NORMALLY, ex-C.U.C.C. stalwarts contract a particularly malignant form of Senile Presidentitis and are never heard of again. The last few generations seem to have developed a strange immunity and exhibit instead a pathological addiction to the Underworld. A record of some of our activies follows.

Peter Bowler has always belonged to the Shepton Mallet Caving Club, but secured a job near Manchester, where he soon found himself undergoing the ultimate ignominy of becoming an Eldon Pothole Club member. In the summer of 1970 he went on Shepton's Expedition to Iceland.

Noel Williams went to Bangor to study Marine Geology, a dangerous occupation for one of such noted aquatic incompetence - famed far and wide as The Man Who Cannot Float In A Wetstuit. However, he seemed more likely to end his days on a rock face, and in North Wales the attractions of this were so strong that for a time it was feared that he was lost to caving; but he recovered, and featured in the recent C.U.C.C. descent of Black Shiver Pot. He is now at Bristol University, convenient for Mendip and the Avon Gorge.

Joe Duxbury is doing a Ph.D. at Southampton and - despite a Major Disaster in his private life - is still caving hard, sometimes on Mendip with Southampton Cavers and sometimes with C.U.C.C., Another Black Shiver hero.

Steve Smith, after joining C.U.C.C. Expedition to Ireland, now works at Stoke-on-Trent and has been enmeshed in the Eldon net.

Gareth Jones, doing his clinical at the Middlesex Hospital, has continued to feature prominently in C.U.C.C. activities, including visits to Ireland, which is now entirely composed of grit.

Perhaps our most noted failure to retreat into speleological oblivion was at Easter 1970, when Joe, Noel, Gareth and Clive went to a very glacial Wales. We found our way to the Far North of Dan-yr-Ogof, a particularly fine trip; through Ogof Ffynnon Ddu; and down Ogof Afon Nêdd Fechan in spectacularly high water.

The cynics doubtless claim that this will be the last ever heard of us - but read next year's journal before agreeing with them!

C.D. WESTLAKE (C.U.C.C.)

(Clive has himself been active with Eldon since leaving, one of his main tasks being the re-surveying of P-8 in Derbyshire, which is now almost complete)

[In fact, thirty years after this article was written, Clive was still caving most weekends having taken up cave diving mid-way through that period. I believe Joe Duxbury and Gareth Jones are also still going strong! Web.Editor]