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18th September 2024 - James Fradgley

Astronomical Influences on Climate Change:

• Solar Output - Long Term
• Cyclical Variations in Solar Output
• Geological Factors
• Orbital Factors - Galactic
• Milankovitch Cycles * - Eccentricity, precession, axial tilt
• Orbital Inclination

• Anthropogenic effects

• Other questions
• Conclusion

*  Cycles play key roles in Earth’s short-term weather and long-term climate. A century ago, Serbian scientist Milutin Milankovitch hypothesised the long-term, collective effects of changes in Earth’s position relative to the Sun are a strong driver of Earth’s long-term climate, and are responsible for triggering the beginning and end of glaciation periods (Ice Ages).

16th October 2024 - Chris Morris

Plastic Bicycles

The Itera Plastic Bicycle was conceived in the early 1980s by ex-Volvo employees, with encouragement and loans from the state-owned bank PK-Banken. Volvo had been experimenting with a plastic mini car at the time. The idea here was to design a revolutionary new bike in Gőteborg (Gothenburg) and mass produce it inexpensively in Vilhelmina, Lappland (Lapland), where employment was needed up in the far north. This was the first time in the world a plastic injection moulded bicycle was mass-produced.

Launched in 1982, with a clever advertising program, the Eternal Machine (Evighetsmaskinen in Swedish) alluded to the fact that the frame could never rust. It was marketed as a mail order flat-pack which the owner assembled IKEA style.

So far so good so what could possibly go wrong?

Chris Morris became interested in the details of bicycle technology in the last decade or so. He first volunteered in 2011 at the Pedal Depot (a not-for-profit bicycle cooperative) in Vancouver, Canada, overhauling many older bikes for sale.

In 2015 he was appointed a director and over time he wrote, presented and had published over a dozen international papers on various aspects of bicycle design. The presentation locales included the United States, UK, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Since retiring to Swanage in late 2019, Chris has had several papers published in English and Italian cycle magazines and participated in various local bicycle-themed pop-up stands at cultural events in Corfe and Swanage. Last Spring he was in Cremona, Italy to present a paper entitled A Shifty Business on the varied approaches to shifting hub and bottom bracket gears.

20th November 2024 - Kevin Patience

Aviation Around Poole Harbour 1910-1976

Kevin’s talk is about the part Poole Bay played in connection with aviation from 1910–1976. Seaplanes operated from Poole in the First World War and in 1939 the harbour was taken over by Imperial Airways as a base for the Empire Class flying boats.

The Second World War saw Poole become one of the busiest airports in the world operating flying boats and seaplanes. Brownsea Island became a STARFISH decoy base and was part of the defences in the protection of the Royal Navy cordite factory at Holton Heath.

Kevin will also discuss the Battle of Britain and how in June 1944 Poole was a key port for the D-Day invasion.

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