THE MEETING on Thursday, February 8 was well attended.

Speaker Peter Evans presented an illustrated show titled “Mainly Coasters… mainly Local”, which focused on local shipping, and the final years of coaster operation on the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal up until the late 1980’s.

Avonmouth and the South West was featured using his high quality collection of maritime images to illustrate the past history with fascinating dialogue.

The show also covered Pete’s vast knowledge of where the various ships were built, and also how they ended their days, with quite a few of them running aground or sinking in faraway seas after many years of reliable service.

It is now hard to believe that well over 1,000 tonnes of goods per vessel - that ranged from wood potash and other nitrogen agent chemicals, and including rice, as well as fuel oil to name a few materials passed through our local canal system on a once daily basis to and from local industries.

Also vessels that carried these goods came from such distant places as Russia, Poland, Africa and Asia.

Photos of the only visit to the canal of the passenger ship M.V Balmoral (that got stuck at one of the canal swing bridges) was shown and discussed. The speaker’s photography included fantastic sunsets and very atmospheric night time ‘long exposure pictures’ of docks and vessels.

The speaker’s excellent humour also made the evening show even more fascinating and very enjoyable. At the end of the show Rich Kelsey did a vote of thanks to the speaker.

The society also made a donation to Severn Area Rescue Association.

Wings and Wheels next meeting is on Thursday, March 8 at 8pm in Dursley Community Centre when Malcolm Garner will give an illustrated talk entitled “Southern Steam in the 1960’s”

All welcome, the entry fee to this show is £4. For more info contact Rich on 01453 544489, or visit wingsandwheelssociety.org.uk.