President’s Page- Iain Bartholomew

This has been a solid year for the PESGB with major efforts being put into tidying up our administrative systems. Along with new computer systems, we now have a fully operational database system and have launched our new web-site. I hope that you all have had a chance to look at it by now: comments are welcome as to how we could improve it even further. All this current in vestment means that we should, in the future, be able to provide a more efficient and useful service to our members. During the year we have welcomed Marian Scutt who has joined Gail, Justina and Julie in the PESGB office. Her prime responsibility is assistance with events, in particular our bi-annual PETEX conference and exhibition.
As I hope you are already aware, preparations are now well underway for PETEX 2002. A general call for papers went out in the November Newsletter, and we have already sold more exhibition space than ever before.
Major efforts are currently being put into strengthening the relationships that the PESGB has with other like-minded societies, which will allow members wider and less costly access to other society meetings and events. We will keep you regularly updated with progress. We are also putting a lot of energy into getting more in touch with our younger members and new potential members. We intend to run a graduate day for young geoscientists both in London and in Scotland in the spring.
Post-lecture refreshments, sponsored by willing volunteer companies, are now standard for both the London and Aberdeen meetings as part of drive to facilitate networking between members.
In London, we have been using the Scientific Societies Lecture Theatre for many years for the monthly Tuesday lectures. They have unfortunately been taken over by new management and are keen to be more commercial.
We have therefore changed our London lecture venue to the Geological Society of London on Piccadilly as from December. The Geological Society has very kindly given us a very preferential deal for their smartly re-vamped lecture theatre. Also it ‘s not too much further to the Guinea – the PESGB local.
I am delighted to announce that our membership has once again climbed to over 5000: the first time since the oil price crash of 1998.
With the upcoming Christmas and New Year season, I hope that you will be able to attend at least one of the PESGB festive events. We have a special Christmas Lecture on ‘The Bermuda
Triangle: A Geological Phenomenon?’ by Prof. R.C. Selley, to be held at the Geological Society of London on 11th December, which will be followed by festive refreshments. In Aberdeen, the evening lecture on 4th December by Robertsons Research will be followed by a Christmas Social Event at the Aberdeen Art Gallery. The President’s Evening, traditionally held in London in December, has been rescheduled to February 6th 2002. This is in response to member’s reactions to the last few events which have been under-attended and criticised. Our aim is to provide a fun and lowcost evening where we can all get together after we have recovered from all the seasonal festivities. See page 18.
I would like to end by asking you to join me in a very big thank-you to all the PESGB office staff and my Council for all the hard work that has been put in over the year. Remember that without the voluntary work from your Council, the PESGB would not exist as the success it is today. I would like to especially thank Gail WiIIiamson for all her efforts as Executive Director. She has now been ‘in post’ for over a year and has made enormous efforts in improving the way the Society runs. I wish Chris Bulley, the new President, and his Council all the very best for running the PESGB on your behalf in 2002.
Good luck to all Members for 2002 in these rather uncertain times. Have a very Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year.