Page 5 - 2020 AMA Summer

CHAIRMAN’S IFOREWORD
find myself writing this forward at a time us as the Honorary President). Once this when both the Nation and International is all over, we look forward to introducing Community are battling to combat the you to the Association and seeing you at
teamwork, risk management, organisa- tional skills, trust, emotional intelligence and awareness of others are but a few that spring to mind. So, whilst we may all be feeling very frustrated right now that many of our plans for outdoor adventures or trips to the climbing wall have been curtailed, they will still be waiting when this is all over. I leave you with the following quote from Sir Edmund Hillary:
“It’s not the mountain we conquer but ourselves”.
spread and impact of the Coronavirus. Trying to fast forward to where things will be by the time this edition of the Journal drops through your front door is near on impossible; however sadly as I write this at the end of Mar, I sense the situation will have got worse before getting better.
As a result, AMA events for 2020 are being postponed until further notice on a rolling basis as the situation unfolds. As you can all appreciate, we expect very little to happen over the forthcoming summer months both home and abroad, and still need to wait to see what the rest of the year will bring. We will do our best to keep you updated. Fortunately, we did manage to have very a successful exped to Hemsedal in Norway ice climbing (thanks to Chris Cookson), a Winter Meet in Scotland (thanks to Duncan Francis) and a climbing trip to Spain (thanks to Mike ‘Arthur’ Daley) before the world changed.
I would also like to take the opportunity to extend a very warm welcome to our new President, Maj Gen David Southall CBE, who has taken over the role from Lt Gen Ivan Hooper (who still stays with
various events in the future. Rather than me providing a more detailed introduc- tion here, we will save the next Journal Forward for the President.
I also have no doubt that whilst many of us will be frustrated we cannot enjoy the great outdoors, we will be busy trying to offer our services in some way. For those serving on the Front Line of the NHS, on behalf of the Association I would like to extend our appreciation to all you do in these par- ticularly challenging times. Many of those still serving, be it Regular or Reserve, will have been mobilised along the way, whilst others will be key workers in a range of roles. Even if not called upon directly, I expect many of you will have ‘self-mobi- lised’ to support your community.
So that brings me to the virtues and wider benefits that organisations such as the Army Mountaineering Association and Adventurous Training contribute in such times of crises. Firstly, a sense of Belonging and Service; which we tend to transcend to our place of work and communities. Secondly a range of personal and pro- fessional attributes; including leadership,
Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, the AGM weekend has been delayed to 13-15 Nov. The fallback plan if unable to run as a Meet is to use a webinar platform to run the AGM element only. Updates will follow nearer the time via email and Website.
MEMBERSHIP
SECRETARY
FOREWORD
After the delivery of each journal edition I receive phone calls and emails from members who have not received their copy. This is usually due to members’ details not being correct in our database. Unfortu- nately a member calling the office is the only way I am able to update such information and so I rely on you letting me know. If am informed I can make any changes necessary to the details we hold such as your address, e-mail and bank details etc; all you need to do is drop me an e-mail to the address below.
The office hours are Monday to Thursday 9.00am to 15.45pm.
If you have any questions, concerns or anything at all please contact me on 01248 718364 or Mil 95581 7964 or by e-mail to secretary@army- mountaineer.org.uk.
Emma Pritchard
WEDITOR’S FOREWORD
e’re now into Summer 2020. It isn’t the kind of summer any of us would have expected and the bottom line is that expeditions have, understanda-
bly been cancelled, reviews have been hard to come by and that’s added to this edition being slightly different. So, I offer the following as an alternative to many of the features you’re used to finding within the journal.
I’ve tried to fill this edition with new content from a balance of authors you’ll have heard from before, like Mike Raine from Plas-Y-Brenin, and our own committee members, and some new ‘faces’ some of you might not know, like Jim Langley of Ogwen Mountain Rescue.
I hope, given our current extreme situation, you’re all staying safe while being productive. This is, perhaps a blessing in disguise to get things done which you wouldn’t otherwise get to. If you’re struggling for ideas, our Recruiting Officer, Lee Magowan, has some thoughts on page 38 and if this is the first of a few editions of its kind then we’ll scour the net for the best of these to keep the stress of not going outside as low as can be.
Hopefully, there’ll be some of you who find yourselves at a loose end and might want to get involved. If that’s the case, send me an email at journal@armymountaineer.org. uk and let’s chat.
Al Topping
ARMY MOUNTAINEER / 5