Vision 107

February 75 No. 107
THE HOUSE MAGAZINE OF RANK XEROX MITCHELDEAN
HANDS UP FOR HAPPINESS!
And happiness here was a party for some 550 children on January 18 with
films, food, entertainment and presents to take home.
See pages 6 and 7 for more party pictures.
J a c k W o o d s , M a n a g e r , A d m i n i s t r a t i on
( p i c t u r e d h e r e w i t h h i s s e c r e t a ry
J u l i e B r i g h t ) h a s h a d s e v e r a l t i t l es
d u r i n g h i s 2 8 y e a r s w i t h t h e C o m p a n y,
a l l w i t h i n t h e F i n a n c e & A d m i n i s t r a t i o n
o r b i t .
He h a s b e e n i n t i m a t e l y c o n c e r n e d in
t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e M i t c h e l d e an
s i t e a n d d u r i n g t h e y e a r s h a s b e en
i n v o l v e d i n m o s t a c c o u n t i n g a nd
a d m i n i s t r a t i v e f u n c t i o n s .
‘ A t o n e t i m e I w a s e v e n S t a ff
P e r s o n n e l M a n a g e r a n d S e c r e t a r y/
T r e a s u r e r o f t h e S p o r t s & S o c i a l C l u b . ‘
H e r e g a r d s h i s p r e s e n t f u n c t i on
a s o n e o f h i s m o s t r e w a r d i n g :
I t c o v e r s C o m m u n i c a t i o n s ( t he
T e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s s i d e o f w h i ch
w e d e a l t w i t h i n o u r D e c e m b e r i s s u e ):
P a y m e n t O p e r a t i o n s : I n s u r a n c e &
T r a v e l : F i x e d A s s e t C o n t r o l : F i n a n c i al
S t o c k C o n t r o l : a n d t h e m i s c e l l a n ea
g e n e r a l l y a t t r i b u t e d t o c o m p a ny
s e c r e t a r y ‘ s d e p a r t m e n t.
I t i s a p e o p l e a n d s e r v i c e o r i e n t a t ed
o p e r a t i o n , a n d t h e s e c t i o n s w o r k i ng
u n d e r J a c k ‘ s m a n a g e m e n t a r e g e a r ed
t o e n s u r e t h a t , e v e n i f t h e c u s t o m e r
i s n o t a l w a y s r i g h t , h e i s a t l e a st
s a t i s f i e d .
‘ I w o u l d i m a g i n e i t h a s a s i m i l ar
a t m o s p h e r e t o l i v e T V — y o u n e v er
k n o w w h a t i s g o i n g t o h a p p e n n e x t ,’
s a i d J a c k .
‘ i f y o u a r e s y m p a t h e t i c i n d e a l i ng
w i t h p r o b l e m s , c a n m a k e d e c i s i o n s,
w o r k u n d e r p r e s s u r e a n d r e t a i n y o u r
s e n s e o f h u m o u r i n a d d i t i o n to
p o s s e s s i n g t h e a p p r o p r i a t e s k i l l s,
y o u s t a n d a c h a n c e o f s u c c e e d i n g . ‘
FROM CARS TO FADS
The assets of RXMP come in t wo
main varieties — tangible (like the
chair you sit on) and intangible
(tooling for new products).
Fixed Asset Control, to quote Jack
Woods, deals w i t h them both ‘from
birth to death’, from the time it is
first proposed to acquire a new
typewriter, a drill or whatever, to its
possible disposal years later.
Led by senior accountant John Stones,
the section’s principal function is the
preparation of the Capital Plan.
Said John : ‘In a couple of months I
will be writing to all managers on
site, asking them for their input to the
1976/77 Capital Plan — w h a t , in
fact, they require in terms of plant
and equipment. In the case of
specialised items we shall probably
need an estimate of the cost too.
‘This information is assembled in
various groupings for a statement
which is submitted to the General
Manager. Refinements then take
place before it is finally acceptable
not only to Group Finance and IHQ
but also Xerox Corporation as part of
the total manufacturing plan.
The next move is for departments to
be advised which of their requirements
have been accepted, and they can
then formally apply for the items by
raising a CAR (Capital Appropriation
Request).
‘We give them any assistance they
need when preparing these,’ said
John. ‘Once finally approved, we
issue the usual references and the
manager can go ahead and order.
‘That’s when this section gets
heavily involved in the paperwork
side. We’re proposing to put this
sort of work on the computer
eventually so we can cut out much
of the mundane stuff.’
In the meantime, his team are bound
to their binders, monitoring
expenditure so that the total
commitment can be controlled.
They keep copies of all MPRs and
orders and reconcile them against
request and approval — in fact, no
order can be placed for a capital
THEY PLAN
OUR POS
A l o t o f m o n e y c a n g e t t i e d u p i n p l a nt
a n d s t o c k , a n d i n t h e s e d a y s o f c a sh
f l o w p r o b l e m s , t h e m o n i t o r i n g a nd
c o n t r o l f u n c t i o n i s m o r e t h a n e v e r v i t a l .
K e e p i n g c o n t r o l i n t e r m s o f c a p i t al
The youthful team in Fixed Asset Control
section. That’s senior accountant John
Stones in the centre; far right is Mike Ward,
John’s second in command.
item until Asset Control have put
their stamp on it.
Each month the actual expenditure
is recorded in a report, part of the
management accounting package,
and checked against the approved
budget.
Asset Control examine invoices and
code them according to project
number, and the items are entered on
asset cards as capital additions if
above a certain value. But the
section always keep account of
items classed as being ‘highly
desirable’ (which includes office
machinery such as calculators)
irrespective of their cost.
Some fixed assets do get unfixed
from time to time, and in order to
ensure that their location on the asset
cards is correctly recorded, a
physical inventory has to be carried
out regularly. ‘We do need people’s
co-operation in letting us know when
they move valuable stuff about,’ said
John.
Then there’s depreciation to be
calculated and, when the time comes
for final disposal of an asset by any
department, the life cycle which
started w i t h the CAR procedure ends
w i t h the FAD (Fixed Asset Disposal)
procedure, and the ‘decease’ is duly
recorded in the asset annals.
One interesting fact we learned from
Asset Control is that our most
permanent assets, the Plant buildings
themselves, don’t actually belong to
us — in short, Mitcheldean Plant has
a landlord.
In pre-VISION days, a property
company called Bessemer Trust Ltd
was set up by the Rank Organisation
and this company owns all the
buildings on site, plus flooring,
heating systems and other fixtures.
Mike Ward, w h o is John’s Number 1,
takes care of the faceless landlord
business. ‘We go through the normal
capital procedures outlined, but
ultimately these particular assets go
on the books of Bessemer Trust who
charge RXMP a rental.’
Incidentally, they’ve just put the rent
up 20 per cent!
TO CONTROL
SESSIONS
g o o d s a n d s t o c k a r e F i x e d A s s e t
C o n t r o l a n d F i n a n c i a l S t o c k C o n t r o l ,
t w o s e c t i o n s w h i c h c o m e w i t h i n t he
A d m i n i s t r a t i o n a r e a i n t h e d e p a r t m e n t
o f F i n a n c e & A d m i n i s t r a t i o n .
TAKING STOCK
Round about June,’ said Doug
White, senior accountant in charge
of Financial Stock Control, ‘we start
working on the stock control part of
the overall manufacturing plan for
RXMP.
‘Supply Centre tell us what we shall
need in the way of machines and
spares (Richard Skyrme’s people look
into their crystal ball and make a
forecast). There is agreement between
the Plant and Supply Division on
what machines we will make and also
the number of spares needed to
maintain them. From this we can
work out our manpower requirements.
‘We calculate how many are needed
to produce the number of machines
and the amount of purchased
material we will require, bearing in
Led by Sherlock Holmes, alias
supervisor Derek Parker (far right)
the Financial Stock Control team of
investigators get down to solving a
few mysteries. R i g h t : Senior
accountant Doug White, who heads
the whole section, discusses a point
with accountant Jim Vivian-Griffiths
(right).
mind the excess stockholdings and
obsolescence that can occur through
design modifications. We call on the
computer here to evaluate all our
known purchase commitments.
‘In this way we gradually formulate
our Stock Plan for the following
12 months in conjunction with
Financial Planning Section and
Production Control, and also an
outline plan for a further 12 months.
‘It’s not as difficult as it sounds,’
Doug insisted, noting our expression.
Pandas Help Pull in
the Pounds
Pandas and a pink elephant were high on
the list of prizes in the draw organised by
Medical Department at Christmastime.
Thanks to the sterling efforts of Plant
collectors the sum of £221-35 was raised
for the North Gloucestershire Cobalt Unit
Fund. Our picture below shows two of the
collectors. Gill Phelps (far left) of Central
Records, and Eva Gwilliam (Cleaning) who
is handing the cheque to Dr Hanna. With
them are Sister Collins, Nurse Norah Miles
and Vic Evans of Medical. L e f t : Valerie
Vivian-Griffiths introduces the panda she
won in the draw to Zebbie, the family cat,
who has now recovered from the shock.
Val, a senior clerk in Fixed Asset Control,
works just a few desks away from her
husband Jim in Financial Stock Control.
Come leisure time he plays squash and she
takes Keep Fit classes locally. She also
admits to being a turkish bath addict!
But of course the circumstances in
which these calculations are made
may change a couple of months
later — for example. Marketing may
change their demands. So in order
to update the Plan at the end of each
month when the management
accounting package is produced by
the Finance people. Stock Control
produce an Outlook.
This is a set of accounts, prepared by
J im Vivian-Griffiths, which shows
what the position will be for the
following three months, taking into
account any known or anticipated
change of circumstances such as
reduction of programme, interruptions
to production here or at the suppliers,
what stocks are currently being
held, etc.
The Plan and the Outlook can then
be compared and corrective action
taken where necessary.
Inventory accumulation is a problem;
money mustn’t be tied up in
excessive stock, but at the same time
a production hold-up when the
demand is there is undesirable, to
say the least.
‘Production Control have a vested
interest in the figures,’ said Doug,
‘and I work closely w i t h Tony Fleury.’
If there is a time when Doug’s
ashtray fills up faster than usual, it’s
at stocktaking time. The stocktake,
which is of course a legal
requirement, takes place about July,
generally during the summer
close-down.
It would be impossible to count
physically every single item of stock,
but a very high value percentage is
counted by dedicated teams which
operate in all Production and Stores
areas.
‘The auditors understand the problems
we have to cope w i t h and generally
speaking they are quite helpful.
They’re here for about t w o months
Continued on page 4
THEY PLAN TO CONTROL
OUR POSSESSIONS
Continued from page 3
altogether. We always plan to have
our holidays afterwards — w e need
them by that time !’
An additional interim stocktake is
also carried out for Company
purposes only.
Included in the Stock Control set-up
is a small team of what we might
term private detectives. Discreetly
located in Building 32, they used to
be part of Internal Audit until ‘the
job got so big we freaked out on
our own.’
The team are ‘hired’ to carry out any
necessary investigations into areas or
activities which might affect the
inventory accounts, whether capital
or stock, whether in the stores, on
the line, or at the sub-contractors.
We talked to Derek Parker about the
sleuths under his supervision.
‘Currently we are carrying out two
main functions,’ he said.
‘One concerns fixed assets. We’re
doing a general inventory of all plant
and machinery on site in order to
verify the asset records kept by
Asset Control.
‘The other job is sorting out problem
areas in Invoice Clearance (invoices
which cannot be cleared for some
reason). Sometimes we get
documents which can’t be matched
up with goods; sometimes it’s the
reverse.
‘For instance, there’s a pair of steps
in Goods Inwards; they’ve been
there for several months, we’ve
never received an invoice for them
and we don’t know who sent them.
It’s real Sherlock Holmes stuff.
‘Invoice Clearance deal with
something in the region of 8,000
transactions a month; if we get only
1 per cent error rate (and it could be
just a case of the supplier omitting
the order number), that still means
quite a lot of fishing around.
‘In this j ob you really need to be
familiar with all the systems used in
the Plant — b y Purchase, PED,
Transport, Goods Inwards, the lot.
‘You also need to be a bit of expert
at object recognition. It does help if
you know an oscilloscope from a
TV set. It’s better than just calling
something a dirty black thing !’
Sam Phillips Promoted
Following the recent reorganisation
within Manufacturing Engineering
and increasing activity in the
programme for a new product, Sam
Phillips has been promoted from
section leader to Assistant
Production Engineering Manager for
that product, reporting to Sid
Palmer, the Production Engineering
Manager concerned.
Agency in Admin
Tour operators aren’t the only ones
offering package deals these days.
Now you can get one for your
business trips from a concern known
as the RXMP Travel Office, centrally
situated in Administration Department.
We heard about the package
development from Insurance &
Travel Officer John Spratley. He
came to us in 1967 to handle
insurance and later took on travel
bookings as an additional
responsibility.
Then ‘business’ suddenly boomed
and f r om about 300 individual trips
a year, it rose to nearly six times as
many in 1973. That was when
Helen Richards transferred from
Invoice Clearance to take much of
the travel load off John’s back.
Although the figures dropped
slightly in 1974, there are still
plenty of bookings — about 1,600
actual visits, plus those bookings
that get cancelled for one reason or
another.
The bulk of the travel is across to
Venray in Holland, and Travel
Officers from Mitcheldean and
Venray recently got together to see
what could be done to improve
efficiency and co-ordination. As a
result, complete packages covering
not only the flight but also
accommodation and transport are
now available to those who have to
undertake journeys abroad on
Company business.
Today the RXMP customer gets all
the documentation he needs —
tickets and itinerary, travellers’
cheques/currency, transport details
(if destination is Venray), car hire
voucher (other than Venray where
necessary), hotel accommodation
confirmation and overseas expense
claim voucher — f r om the Travel
Office who make full travel
arrangements. And that applies to
destinations other than Venray as
well.
This new arrangement is expected to
reduce costs, avoid duplication of
effort and generally streamline things.
The most difficult part of the package
deal is the seat on the flight.
Explained John : ‘Because of the
fuel crisis, the airlines are cutting
back on their schedules and the
situation is liable to worsen as time
goes on.’
Insurance 8- Travel Officer John
Spratley studies the Travel
Register with his assistant
Helen Richards.
John’s message to would-be
travellers i s : make reservations
early. Aircraft are becoming more
fully booked, even on North Atlantic
flights, and it is really advisable to
give ten days’ notice of a trip — that
applies to travel by sea as well.
Tickets, currency, etc, are normally
obtained once a week from Thos.
Cook. ‘They give us very good
service,’ Helen told us. ‘In a genuine
emergency, we can get someone
away in an hour.’
Helen, whose husband Gwyn is a
computer job scheduler in
Information Systems, really enjoys
her job. She meets lots of people
and finds travel fascinating work.
With the ABC World Airways Guide,
the British Railways passenger
The travellers return, but only for ‘repatriation leave’ at Christmas. During their
holiday, members of the task force working on a new product in the USA called in
to see us. Pictured having a chat with Jack Tester. IVIanager. Manufacturing
Engineering, are (from the left) Dennis Langley and Ray Spencer (PED), Ken Rule
(Production Control) and team leader John Smith (PED).
4
timetables for Great Britain and the
Continent, a UK and an international
hotel guide, our Travel Office,
backed up by Thos. Cook, are
equipped to get you places.
One other ‘book’ has recently been
introduced into the section; the
Travel Register. In this are logged
the requisition number, destination,
department concerned, cost centre,
dates, etc, concerning every trip
made, presenting a complete cost
picture of the visit, whether short
or long term.
This enables John to check that the
agency is paid, to detect any
particular trends and to carry out
any necessary analysis.
You might say it also ensures that
we don’t send anybody abroad on a
one-way ticket and forget to bring
them back again !
As we mentioned earlier, John wears
t w o hats, and it is insurance that
claims most of his attention. His
basic responsibility is to ensure that
we are adequately covered — more
than ever vital today w i t h rapidly
changing values.
We have 22 different types of policy
ranging from motor insurance,
personal accident and injury at work
to specialized policies regarding
computer risks, machinery
breakdown and sprinkler pumps.
‘The insurance people at Rank Xerox
House make the necessary policy
decisions,’ John told us. ‘We advise
London of all our needs and they
make arrangements w i t h the
insurance companies. We have very
little contact with the latter, except
in a f ew instances — such as
inspection.’
Fire is a major consideration, and
our insurance policies cover
buildings, plant and stock. ‘As
regards buildings, we liaise w i th
the architects on the cost of
replacement and constantly update
sums insured,’ John explained.
‘For plant and stock, we estimate
an overall ceiling at the beginning
of the year and make monthly
declarations to London of variances.’
We’re not the only ones who are
anxious not to have any outbreaks
of fire. The insurance companies
have a vested interest and their
representatives visit us every year
and make recommendations, perhaps
suggesting improvements in our fire
prevention system.
Buildings equipped w i t h sprinkler
systems earn a discount in premiums
because they give 24-hour
protection and can control a fire or
even extinguish it without anyone
having to do anything.
‘We aren’t prone to fires or damage,
fortunately,’ said John who is Safety
Committee representative for
Building 23 and also acts as
insurance liaison on the Main Safety
Committee.
He keeps
us from
getting
fired
A fire could mean loss of life, loss
of material goods, possibly loss of
revenue if, for example, it occurred
in the Supply Centre.
With the expansion of our premises
and the acquisition of satellite plants,
the maintenance of an effective fire
protection system has become much
more demanding and for this reason
Tony Cale (formerly a Machine
Shop foreman) was appointed
full-time Works Fire Officer as part
of our Security services last summer.
Tony Cale, Works Fire Officer,
inspects tfie sprinkler control
valves in Building 40. He liaises
with John Spratley on fire
insurance matters.
He has headed our voluntary Works
Fire Brigade for 20 years and in
addition is our senior first-aider.
Training and co-ordinating of first-aid
(we increased our coverage at the
Plant last summer too) is part of his j ob
specification now. But the major part
is fire prevention because ‘if you
prevent it you don’t have to fight it.’
The best way to prevent fire is by
being vigilant, and encouraging
others to be vigilant too. So Tony
regularly inspects buildings, looking
at emergency exits to see whether
they are operating properly,
inspecting fire doors, checking the
storage of inflammable liquids,
seeing that stillages of waste paper
are emptied and that there is no
smoking in non-smoking areas.
There is a formidable collection of
‘do’s and don’ts’ issued by the Fire
Offices’ Committee — for example,
they stipulate standard heights for
stacking of goods according to
whether they are plastic, or
cardboard boxes, etc — and Tony
checks to see that these rules are
being complied with.
Before the Plant can qualify for its
vital ‘means of escape’ certificate,
escape routes and accessibility of
fire exit doors, even the number of
people working on one floor, are
taken into account.
The w i d t h of the door(s) decides
how many people can be employed
in a building, and all drawings of
new floor layouts now have to have
Tony’s blessing from the safety
aspect prior to alterations taking place.
‘Requirements are becoming stricter
all the time and w i t h the Health &
Safety at Work Act 1974 coming
into effect on April 1 we can’t be
too careful,’ said Tony.
‘Do you know that in 1973 there
were 27 fires caused by cutting and
welding equipment? (We didn’t.)
The cost came to £6 million ! So
now we’re insisting that where
contractors, or our own people
working outside their normal area,
are welding or using cutting
equipment with a flame, they first
have to get a permit which I issue
through Works Engineering.’
Every Monday at 7.15 am Tony
checks the sprinkler installations,
‘We hope to have a total of 15
installations in vulnerable areas by
next April. We already have controls
in the Supply Centre, Buildings 40
and 36, the computer building and
contingency store; and there are to
be further installations in Buildings
29, 24 and 32.
‘We have heat detectors in all
buildings and this system is also
checked every Saturday morning.’
Barton Hill Gate House, where Tony
is located, is the nerve centre of our
fire alarm system.
If, despite all preventive measures,
a fire does break out, what are our
measures for dealing w i t h it, apart
from calling out the County Fire
Fire Service ?
Said Tony: ‘We’ve got t w o fire
tenders and the Works Fire Brigade
have a training session every Sunday.
There are 16 part-time firemen at
Mitcheldean, t w o at Lydney and t wo
at Cinderford, and we’ve just done a
training course w i t h Gloucestershire
County Fire Service. This was a
comprehensive training scheme
which brought us right up-to-date
w i t h modern fire-fighting techniques.
‘A couple of months ago new fire
assembly plans were issued and I’m
currently planning a fire evacuation
exercise, to be carried out building
by building,’ said Tony.
‘ I t ‘s my j ob as a Works Fire Officer
to protect the lives of employees
and Company property. I hope
eventually to make everyone more
fire-conscious at work — and in the
home too.’
A b o v e a n d r i g h t : A natural break for tea at the party for five to seven-year-olds in the
Social Centre on January 4. Financed by the Company and organised by the Sports Q
Social Club, this and the later party for the older children were, as usual, a great success,
largely due to the small army of helpers.
B e l o w : R.X. Cinderford started the party Department’s mediaeval banquet, held
round on November 30 with their on December 10 at Tewkesbury’s
dinnerldance in the Social Centre. Abbey Mill.
They’re tough, mighty tough in 4000 Department, and at their Christmas ‘
‘do’ on December 21 in the Social Centre they held a hairy chest contest to prove it.
Piiotos: J. Ingram
Getting going at the Finishing Department In the Social Centre again — the RX Lydney
party on December 14 in the Social Centre. party for ADFI Sorter I Stores people on Dec 7.
7
LETTCR
4 ^ Doris — Trail-blazer
‘I’ve never been afraid to speak my
mind.’ That statement by Doris
Barker probably explains why she has
occupied a place on so many
committees and councils of various
kinds.
Although not a professed women’s
libber, Doris, who retired at
Christmas after 26 years w i t h us, has
done a good deal to further the cause
of women at work.
Certainly in the sphere of trade union
activity she has been something of a
trail-blazer. She started work in
Bell & Howell assembly in 1948 and
was 1 6 i years on the shop floor.
For ten of those years she was AEU
shop steward and eventually became
the first woman deputy works
convenor at Mitcheldean.
Doris was women’s representative for
the Gloucester District of the AEU ; a
founder member of the Mitcheldean
branch of the union, she also founded
the Ross-on-Wye branch and was
its branch secretary for many years.
In 1965 she transferred to clerical
work in Engineering. She joined
APEX and in early 1970 was
chairman of the APEX/MATSA Joint
Negotiating Committee. She also
served on the Clerical Grading
Committee and is believed to have
been its longest serving member.
Within t w o years of joining the LSA
in 1961, she joined the committee
and was its secretary for about seven
years, latterly working in harness
with assistant secretary Jackie Smith.
Doris also ‘blazed a trail’ by becoming
the first female chairman of the Cine
&• Photographic Club, as it used to
be called.
Outside the Company, she has been
equally active in community life.
Interested in church work, she ran
the Sunday School at Weston-under-
Penyard for 33 years. She has served
on the Ross & Whitchurch RDC and
on the Weston Parish Council; she’s
also been manager of Weston
village school and is currently
president of the Women’s Institute
there.
Gardening is one of her main
pleasures and she likes the idea of
being able to give more time to this
and to her family during her
retirement.
She will also be carrying on w i t h a
valuable service for the Company —
that of visiting sick employees and
letting them know that we do think
about them, despite the day-to-day
pressures of business.
L. Fisher
Now it can be reveaied how Doris has
managed to appear in so many pieces and
pictures (her photo once smiled from a
blown-up aerial view of the Plant in
Engineering). She’s really a fairy, as this
picture proves I
Jack — Music Man
‘One of the first 500’ at Mitcheldean,
Jack Benbow of the Supply Centre
is believed to be the only man who
ever came to work here by steam
train. That was when Mitcheldean
Road Station was open to passenger
traffic.
He joined the Warehouse in 1958
and subsequently became part of
the Internal Audit team, moving in
1972 into Stock Records where
Michael, one of his four children,
works today.
It was no surprise to learn that Jack,
w i t h his military bearing and keen
musicianship, was once a member of
the Life Guards Mounted Band,
having previously studied at the
Royal Military School of Music.
State trumpeter at one time, he
played the flute, the baritone
saxophone, and the piano. One of
the duties of the Household Cavalry
was to play background music on
social occasions at Windsor Castle.
‘We were a sort of Palm Court
Orchestra,’ he said.
After leaving the Life Guards, he
joined Manchester Police and once
again played the saxophone — this
time in the police band.
Doris Barker pictured with LSA friends
after president Bernard Smith had presented
her with a barometer and a cheque from
the association. Her colleagues in
Engineering gave her a standard lamp, a
teaset and some bracelet charms.
Geoff Gray of Supply Centre presents
Jack Benbow with a handsome clock and
a vase on his retirement A cheque from
the LSA was handed over by Bernard Smith.
At the Plant his talents have been put
to regular use as pianist and music
adviser to the Variety Club; it is good
to know that, though he’s left his
desk, he will still be continuing this
valuable work.
Today Jack’s preference leans more
towards orchestral than military
music and he is enjoying his newfound
freedom to attend concerts.
He’s an experienced organist and his
services have been called upon on
several occasions.
Jack plans to take up the flute again
(as a schoolboy he won a
scholarship w i t h this instrument to
the Liverpool Philharmonic
Orchestra), and he hopes to start
teaching flute, saxophone and piano.
‘ I ‘m also doing a bit of composing —
just a small suite for piano called
“Forest Murmurs”,’ he admitted
modestly, and he played a f ew bars
of what promises to be a lovely,
rippling piece.
B e r t Bailey
We were sorry to hear of the death
of Bert Bailey on January 16 at the
age of 67. He was working in
Tool/Consumable Stores when he
retired in August 1972 after more
than 25 years w i t h the Company.
Our sympathy goes to his family.
8
^INTERNA TIONAL MEETING PLACE
H e r m i n e Beard is Austrian and
has been with us for 15 years, nine
of them in the Paint Shop. Today
she works on 660 sub-assembly.
High-spot of every year for her is a
return visit to Watersee in Carinthia.
She has always loved swimming and
skiing. At Lydney her main
lunchtime activity, when she isn’t
out walking, is knitting — t h e
Austrian way, which intrigues
knitters and non-knitters alike.
R i c h a r d Novaic comes from Poland,
joined us in 1970 and is currently
working as temporary foreman in
Cinderford’s Machine Shop. His
wife, Janet, is a verifier operator in
Information Systems punch room.
Richard speaks not only English and
Polish but also French, German and
Russian and helped out as
interpreter when we had some
Russian visitors recently.
He likes acting, singing Western-style
songs in his bass-baritone, football,
and caravanning w i t h his family. A
former competition skiier, one of
the things he missed most when he
came to England in 1966 was the
snow!
When orders for machines or spares
come in from our Operating
Companies, they are dealt w i t h by
Customer Service in Supply Centre.
And when a query from France has
to be settled quickly over the ‘phone,
C i a u d i n e Keebie-Buci i a c e m e e t i m m e e t i n g p l a i ce m e e t i r
Bill Wilkins, task force leader of the 3100, and
his wife Joan were given a great send-off
when Bill finished his one-year assignment
at Webster in January. Here he is (centre)
with John van Waayenburg, Leo Struijk (both
part of Bill’s team) and John Jentjens, all
from Venray, before he and his wife left for a
short holiday en route for Mitcheldean.
M u l t i n a t i o n a l P a r ty
Horace Becker, Staff Vice President,
Product Design and Engineering, k i n d ly
o r g a n i s e d a c h i l d r e n ‘ s Christmas party for
t h e resident f a m i l i e s on December 23, w i th
t h e help of Pat Miller.
C h i l d r e n and parents f r om J a p a n , Holland
and England m i n g l e d in a t r u ly
m u l t i n a t i o n a l atmosphere of festive f u n,
h o s t e d by A m e r i c a n colleagues and wives.
Large q u a n t i t i e s of eatable goodies
disappeared in record time, as d i d gallons
of l i q u i d ( n o n – i n t o x i c a t i n g ) refreshment,
after w h i c h the c h i l d r e n were e n t e r t a i n ed
by a very versatile c l o w n , ( n o t an e m p l o y ee
of t h e c o m p a n y one hastens t o a d d ).
The h i g h l i g h t of t h e o c c a s i o n was t he
arrival of a s o m e w h a t p o r t l y Father
Christmas w h o s e appearance s u g g e s t e d a
considerable taste f o r t h e h o m e – m a de
brews of Lapland w h e r e he o r i g i n a t e d.
All t h e c h i l d r e n received a present at the
hands of t h i s w e l c o m e visitor and f r om t he
expressions on t h e c h i l d r e n ‘ s faces t he
w h o l e occasion c o u l d be j u d g e d a
r e s o u n d i n g success.
To add t o the Christmas a t m o s p h e r e the
Rochester area of N e w York had w e a t h er
t o order, for s n o w fell t h r o u g h o u t most of
Christmas Day.
Clive Griffiths (Production Control) was
married to Monica Kerr at St Michael’s &
All Angels, Mitcheldean, on October 12.
This picture didn’t reach us until January
but we never could resist a wedding
picture, however late.
N e w Y e a r B a by
1 9 7 5 started off in a m e m o r a b l e w a y for
Mel Alder, design engineer at present on
secondment in t h e USA — his w i f e , A nn
presented h im w i t h a son, Kevyn Paul, on
J a n u a r y 1.
B i r t h s
S t e p h e n J a s o n, a s o n for Derek Burns
(Sorter A s s e m b l y ) and his w i f e Linda
( f o r m e r l y 4 0 0 0 A s s e m b l y ) , on J a n u a r y 8.
M a t t h e w Alan, a s o n for M i c h a e l W i l l i a ms
( D e s i g n E n g i n e e r i n g ) and his w i f e J a c k ie
( f o r m e r l y Industrial E n g i n e e r i n g ) , on
J a n u a r y 17,
Lynda A n n e , a d a u g h t e r f o r Chris Lyes
( T o o l / C o n s u m a b l e Stores c h a r g e h a n d ) and
his w i f e J e a n , o n J a n u a r y 18
S i l v e r W e d d i ng
C o n g r a t u l a t i o n s t o Doreen M o t t e r h am
( C l e a n i n g ) and her h u s b a n d w h o celebrate
t h e i r 2 5 t h w e d d i n g anniversary o n M a r c h 1 1 .
R e t i r e m e n t s
The f o l l o w i n g retired at t h e end of J a n u a ry
and have our g o o d w i s h e s for t h e f u t u r e:
Roland D o r r i n g t o n ( T o o l / C o n s u m a b le
S t o r e s ) ; A l f r e d Kear ( E n g i n e e r i n g shop
l a b o u r e r ) ; J a c k Seal ( w o r k s p h o t o g r a p h e r ).
Dear) Forest Studios
Anthony Stone (Production Control) with
his bride, Sally Ann Kent, after their winter
wedding at Ross Register Office on
January 25.
E n g a g e m e n t
Ken Fox (Sorter) t o L y n n e W e s t o n on
December 14.
C a r P o ol
Miss D. B o w d e n , ext. 5 5 2 . Lift required
d a i l y , U p t o n B i s h o p — M i t c h e l d e a n , staff
hours, w i l l i n g t o share petrol costs.
Mrs. S. M c G u i r e , ext. 1 1 7 0 . Lift required
d a i l y , L y d n e y — M i t c h e l d e a n , B a m start,
4 . 4 5 p m f i n i s h , w i l l i n g t o share petrol costs.
J o h n Spratley, ext. 219, R o s s – o n – W y e —
M i t c h e l d e a n , normal staff hours, share cars.
A N Y N E W S FOR V I S I O N?
If y o u have, t h e n please —
let 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 House for
c o l l e c t i o n by me,
or post it t o me at Tree Tops, Plump Hill,
M i t c h e l d e a n ,
or r i n g me — i t ‘ s Drybrook 5 4 2 4 1 5.
Myrt/e Fowler, Editor
The I n v i t a t i o n XV have d o n e it. A g a i n s t a
s t r o n g G r o u p XV led by Keith Laken, t h ey
recorded their first v i c t o r y 14 pts — 12 pts.
The game w a s played at Ross RFC on
December 15 under blue skies and w a rm
w i n t e r sunshine.
The I n v i t a t i o n XV put out their s t r o n g e s t side
t o date i n c l u d i n g Dave Crabbe (Gloucester
and Public School Wanderers) and guest
c a p t a i n Neil J o n e s ( C i n d e r f o r d ) . B o t h players
excelled in t h e o p e n play, even t h o u g h they
had hard games t h e previous day.
G r o u p XV, f o r t i f i e d by a s p r i n k l i n g of class
players f r om Newent RFC, fresh f r om
their annual dinner and dance, put up g o od
o p p o s i t i o n in t h e first half, but w e r e no
match for t h e speed and g u i l e of Dave
Crabbe w h o scored three f i n e tries in t h e first
half, one of w h i c h was c o n v e r t e d . At the
t u r n r o u n d , t h e I n v i t a t i o n XV led 14 pts — 0,
but lost Dave Crabbe and Graham S m i t h,
b o t h of w h o m had made a c o n s i d e r a b le
Big ^E^ Invitation X V Win [at last] c o n t r i b u t i o n t o their side’s supremacy.
Replacements Richard Chambers and Paul
K n i g h t s o o n received their ‘ b a p t i sm of f i r e ‘ by
some f i r s t – c l a s s a t t a c k i n g play f r om t he
G r o u p XV and, a l t h o u g h Paul’s last d i t ch
t a c k l e w a s perfect, t h e loose ball w a s carried
over by G r o u p for t h e i r f i r s t try, w h i c h was
c o n v e r t e d .
Open Rugby f o l l o w e d w i t h a g o o d deal of
g i v e and take by t h e t w o packs.
Dave Hall, p l a y i n g his last game f o r t he
I n v i t a t i o n XV s h o w e d e x c e p t i o n a l skill
against t h e play of f e l l o w hooker Derek
W i n t l e ( a n d q u e s t i o n a b l e m e t h o d s of a
p r o p w h o shall remain nameless — ext. 5 6 7 ).
F o l l o w i n g up an a t t a c k by Dave L l o y d and
M i k e James, Dave w e n t w i t h i n an ace of
s c o r i n g .
G r o u p scored and c o n v e r t e d a f i ne
b r e a k – a w a y try w h i c h put i n c r e a s i ng
pressure o n t h e I n v i t a t i o n XV.
An e x c i t i n g 3 0 s e c o n d s under t h e posts w i th
G r o u p a t t a c k i n g preceded t h e w h i s t l e for ‘ no
s i d e ‘ . The picture of 15 or 1 6 players
c o l l e c t i n g their w i t s and d r a g g i n g their bodies
w e a r i l y off the g r o u n d as t h e w h i s t l e went
w i l l never be f o r g o t t e n . Our first victory,
p r o b a b l y our finest, but c e r t a i n l y not our last.
Several players, s e l e c t e d f o r their first
Sunday Friendly, e x p r e s s e d surprise at the
c o m p e t i t i v e n e s s s h o w n i n t h e s e games and
promised ‘ t o lay o f f t h e beer’ before t h e next
one. Many t h a n k s t o Ross RFC for t he
f a c i l i t i e s , N e w e n t RFC f o r t h e shirts, and
Graham f r om N e w e n t f o r refereeing, despite
his c o n d i t i o n.
We l o o k f o r w a r d t o a h a p p y S p o r t i n g New
Year w i t h i n t h e Plant w h e n , h o p e f u l l y , more
games can be o r g a n i s e d — only t h i s t i m e w i th
our o w n e q u i p m e n t ( j u s t a reminder, T o n y ).
P.S. Thank y o u t o t h e w i v e s children and
g i r l f r i e n d s w h o s t a n d a n d w a t c h patiently
w h i l s t their n o r m a l l y t i r e d males rush about
l i ke mad t h i n g s . — B i g ‘ E ‘
10
SP@RTS & SmCIAL CLUB
Mike Bird takes aim. B e l o w : Another
‘shot’ at one of the clay shoots shows (in
the foreground) Roger Burton in action,
Mike Bird marking the score and Neil
Williams watching the opposition.
Photo: H. Burton
Any Annie Oalcleys
in the Plant?
The Rank Xerox Shooting Club was
formed in early December to cater
for the numerous RX personnel
interested in certain aspects of
shooting. The fact that the club
already has over 70 members would
seem to prove the step was justified.
The first problem that faced the
newly formed committee was: what
type of shooting should we start w i t h ?
Clay shooting, rough shooting,
game shooting with shotgun, full
and small bore rifle and pistol
shooting form the main interests;
then there are antique arms (both
collecting and firing), game shooting
w i t h rifle — the list seemed endless.
Clay shooting was eventually
decided upon, being the easiest to
get off the ground, so to speak. An
initial grant for equipment was
obtained from the Sports & Social
Club and this has been used for the
purchase of cartridge re-loaders and
clay traps.
Shooting, particularly in the
specialist forms, can be very
expensive. It costs almost £50 in
consumable items to stage a shoot.
Our re-loaders help to reduce the
cost of cartridges and we have held a
demonstration on re-loading, given
by Dennis Jayne (Machine Shop).
To date we have held three clay
shoots at the New House Farm by
kind permission of Mr J . Watkins;
the response has been good,
averaging 35 members per shoot,
starting on a mini league basis,
and quite a f ew dark horses have
been discovered.
So far all our members are male —
not a female in sight. So, to
encourage shooters of the fair sex,
we are offering the loan of a gun
plus tuition.
We suggest they are dressed warmly;
trousers are best — just try holding
your skirt down and shooting at the
same time, girls I
After the next f ew shoots, when the
clay shooting activity has been
firmly established, we shall consider
extending our activities. We hope to
acquire an indoor range for small
bore rifle and pistol shooting.
Our main objective is to establish
the sport of shooting in as many of
its forms as possible, to give
maximum enjoyment at the lowest
possible price, and ensure safe
practices w i t h in the club.
This last is especially important,
bearing in mind the number of
youngsters w h o come along and,
let’s admit it, sometimes beat dad
at the game ! F r a n k T o n g e,
C h a i r m a n , RXSC
Adventure Group
We hear the Group have had a
relatively successful year, which
means they’ve had more adventure
than most.
There have been pony trekking trips
in Wales, caving trips and walks,
and even hang gliding w i t h members
doing aerobatics!
On New Year’s Day some went to
Ystradfellte, put on wet suits and
explored underground rivers. ‘The
rivers were in full spate,’ said
secretary Derek Webster happily I
They have also put on a series of
f i lm shows which have not attracted
as many people as the films
deserved. Activities on the screen
covered climbing, high level skiing,
water sports, pony trekking, caving
and cave rescue.
On Friday, February 28, there will
be yet another f i lm show featuring
a three-month expedition t o North
America and taking in visits to 26
national parks and numerous caves
and mountains, including the
highest in the USA outside Alaska.
If you fancy adventure the easy way,
why not go along ? It w i l l be in the
Club House at 7.30 pm.
RX ‘World Cup’
The Interdepartmental Football
Tournament has got off the ground
— or rather on to it. Seventeen
teams have entered and play is
starting on a mini league basis,
followed by a knock-out on World
Cup lines.
Continued on page 12
Dance Programme
to June 1975
Saturc arch 2 2 Sati. y 17
PENDULUM THE FORTUNES
supported bv wth
VARIATION SHOWBAND THE TONY PAYNE SHOWBAND
and
TRACK 2 DISCO
Satur- ” ‘ – ^ 6 Sati: 7
PETE WINSLOW SHAG CONNERS
AND HIS AND THE
KING SIZE BRASS CARROT CRUNCHERS
AND SINGERS an act not to be missed
supported by supported by
ASHTON RACE & EVANS LAS VAGAS
T o b e c e r t a i n o f t i c k e t s f o r a l l S p o r t s & S o c i a l C l u b d a n c e s , r i n g 1 1 6 9 ( R oy
S t e w a r d o r D o r i s M e e k ) a n d b o o k t h e m i n a d v a n c e .
11
I
HOME MARKET
When sending in i t e m s please give your
extension number and/or department t o ensure
inclusion.
F o r S a le
C o n t e m p o r a r y l o u n g e suite — 4 seats w h i ch
can be placed t o g e t h e r or separate — ideal
for modern home. Green and o f f – w h i te
s t r i pe d e s i g n material, easy dry clean.
Excellent value, o n l y £ 1 0 0 . Mrs A n g e la
Smith, 18 Deansway Road, Carisbrook
Gardens Mitcheldean.
F i v e – b e d r o o m e d house in g o o d order
t h r o u g h o u t , o v e r l o o k i n g River Wye, 5 miles
Ross-on-Wye, 1 mile W h i t c h u r c h,
s t a n d i n g in almost an acre of garden w i th
d o u b l e garage, o u t b u i l d i n g s , large drive,
ample p a r k i n g area. K. Rea, ext. 911 or
Symonds Yat 336.
Silver Cross navy t w i n p u s h – c h a i r w i t h hood
and apron, 3 m o n t h s o l d , cost £ 3 0 , sell
£20. Royale pram p u s h – c h a i r s h o p p i ng
t r a y and umbrella canopy, g o o d c o n d i t i o n,
£15. J. Kilby, ext. 4 0 7.
T h r e e – p i e c e suite, t w o – t o n e grey, 3-seater
settee, very c o m f o r t a b l e . £ 2 0 o.n.o.
A l s o Tansad A l w i n pram c o m p l e t e w i th
mattress, s h o p p i n g tray and canopy,
excellent c o n d i t i o n , £ 2 5 . C i n d e r f o r d 2 3 2 7 4.
Terraced p r o p e r t y , 2 b e d r o o m s , lounge,
d i n i n g – r o o m w i t h back boiler, k i t c h e n,
b a t h r o o m , c o n s e r v a t o r y , rear entrance,
garden f r o n t and rear, £ 6 , 8 0 0 or o f f e r s for
q u i c k sale. J . Phelps, 1 1 4 H i g h Street.
C i n d e r f o r d , or ext. 3 0 7.
M o t h e r c a r e h i g h chair, £5. K. J o n e s , RX
C i n d e r f o r d , ext. 1 9 – 1 7.
1 9 6 6 Cresta de luxe in g o o d c o n d i t i o n,
o n l y requires n e w sills £85. B. R o w b o t h am
A D F , Lydney, or L y d n e y 3 4 7 9 evgs.
Zephyr 6 M k IV ( V 6 ) a u t o m a t i c , 1 9 6 6,
t a x e d and MOT, excellent c o n d i t i o n , £ 1 5 0.
Terry Simpson, RX Lydney, ext. 16, or
Lydney 3 3 9 8.
Berry H i l l , C o l e f o r d — £ 8 , 8 5 0 modern
3 – b e d r o o m e d s e m i – d e t a c h e d house,
l o u n g e , k i t c h e n / d i n i n g – r o o m , b a t h r o o m,
part central h e a t i n g gardens car
h a r d – s t a n d i n g , g o o d d e c o r a t i v e order.
Offers c o n s i d e r e d . Ext. 5 8 4 or C o l e f o rd
3 5 6 1 .
Pedigree beagle puppies, f a t h e r ‘best of
b r e e d ‘ . Linda Hobbs, ext. 4 8 2 .
B r o a d w e l l , near C o l e f o r d — s e m i – d e t a c h ed
house, 3 b e d r o o m s , 2 r e c , hall, k i t c h e n,
b a t h r o o m . O u t s i d e : annexe, large w o r k s h o p,
coal shed, tarmac d r i v e t o garage, small
garden w i t h shed. Offers a r o u n d £9,000.
A. Penney, PED Electronics, ext. 8 5 8 or 6 4 2.
O l d marble c l o c k , 1 8 i n . h i g h , needs some
a t t e n t i o n t o put in w o r k i n g order. Any
o f f e r s . F. Prosser, Security, Drybrook
5 4 2 0 1 1 .
M i t c h e l d e a n — d e t a c h e d house w i t h garage,
3 b e d r o o m s ( o n e w i t h f i t t e d w a r d r o b e ),
b a t h r o o m , l o u n g e w i t h stone fireplace,
Sep. d i n i n g – r o o m , f i t t e d k i t c h e n , f i t t ed
c a r p e t s in bedrooms, b a t h r o o m , l a n d i n g,
stairs, hall. Full cent, h e a t i n g , e l e c t r i c i t y to
garage. £ 1 0 , 5 0 0 o.n.o. D r y b r o o k 5 4 2 8 1 3.
W a n t e d
8 m m projector, in g o o d w o r k i n g c o n d i t i o n.
J . Ingram, S t a n d a r d s Room, ext. 2 0 3 or
D r y b r o o k 5 4 2 5 0 5.
15 stair rods w i t h fastenings, w o o d or
metal. C. W. Bird, ext. 5 5 0.
Snooker players t o j o i n Y M C A C i n d e r f o rd
b r a n c h — a p p l y J o h n Bond (treasurer),
ext. 3 1 2.
Small s a w b e n c h w i t h rise and fall table,
must be reasonable. A. P o w e l l , M a c h i ne
S h o p , ext. 317.
S t r i c t t e m p o singles, either 4 5 or 7 8 , must
be in reasonable c o n d i t i o n . A. Carr,
ext. 4 2 2 or C i n d e r f o r d 2 3 3 7 5.
F o r H i re
S e l f – t o w 4 – b e r t h caravan. Drybrook 5 4 2 7 22
or ext. 1 1 7 3.
SP@RTS & SmiAL CLUB
Table Toppers
The ‘half-way’ point has been
reached in the table tennis season,
and both teams in the Table Tennis
Section are doing well. In the
Lydney & District Table Tennis
League, our team, consisting of
Barry Smith, Phil James and Pete
Hughes, are currently lying second,
only a f ew points behind the team in
first place.
Our team had a very successful
season last year, finishing third in the
league, but also taking the doubles
and doubles runners-up cups.
Last year the section also entered a
team, consisting of Bob Toomer,
Rafe Cherry and Andrew Davis, in
the Hereford Third Division which
they won, only dropping one point
all season.
This year the same team has been
promoted to the Hereford Second
Division and is currently top, not
having dropped a point so far.
A n y o n e f o r T e n n i s?
The Sports & Social Club have been
offered the use of tennis facilities as
provided by the Cinderford RFC.
Secretary Roy Steward is collecting
the names of those interested in
forming a tennis section.
The Golfing Year
Golfers — get out your diaries and
book the dates of these outings
arranged by the Golf Society
committee for 1975:
May 8 — Hereford G.C.
J u n e 2 — St Pierre G. £t C.C.
J u n e 2 0 — F i l l o n G.C.
J u l y 11 — A b e r g a v e n n y G.C.
A u g u s t 18 — K n o w i e G.C.
September 3 — Pontypool G.C.
September 18 — N o r t h O x f o r d G.C.
Cups will be toiled over as f o l l o w s:
Summer Cup — Abergavenny;
Morfee (Inter-departmental) Cup —
Hereford; Scratch Cup — Pontypool;
Haggett (Inter-Plant) Cup — N o r th
Oxford G.C.
The cut and thrust of the Round
Robin Cup and Rabbit’s Cup contests
can be enjoyed at your leisure,
independently from the above
meetings.
A standard charge of £3 50 will be
made for each day out to cover green
fees, nourishment (not liquid) and
prizes (for the fortunate f e w ).
PS Good weather has been booked
for each outing at minimal cost to
Society funds.
Slide Contest
While on assignment in the States
recently, Robin Berks, chairman of
our Amateur Photographic Club,
challenged the Xerox Photo Club
(USA) to an inter-club slide contest.
As a result, 25 slides taken by Xerox
people are being sent over to us for
judging on March 12 by an
independent expert — J o h n Knight,
chairman of Ross Photographic Club.
On the very same day, 25 slides
taken by our club members will be
undergoing similar treatment across ^
the Atlantic.
We’ll be letting you know which side
won on points.
Tickets £1
i i .
IN AID OF SPASTICS AND HANDICAPPED CHILDREN
A n a l l – s t a r event presented by R A N K XEROX V A R I E T Y CLUB
w i t h t h e BOOTS & S A D D L E C L U B , C i n d e r f o r d.
RANK XEROX B A L L R O O M , M I T C H E L D E AN
M A R C H 14, 8 p m — 1 a m ( B a r e x t e n s i o n)
T i c k e t s : Denise Cooper ( S u p p l y C e n t r e ) , J o h n Earl ( P r o d u c t i o n C o n t r o l ),
A n d y Hardy ( P r o d u c t i o n S t o r e s ) , Sadie Pritchard ( R e m o d e l l i n g)
12 Printed in England by Taylor, Young (Printers) Ltd.