Judith joined the Society in 1974 but it was an event two years earlier which tipped her into the world of conchology. As a Nortontrained nanny working in New Zealand it was her responsibility to take her charges out for a daily walk. She recalls one afternoon when she and some children gathered large quantities of beached shells which had been cast up by a storm. They went home with a pushchair full to the brim.
Shortly after Judith visited the Tourist Bureau at Napier and saw an advertisement for a shell collection which was available for viewing. Judith viewed it and was so capitivated by the amazing shells and their stories that she was hooked. She started her own collection of New Zealand shells and sent them home to England. She did the same during her spell in Australia. When she returned to England she was already a member of the Society and not long after, started attending meetings in London and helping out at tea-time. She also turned her conchological attentions to British shells and regularly attended field meetings.
For at least the past 25 years Judith has been an invaluable and essential part of Society meetings – the organiser and provider of refreshments (and good cheer) at London indoor meetings; and a kind and considerate host to annual Society workshops at her home in Woking. The Council unanimously felt that her long service to the Society should be recognised by the award of life membership. Judith - many thanks!
Photo by Jan Light.