Madagascar
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In July, local resident Chris Mason, 17, spent 2 weeks in the forests of Madagascar conducting scientific research to protect the woodland as part of a larger organisation named Operation Wallacea. Supported by the Boyse charity, a local charity set up by former vicar Reverend Boyse, Chris joined 22 other year 12 and 13 students and 3 staff from his school, Alcester Grammar School, and set out on July 27th for the other side of the world – to the 4th largest island on Earth. After 2 days of exhausting travel by plane, minibus and finally lorry they arrived at the village of Mariarano in north-west Madagascar. Here we found a group of scientists working with Operation Wallacea to assess the wildlife value of an area of dry forest which is much used by the local people for growing rice and cassava and grazing cattle, plus extracting wood for charcoal. This forest also happens to be home to at least 5 species of Lemur and countless other plants and animals endemic to this area of Madagascar. They were able to assist in the systematic survey work needed to establish the critical value of the area: the value that will be submitted to the United Nations for assigning the area carbon |
credits. In the process they had many amazing encounters with lemurs, chameleons, a crocodile, snakes, geckos and much more. It was also a massive privilege to meet the really friendly local people and to be able to visit the local school and take equipment to them, and entertain them with some songs and games. The local cuisine was fairly basic – lots of rice and beans, but with the excitement of crab, fish and Zebu (the cattle with the hump who also pulled carts everywhere!) There were also the new tastes of some Madagascan sugar cane and unique fruits. The lake water we had to drink was definitely an acquired taste! After a week of the heat and dust it was back into the trucks, and another 24 hour trek to the beautiful island of Nose Be near the top of the island. Here all the students completed their PADI dive training, and saw fantastic wildlife on the shallow reefs around the bay. To say “a good time was had by all” would be a massive understatement. (PADI is the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, and one of the two main regulating/ awarding bodies of scuba diving qualifications). |
Wellesbourne Choral Society
Now that December is here, there will be lots of demands on everyone's time, but why not give yourself some time-out to sit for a while and enjoy listening to the singing of Christmas music?
‘A Prelude to Christmas’ is the title of the concert, which will include seasonal songs and carols, both old and new, plus a performance of the modern cantata ‘Magnificat’ by John Rutter. St. Peter's Church, Wellesbourne is the venue and the concert will start at 7.30pm on Saturday 10 December 2011.
Tickets are £7 (including the interval refreshments) and can be bought at the door. Accompanied school age children are free.
Please come and support your local choir, and let the Christmas celebrations begin!
Tailpiece
As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Kentucky back country.
As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left, and they were eating lunch.
I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play.
The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man. And as I played 'Amazing Grace', the workers began to weep.
They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full.
As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never seen nothin' like that before, and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."