keep Reg on the go throughout the year. February marks the beginning of the year’s duties w i t h attendance at the Belmont Point-to-Point. The idea is to provide first aid for the humans, but occasionally he gives a bit of help w i t h a hoof or t w o I Currently the Ross group are fundraising for a new ambulance to replace their outdated model. ‘It’s going to cost £3,500 fully equipped,’ Reg told us. ‘We’re going to be a lot busier when Herefordshire merges w i t h Worcestershire and we need the ambulance this year. We’ve written to Blue Peter programme for help, and we’re hoping Rank Xerox will be able to make a contribution to the fund.’ G o t a n y j u m b l e ? Nurse Meek and Nurse Miles are w a n t i ng p l e n t y t o c o n v e r t i n t o f u n d s for g o o d causes in 1 9 7 4 . C o n t r i b u t i o n s g r a t e f u l l y received at t h e M e d i c a l Centre. T a l k i n g of g i v i n g t o g o o d causes, a Father Christmas s l e i g h , t a k e n r o u n d 4 0 00 A s s e m b l y electrical run just before December 25, b r o u g h t a present of £21 -66 f o r t h e Gloucestershire Cobalt U n i t ‘ s f u n d s. 4 meeting place meeting place meeting place mee place meeting place meeting place meeting plac meeting p l a c e m e e t i n g p l a c e meeting place mee Hardly any event, whether in the Plant generally or in Small Batch in particular, takes place without Roy C h a m b e r l a i n seeing the funny side of it and recording it in his own entertaining way. His cartoons, and drawings (like the poppet in our picture), keep his colleagues smiling. They even get a kick out of being caricatured when occasion demands. Now a member of the Small Batch unit, Roy joined us seven years ago. He’s Forest born and bred, which accounts for the fact that brass-banding is in his blood. He used to play tenor trombone in the Drybrook band and did ‘the odd solo.’ There wasn’t a band to beat us,’ he said. ‘Mind you, I’m going back some 25 years.’ Today he finds that alternating shift work and numerous DIY schemes in his home on Ruardean Hill, plus a daughter of seven and a toddler son, leave precious little time for playing. ‘But I’d like to see a works band formed here. And I’d join it too — if I had the wind !’ Recognise J a n e P h i l l i p s ? She’s the dark girl in the colour photo enlargement on display in the reception area of Building 23. Jane has proved such a good amateur model that quite a few pictures of her have been taken by works photographer Jack Seal, mostly for use by our suppliers as part of their publicity material at exhibitions, etc. Jane works for John Roberts, Senior Manufacturing Engineer (MG), in Building 42. A former trainee secretary, she is a Londoner who has settled happily in Mitcheldean w i t h her family. But 1 don’t miss out on the swinging life,’ she t o ld us. ‘I often go to London, or to Birmingham to see my boy friend. A group of us are buying a dinghy so we can go water-skiing on Lake Windermere.’ She’s a good swimmer and has her life-saving certificate so she won’t mind the occasional ducking. A resourceful girl, is Jane. Her father owns Mitcheldean Garage and she probably knows more than many girls of her age about what makes a car tick. So it’s no good a chap pretending something’s wrong w i t h the engine, or trying that old ‘What d’you know I I’ve run out of petrol I’ line with Jane. She’d probably produce a set of tools or w h i p a can of reserve fuel out of her shoulderbag. Just one thing — don’t rush to ask Jane to cope if you’re having trouble starting your car at the end of the day. Her dad might take a dim view ! J o h n T e a g u e doesn’t need to tell tall stories about the one that got a w a y— there’s a 30 lb pike that didn’t, enshrined in the Club House bar for all to see. ‘I took it in 1958 on a 12 lb line w i t h live bait,’ said John, recalling the details of that never-tobe- forgotten catch. A worker on the 4000 mini line mechanical run, John has been described as ‘one of the top match anglers in the county.’ So it’s not surprising that he’s won the Angling Club’s Christmas match a good many times, his top weight being a record 52 lb 4 o z. He belongs to five angling clubs besides, doing coarse fishing (everything in the river except salmon and trout) and, in the close season, trout fishing at Chew Magna. ‘I learned to fish f r om my cousin; he’s a professional — a gillie. He’s one of the best known salmon anglers and he’s often appeared on the TV programme “Angling Today”.’ John’s seven-year-old daughter is keeping up the family tradition t o o; she caught 33 small ones at her first attempt. When not actually fishing, John is busy helping to organise matches or preparing tackle. ‘We use wasp grubs for some of our bait,’ he said. ‘In fact, I’ll take a wasp nest off anybody, free of charge. Just ring Cinderford 22818 and I’ll be along to fish ’em out.’ meeting place meeting place meeting place meeting place 5 RX Cinderford were first in the party stakes with their dinner/dance at the Chase Hote/, Ross-on Wye, on December 8. Production Finishing a b o v e at the Social Centre and b e l o w Information Systems at the Wye Hotel, Weston-under-Penyard, tied for second place on December 14. ‘Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we shall be asked to switch off something’—and although a f ew decided to postpone their parties until later, most departments were able to enjoy their usual seasonal festivities, as you can see f r om these pictures. Alias Smith and Jones ? No, Kevin Virgo & Robert Villis — two lads from Electrical Sub-assembly B Sorter who did themselves proud at the department’s Christmas party on December 15 in the Social Centre. J. Ingram Production Control at the Wye Hotel on December 21. C. Brookes 6 4000 Department—above sub-assembly at the Social Centre on January 12 and b e l o w mini liners at the Paddocks Hotel. Symonds Yat. on January 4. The picture immediately below shows John McCluskey demonstrating to his wife his expertise with a newly won hairdrier. ‘ J. Ingram 7 • D I S S S ‘ ‘ : FAMILY MAN ‘We always have to buy a suitcase when we’re on holiday to bring back the presents. You see, we’ve got six children and nine grandchildren.’ Bill Carpenter, Machine Shop inspector at RX Cinderford, was telling us about the week’s holiday in Majorca that he and his wife Ivy (Electrical Sub-assembly) had last November. ‘It was organised by Dot Brooks in 4000 Department. There were over 50 of us and we had a whale of a week.’ He particularly enjoyed the trip to the artificial pearl factory, for in his spare time Bill makes artificial jewellery himself, on a one-off basis, from marcasites, cameos and semiprecious stones. He reached the zenith of this craft, you might say, in 1962 when he made the very first crown for ‘Miss Rank, Mitcheldean’. Fashioned from brass and blue velvet, and studded w i t h a gross or so of flashing stones, it graced the head of Wendy Haile and several subsequent ‘Miss Ranks.’ It was during a long spell in hospital w i t h t w o slipped discs in 1950 that he started the jewellery hobby, and he has kept it up ever since, though now ‘I only do it for friends.’ An inspector for the last 17 years, he also worked in Salvage Dept. from 1950 to 1956. ‘I was in the firm’s only skittles team in those days,’ he says. Bi/I Carpenter (Quality Assurance) and his wife Ivy (Electrical Sub-assembly). Ivy is wearing a brooch made by Bill It was in those early ‘fifties that he and Ivy ran the 70-strong Hilldenians Jazz Band in Cinderford; mostly young folk, they won national jazz band championships and fulfilled engagements all over the country, w i t h Bill on the drums and Ivy as wardrobe mistress, ‘I used to play the military side drums when I was in the RAF too and I belonged to the band which later became famous as the Squadronnaires,’ he t o ld us. Today the drums no longer call. ‘ I ‘m secretary of the social club at the Lion Hotel in Cinderford and that, plus my jewellery work, takes up all my leisure time these days.’ The family must take up a bit of time too. Two of their daughters work at the Plant — Janet Ensor (Purchase) and Jill Drew (Engineering) and their respective husbands, Wally and Ken (both Production Control); so do their other three sons-in-law — Mike Keen (Wages), Dave Morris (Finance and Administration) and Brian Wragg (Engineering DO). Their only son, Ted, w h o obtained a B.Sc (Hons) at Manchester University, is a Manufacturing Group Programme Co-ordinator. Also on the payroll are three of Ivy’s brothers — Bill (Machine Shop, RX Cinderford), Charlie (Supply Centre) and Les Weyman (4000 Assembly). So there’s still plenty of ‘family feeling’ at the Plant I Three of Bill and Ivy’s children – Jill Drew (Engineering Records). Ted (also known as Eddie) Carpenter (Programme Co-ordinator. MG), and Janet Ensor (Purchase). On the far right: Bill’s crowning achievement I The ‘Miss RPI’ had to be concealed as the Plant ceased to be part of Rank Precision Industries before the first coronation took place. £5 SP®RTS & S&CIAL CLUB New President General Manager Ron Morfee has kindly accepted appointment as president of the Sports & Social Club in succession to Peter Salmon, who has relinquished the post following his move to Manufacturing Group staff. On the Brink The offer of the use of a heated indoor swimming pool in close proximity to the Plant has aroused enough interest to warrant the setting up of a steering committee. They are looking into the possibilities in conjunction with the owners of the pool w i t h a view to forming a swimming club. Accent on Comedy The Variety Club is going ahead with plans for a show at Mitcheldean in April. Ken Farmborough tells uf that the accent will be on comedy, and items will include a sketch written for and performed by the Medical Centre I After the spring show, a summer concert is a possibility, featuring a touring regimental band. During January t w o shows were given at the Miners Welfare Hall, Cinderford — one for the senior citizens and one at the Labour Party’s party. Chess Contests February 28 is the final day for the completion of the second round in both the Wickstead Shield and Portman Cup chess contests. The t w o contests will run concurrently as long as this proves feasible. ‘We’re trying to keep it moving, despite shift work,’ said John Johnson, hon. secretary of the Forest Rooks Chess Club. Dancing Club The Dancing Club are now embarked on their winter/spring season w i t h beginners classes from 8 to 8.45 pm and intermediate from 8.45 to 9.30 pm on Fridays, with hardly a break until the last waltz on May 3 1 . A sad note — club members wish to express their regret at the death of committee member Clarry Ward (Machine Shop) in January. Ivy Newman and David Markey represented the club at the funeral to which members sent a wreath. Len Jones (4000 Dept) has now joined the club committee. Free Range Golf Those swinging sessions in the Social Centre we wrote about have finished and golfers are getting out on the range. Drybrook Rugby Club have kindly allowed the Golf Society the use of their pitch for tuition and practice, and to avoid a carve-up the golfers are driving off mats generously provided by Uniroyal. Just to make sure the village isn’t showered on Sunday mornings from 10 am onwards by little golf balls, only 7 and 9 irons are being used. Unfortunately we’re losing quite a f ew balls,’ said Graham Gardner of Dev. Lab., ‘so if anyone has any old or unused ones they don’t want, will they please let me or any other member of the committee have them.’ By the way, these sessions are not only for novices — golfers with experience are welcome too. A b o v e : Tea was in the self-service cafeteria, but there was no lack of willing helpers to look after our little guests on January 19. B e l o w : Despite being confined to a wheelchair, this young fellow seemed to be having a great time — and no wonder, with all those pretty girls around! [ £ J j g ^ Tivo in Transport As the end of December drew up, two Transport personalities parked their vehicles for the last time at Mitcheldean. Sid Wood, the man on our minibus, came to us 18J years ago ‘when Sam Newman was still doing a bit of malting. We had five cars, t wo vans and one lorry, and ‘Transport Dept’ consisted of me alone. ‘I used to prefer long-distance driving, but I got used to the minibus. Eleven trips round the Plant, eight to and from Cinderford, every day. I always turned my radio on at 11.30 am, just in time to tune in to the Jimmy Young programme — I think it’s very good these days.’ Norah, his teddybear mascot, must be very reliable. Sid has won the Company’s Safe Driver’s Award, for drivers having an accident-free year, ever since it was instituted. Years of sitting behind the wheel have been known to broaden more than one’s outlook, but Sid reckons that skittling, and looking after his t w o gardens, give him all the exercise he needs. Certainly the garden in Mitcheldean High Street brings a splash of colour to the village every summer. ‘I’ve some 400 dahlias — used to show them all over the place, including Cheltenham Town Hall Show. Some say it’s second only to Chelsea. I’ve won loads of cups. There’s no secret. Buy good plants and feed ’em well.’ And our other Transport personality ? Chauffeur Maurice Jones who, although not a Long Service member, has worked at the Plant for 1 2 years. ‘I’ve never known either of them be late for work,’ said John Notley, Assistant Manager, Transport & Mechanical Handling. A former long-distance lorry driver too, Maurice first worked in Heat Treatment. He told us: ‘I came to Mitcheldean in order to get off the road 1’ Joan and Maurice Jones at ttieir Drybrool( home. But before long he was back behind the wheel, collecting sub-contract goods for us. He also stood in for the late Ivor Boddy, works chauffeur, taking over from him on his retirement. Sports — rugger, soccer, boxing, speedway racing — are Maurice’s main interests; he and his wife Joan (Electrical Sub-assembly) and his t w o daughters have often been to Newport to enjoy at first hand the high-geared thrills of the track. To ensure that both Sid and Maurice have a happy ‘run in for their retirement. Transport have been organising a social evening in their honour, and presentations are being made to them by their colleagues, and to Sid by the LSA. Sid—a man with VISION. He and three other pensioners who live near enough not to be dependent on transport, are helping out on a part-time basis, putting up notices, distributing the magazine, etc. ROY MEREDITH We were sorry to learn of the death of Roy Meredith on January 10 at the age of 52. Roy came to us in 1953; he worked first in the Paint Shop, then at Litson’s (case manufacturing), and subsequently in Progress. In 1966 he transferred to assembly work and was in 4000 Dept (main line) just prior to his death. He also made a considerable contribution to life at the Plant in his capacity as a member of the Safety Committee and a steward on the buses. An active union member, he was an AUEW shop steward and served on the committee of the union’s Mitcheldean branch. We extend our sympathy to his ^ widow and family. Spring Meetings When spring comes, thoughts of LSA members turn towards the annual dinner. This year it will be on May 3 at the Chase Hotel, Ross-on-Wye. The annual general meeting is scheduled to take place on April 29, and nominations for the committee were being received as we went to press. Doris Barker (secretary) and Jackie Smith (assistant secretary) are unable to accept nomination this year as they are both due to retire before Christmas, having worked in harness in the cause of the LSA for the last t w o years. B i r t h s P r i z e P e r f o r m a n ce mmm B O ™ Lisa Clare, a d a u g h t e r for Leon Barnes (Wages) a n d his w i f e Diane, o n November 23. Kirk, a s o n for Ron C a l d i c u t t (PED) and his w i f e J e n n y ( f o r m e r l y D e s i g n ) , on December 22. Clare Louise, a d a u g h t e r for Roger Evans ( I n f o r m a t i o n Systems) and his w i f e Sue, on J a n u a r y 4. Tracey A n n e and J e n n i f e r Jane, t w in d a u g h t e r s for Margaret ( f o r m e r l y Purchase) and David D r e w ( 4 0 0 0 A s s e m b l y ) , on J a n u a r y 1 5. R e t i r e m e n t s Our best w i s h e s t o t h e f o l l o w i n g w ho retired in J a n u a r y : Sydney Cooper and A l b e r t Mansell ( b o t h of W o r k s E n g i n e e r i n g ); M a u r i c e Dee ( M a c h i n e S h o p ) and W i n d s or R o b b i n s ( Q u a l i t y A s s u r a n c e ). E n g a g e m e n t s Steven Prosser (File C o n t r o l ) t o Susan East on December 9. J o y Scrivens ( I n v o i c e Clearance, A c c o u n t s) t o Brian Rhoades (RX C i n d e r f o r d ) on Christmas Day. Robert L i d d i n g t o n (Purchase) t o Edwina N i c h o l s o n ( f o r m e r l y Purchase) on N ew Year’s Eve. J o y c e Turner ( S u p p l y Centre) t o Colin S m i t h o n J a n u a r y 4. O b i t u a r y We are sorry t o have t o record t h e f o l l o w i ng d e a t h s : Roger Solesbury ( 6 6 0 A s s e m b l y ) , on December 5 ; Roger, w h o w a s o n l y 23, came t o us in November 1 9 7 1 . Henry Harris ( 4 0 0 0 Dept) on December 21 ; s i x t y – t w o years of age, he had been w i t h us f o r seven years. Clarry W a r d ( M a c h i n e Shop) on J a n u a r y 6 ; he w a s 4 2 and had w o r k e d at t h e Plant for nearly 14 years. Hubert Cooper ( M a c h i n e S h o p ) on J a n u a r y 16 ; a g e d 60, he j o i n e d us in the s p r i n g of 1 9 7 1 . H a r o l d J o n e s ( G o o d s I n w a r d s ) on J a n u a r y 21 at t h e age of 5 7 ; he j o i n e d us in 1 9 6 3 and had been on t h e sick list for t h e last f e w years. J u s t before Christmas, Design engineer Ian Hale w a s one of t h o s e w h o received f r om Mr M o r f e e a f i n a n c i a l a w a r d for professional studies. T h e n , s h o r t l y after Christmas, he received another f i n a n c i a l a w a r d — this t i m e f r om t h e I n s t i t u t i o n of P r o d u c t i o n Engineers. A f o r m e r RX a p p r e n t i c e , Ian q u a l i f i e d for t h i s a d d i t i o n a l prize of £ 1 0 w i t h the highest a t t a i n m e n t in g a i n i n g the City and G u i l d s Full T e c h n o l o g i c a l C e r t i f i c a t e at t he West G l o u c e s t e r s h i r e College of Further E d u c a t i o n , C i n d e r f o r d . Similar prizes also w e n t t o t h e best s t u d e n t s at Cheltenham, Gloucester and S t r o u d colleges. A w a r d e d in order t o e n c o u r a g e attainment and interest in e n g i n e e r i n g , t h e prizes w e re presented t o t h e f o u r s t u d e n t s at t he G o l d e n Valley H o t e l , C h e l t e n h a m , on J a n u a r y 7 by t h e c h a i r m a n of t h e Gloucester s e c t i o n , Mr S. J . M a r t i n. There t o see Ian receive his a w a r d were RX c o l l e a g u e s B o b Bowers, Richard Davies and Hugh Grainger, w h o serve on the Gloucester s e c t i o n c o m m i t t e e. N o P o r n i n P E O The P r o d u c t i o n engineer c o u l d n ‘ t believe his eyes I He read again t h e notes p r i n t ed on t h e part d r a w i n g w h i c h had arrived f r om Design : Note 2: Remove all c l o t h e s. Note 3: D e f o r m a t i o n e x c e e d i n g size l i m i ts p e r m i s s i b l e in area of b e n d .’ His m i n d b o g g l i n g , he s c a n n e d t h e d r a w i n g. It c e r t a i n l y d i d n ‘ t lend itself t o t h e o b v i o us i n t e r p r e t a t i o n . Clearly t h e d r a u g h t s m a n had had some other part in m i n d w h e n a d d i ng t h e notes. So back w e n t a D e s i g n Request t o change N o t e 2 t o w h a t it s h o u l d have been : Remove all burrs.’ A n d t h e reason given f o r t h e r e j e c t i o n ? ‘ C o n t r a r y t o Sect. 21 of t h e Offences A g a i n s t t h e Person A c t 1852, as a m e n d e d by t h e Sexual Offences Act 1 9 7 2 . ‘ • Who in S u p p l y Centre Warehouse, after c e l e b r a t i n g the arrival of t h e N e w Year, a r r i v e d home in t h e early hours w i t h o ut his d o o r key and spent t h e remainder of t h e n i g h t w i t h his t w o pigs a n d their f a m i l i e s ? • As s o m e o n e remarked after t h e recent b o m b scare ‘ I t ‘ s amazing t h e lengths our c o m p e t i t o r s w i l l go t o .’ • Who in Design b o o k e d Christmas Day and B o x i n g Day on his holiday card ? Champion Lads On the left you see five victorious smiles and their owners, the Rank Xerox US Residents Table Tennis finalists — Keith Bradley (Design), John George and Roger Ridler (PED), Robbie Robinson and Robin Berks (Production Control). The boys (!) from Mitcheldean resisted the oriental and continental challenge to lift both the doubles and singles championships. Roger was singles champion, and John and Keith formed a winning pair, with Robbie and Robin as runners-up. The trophies were presented by Horace Becker – who is Vice-President of the Corporate Research B Engineering Staff at Xerox. 11 HOME MARKET Is this what some overseas visitor might expect to see, on hearing we had acquired a Terrapin office building ? Nice one Tetry! Terry Quartermaine’s recent appointment as Manager Material Control for the Lille Plant is unique in that he is so far the only departmental manager from Mitcheldean to take up a first line management position with one of our newest manufacturing plants across the Channel. Terry started his career in the sphere of production control as a progress chaser at Gloster Aircraft, where, incidentally, he got to know J im Cannon. He later moved to Smiths Industries and, following in the wake of another Production Control colleague, Ernie Wood, came to us in 1964 as senior provisioning officer. From this position, he rose to become Manager of the whole Production Control function at Mitcheldean. It must have been gratifying to him that he finished his tour of duty here with one day in excess of his 55-day inventory. As John MacDonald, Manager, Special Projects, put it at the farewell dinner which Terry gave for all those directly responsible to him : ‘Nice one, Terry !’ Before flying out in mid-January to join his wife and 14-year-old daughter at their new home in Lille, Terry did a crash course in Terry receives a pewter tankard from John MacDonald at the dinner Presentations were also made by Mitcheldean Management Committee and Production Control French. His appointment is unique in yet another r e s p e c t — he alone of the first line managers at Lille is an Englishman, albeit one w i t h a Swiss wife, while his team is being recruited from among the local population. As for the plant itself at Lille, this is coming on apace; the main walls and roofing are up and work on the floors was commencing as w e went to press. Meanwhile our initial team — Plant General Manager Louis Couque and other first line managers including Terry — are working in temporary offices adjacent to the site. F o r S a le M i n i 8 5 0 c c c y l i n d e r head, n e w s p r i n g s and valves, £6. R. A . Carter ( M a i l Room), ext. 1 9 6. 1 9 6 6 1100, o r i g i n a l black, XZ radials, seat belts, s p o t a n d f o g l a m p s . Recent c o m p l e te o v e r h a u l . 4 0 m p g , t a x e d and t e s t e d . Any t r i a l , £ 1 7 5 . A l s o Parkinson C o w a n gas cooker, 5 J w e e k s ‘ use ( n e w house all e l e c t r i c ) , f u l l y a u t o m a t i c , overhead g r i l l, M a g i c t r o l hob, etc. Will deliver. Offers. D. S m i t h , ext. 9 1 8 . Detached house, 3 b e d r o o m s , k i t c h e n, d i n i n g – r o o m and l o u n g e . Detached garage and o u t b u i l d i n g s . J acre g a r d e n / o r c h a r d. N i g h t storage heaters. Fitted carpets and c u r t a i n s i n c l u d e d . £ 1 3 , 9 5 0 or r e a l i s t i c offer. W i l l i a m s , Chosen View, Upper Lydbrook. Ext. 7 4 5 or L y d b r o o k 506 evenings. T w o n i g h t storage heaters. W i l l i n g to haggle. Medical Centre, ext. 1 2 9 . T h r e e – b e d r o o m e d s e m i – d e t a c h e d house, g o o d sized rooms, garage, etc., in S l i n g. Offers a r o u n d £ 8 , 9 5 0 . Ext. 3 6 5 or C o l e f o r d 3 6 2 7 evenings. Parkray 77, blue, in g o o d c o n d i t i o n , about £ 1 0 o.n.o. Also g i r l s b i c y c l e , b l u e / c r i m s o n, 14 in. frame, s u i t a b l e f o r 6 t o 8 – y e a r – o l d, £ 1 0 o.n.o. Bill Harris, ext. 8 3 9 . W h i t e b o w – e n d cot a n d mattress, £7. Baby Relax h i g h chair, £3. J . Dudley. Drybrook 5 4 2 0 5 4 . P h i l i p s 4 – t r a c k tape recorder ( m o n o ), approx. 18 m o n t h s o l d , e x c e l l e n t c o n d i t i o n, £25. P. J o h n s o n ( M a i n t e n a n c e ) , ext. 3 2 0 . T w o 6 K w i m m e r s i o n heaters w i t h flanges, h a r d l y used, really cheap. Heavy copper c a n o p y for f i r e p l a c e , cover 20 i n . o p e n i n g , £5. Longhope 350. Servis t w i n – t u b w a s h i n g machine, excellent c o n d i t i o n , £ 4 0 o.n.o. Gordon Meek, C i n d e r f o r d 2 3 2 7 4. Three n i g h t storage heaters, very g o od c o n d i t i o n . V i e w M i t c h e l d e a n any time. Sue Moore, D r y b r o o k 5 4 2 2 2 8. 1 9 6 2 Humber Super Snipe. MOT, g o od tyres, r e c o n d i t i o n e d e n g i n e ‘ s w e e t as a n u t ‘, £ 5 0 . Lea 2 1 2 or ext. 1 6 5 . A l b a p o r t a b l e stereo r e c o r d player set in a b l a c k and teak cabinet, o n e speaker in c a b i n e t , other speaker f i t s in lid w h e n not in use. Balance, t r e b l e a n d bass c o n t r o l s, 1 J years o l d and in e x c e l l e n t c o n d i t i o n. A l s o record player s t a n d a n d r e c o r d storage p r o v i d e d , £47 n e w , g o i n g at £ 2 6 . R. S m i t h, 1 Old Dean Road, M i t c h e l d e a n , or Supply Centre, BIdg 4 1 . W a n t e d T r i c o r n e hat o n s e m i – p e r m a n e n t loan. R. Miles, ext. 8 7 0 . 8 m m cine p r o j e c t o r , g o o d c o n d i t i o n. Mrs S. Beard, 2 5 C a r i s b r o o k e Road, M i t c h e l d e a n ; D r y b r o o k 5 4 2 0 3 0. 1 6 – y e a r – o l d girl t o help w i t h horses. Some experience. H i l l c r o f t , S p r i n g f i e l d , Drybrook. Tel. 542636. H o m e w a n t e d Border c o l l i e p u p p y , pedigree bred, 3 m o n t h s o l d , best of litter w h i c h s o l d at 6 g n s each, free t o g o o d home. S. P u l f o r d, ext. 4 5 8 . R i d i n g Horse r i d i n g f o r c h i l d r e n and a d u l t s. H a c k i n g , t r e k k i n g and r i d i n g holidays. H i l l c r o f t , S p r i n g f i e l d , Drybrook, Tel. 5 4 2 6 3 6 . Printed in England by Taylor, Young (Printers) Ltd. A N Y N E W S F O R V I S I O N? If y o u have, t h e n pleaselet y o u r d e p a r t m e n t a l c o r r e s p o n d e n t k n o w , or leave it at any Gate H o u s e for c o l l e c t i o n by me, or post it t o me at Tree Tops, P l u m p Hill, M i t c h e l d e a n, or ring m e — i t ‘ s D r y b r o o k 5 4 2 4 1 5. Myrtle Fowler, Editor . .>
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