Page 4 - September October 2006

President’s Car... Nobby Clarke
The last one from Nobby Clark!
Well here at last is my very last President’s page (who said “Thank God”!). But seriously I would like to say what an honour and a privilege it has been, serving you as President for the past three years. We have certainly made some changes in that time! Some have gone unnoticed but have made a difference, and some have changed the very face of the Region, I hope for the better.
We started off by getting Roundhouse in colour (what a difference that made, and one that is here to stay), to the new deal with its lower and fairer membership dues, which has increased our member­ ship by about 20%, this last year alone.
I started the Region’s very own web chat group, which has become the place for members to keep in touch, and one side effect that I never thought about was what a great resource for Member Aid the group has become. Add to that the new region website on which Peter has done such a great job.
We barely had time to stop and catch our breaths before the 60th anniversary cele­ brations, which kicked off with the fan­ tastically successful 60th anniversary polo shirts which I am proud to say I see every­ where I go.
So on to the future – we have put in place some exciting new ventures; one of these is themed meets, which have already started. I hope the idea of themed meets will continue to expand in scope and ideas. I am sure they will thrive with your support!
Also we are holding our very first public show, one I planned to hold in Northamp­
ton this year, but as you may remember the builders didn’t play ball. So I am now pleased to say it is now to be held in Arden which is just outside Birmingham, on 16 June 2007. “Ardenrail” (see the new website www.ardenrail.co.uk) – with luck the show will become a yearly event. One thing is clear; we certainly will not be worried about getting good layouts to display, as the Region is blessed with some great modellers who have produced some excellent layouts. Let’s make it a window on the Region and the NMRA. I hope everyone will support the show and the team by going along..As I have said countless times, we can only be held back by a lack of imagination and willingness to try something new.
One thing I have noticed more than anything in the past three years is the feeling of brotherhood that exists within the Region and the NMRA as a whole. Gone is the fragmented feeling that I first noticed when I joined back in the ’90s – everything seemed so negative (remember the Northampton AGM – wow!).
To my mind, brotherhood is what makes the Region tick and is at the very core of what the NMRA is all about. I have made some life­long friends due to being a member of the NMRA, more than at any time in my life. Forget about what services we get – it’s this common bond we all share that makes the difference, and long may it continue. I have been to shows from one end of the country to the other and have got chatting to someone looking at a layout or standing near the publicity stand and realised we were both members, and before long we are chatting like old friends. It’s what ties us all together, and no amount of money can buy that. If you want to see what I mean, just stand by the
publicity stand at any show for a few minutes – it’s like magic, you could be holding a magnet. Before long there is a small group of members chatting and passing the time of day. Yes, we may all be members of our local Division or group and proud of that fact, and so we should be, but come the convention we see this family at its very best and I for one am very proud to be a part of that.
Meets
As of next year there will only be two Region meets a year, the winter and spring meets. This is because of dropping atten­ dance over the last few years at Region meets. I do not know the reason for this; it’s certainly not down to poor quality, as this year’s meets have been some of the best I have ever been to.
So is it the fact that local groups have become so successful that members feel they do not need to travel to meets, or that public shows now more and more have US outline layouts and traders as the norm, or just plain apathy on the part of members? You tell me! So as of 2007 the line­up will be Winter meet Wokingham 20 Jan, and the Spring meet will be at the Crewe Heritage Centre on 1 April. Then the public show on Saturday June 16 at Birmingham and we finish up at the Ipswich Convention, 26–28 October.
I hope with all the nagging I have done over the past three years that more Divisions and groups will consider hold­ ing themed meets. The Black Diamonds have already done so twice this year, holding a judging seminar which was run alongside an introduction to the Achieve­ ment Program, and hands­on modelling day. Both events were a great success. There is nothing stopping any group hold­ ing similar meets; we all have new aspects of the hobby we can learn from each other, so let’s see more of us passing on these skills through themed meets.
Open days
I hope that every group will hold an open day at least once, as I believe you will see what a benefit they can be. Then maybe it might become part of your group’s yearly calendar! The Seaboard Southern set the
 roUNDHoUSe