Council Positions
Dr S Payne began his third year as President of the Society. The following Society Officers were elected: Hon. General Secretary Miss R E Hill, Hon. Treasurer Mr N Light, Hon. Membership Secretary Mr J-P van Weert, Hon. Editor (Journal) Dr R Anderson, Hon. Editor (Mollusc World) Mr P Topley, Hon. Marine Recorder Dr J M Light, Hon Non-Marine Recorder Dr A Norris, Hon. Conservation Officer Dr M J Willing and Hon. Programme Secretary Mr R Boyce. New Ordinary members of Council were: Mr S Taylor, Dr W Penrice, Mr K Brown and Mrs C J Pain; Dr M B Seddon, Dr S B Wilkinson, Prof R A D Cameron and Dr M J Allen began their second year; and Mrs E Platts, Rev G Long and Mr B Rowson began their third year. Mr J-P van Weert subsequently resigned and Mrs R Payne kindly took over as Acting Membership Secretary.
Publications
Three issues of the Journal of Conchology (Volume 40: 4-6, bringing the publication schedule of the Journal up to date; Members and Subscribers will have received the parts relevant to the year for which they paid) and three issues of Mollusc World (Numbers 25-27, March, July and November) were published. The Society’s website www.conchsoc.org provides up-to-date information on the Society’s news and activities and a new version was in preparation during 2011 and has now been launched. Please visit the website for up-to-date information if you are able to. Any feedback about the content would be appreciated.
Other Council Matters
Four Council meetings were held including a full day meeting in October. Amongst the matters considered by Council were: Society investments; subscriptions policy and changes to subscription rates to reflect the cost of overseas postage; British mollusc reference specimens for the Angela Marmont Centre; progressing the new website; and Society publications and future online access.
Three applications for research grants were received, those from Bryony Caswell on ‘The impact of late Jurassic anoxia upon marine bivalve communities within the Wessex Basin, UK’ and from Steve Wilkinson ‘Using volunteer recording to assess the status of Helicella itala in the UK’ were awarded grants.
The death of the following member was announced at an Indoor Meeting: Dr Bernard Verdcourt, member since 1943, Past President and Honorary Member.
I would like to thank all members of Council and Society volunteers for their valuable contributions to Society activities. If anyone would be willing to help in the running of the Society, please contact the President or any of the Society Officers.