During the 1950s and 60s, the New Zealand (NZ) Forest Service sent its forester trainees to gain forestry degrees overseas as there was no degree course in NZ. I went to Aberdeen in 1966 and there were some at Bangor, others at Edinburgh and Oxford. We used to get together in January at the forestry students’ symposium, held at one of the four universities each year (I went to one in Edinburgh and gave my first paper at Oxford). Your Professor Richardson worked in NZ a lot – he was head of the Forest Research Institute in 1962 when I joined the Forest Service (his wife, a medical doctor, sewed up my leg after it had a close encounter with an axe).

Andrew McEwan,
President of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry

Esmond Harris recalls an uncharacteristic spark of humour from Professor Mobbs when he (Esmond) arrived in the New Forest on an uncertain motor cycle, narrowly missed the already assembled group and Mobb’s treasured black Rover and finally came to a stop against a large tree. “Harris, I hope you make a better forester than you are a motor cyclist”

Esmond Harris,
Forestry, Undergraduate

Helen Brazier has kindly informed us of the death of her father, John David Brazier, who was awarded BSc in Forestry at Bangor in 1947 and graduated in 1948 with BSc (Hons) in Botany. In 1981 he was awarded a Doctorate of Science from the University of Wales at Bangor.

He subsequently had an eminent career in the field of international wood science but maintained his association with Bangor, amongst other things being the first external examiner for the Wood Science honours degree 1972-7 and external examiner for MSc Wood Industries Technology course 1987-1990.

Newly arrived in Bangor in the autumn of 1945 he met a fellow botany student, Nancy Lloyd, whom he married in 1951. I have an archive of my mother’s letters to her parents from Bangor 1944-1948 which paint a lively picture of student life at the time, enjoying field trips, weekly hops and the Rocket Club, despite the privations of rationing.

John Brazier,
Forestry/Botany, Undergraduate 1945 -1948

John Voysey has sent a photograph of the Rowing Club Eight, at the Tideway Head of the River Race 1951. Six of the crew were Foresters. He also remembers when Cardiff came to row against Bangor in fours. One of the Cardiff crew collapsed after the race and had to be fished out of the Strait. Bangor, of course, won – they were all foresters.

John Voysey,
Forestry, Undergraduate 1951

John Hetherington recalls that in the 50s the Sailing Club consisted largely of foresters. In the 1957 University of Wales Championship which took place at Newquay each College sailed two boats with two crew to a boat. Bangor won and three of the four were foresters – Ernie Chapman, Oliver Evans and John Hetherington.

John Hetherington,
Forestry, Undergraduate 1957

Ian Hunter remembers that the Foresters took part in the Rag Week pram race both years (1969-70) and won it both times. Nick Ledgard and I built the "racers". The first model stuck pretty close to the "pram" idea. The second year’s model - with ‘Little’ Wood in the hot seat - was just a go-cart without an engine. It actually was faster along the coast than the service bus!

Forestry students were always very involved in Rag Week activities with the highlight being the Forestry Float in the parade on the Saturday afternoon (followed by Rag Ball). Forestry floats tended to be boisterous affairs and occasionally led to the receipt of a reprimand from College authorities. Jeanette Harris recalls that in 1948 the Forestry Class turned the High Street into a spruce forest one morning in Rag Week by removing the roadside drain covers and planting large spruce in them.

Ian Hunter,
Forestry, Undergraduate 1969