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Details of our Next Meetings
Meetings start at 10:00 am
Please note that Speakers and Presentations may change at short notice
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Details will be published on this page as they become available
See HERE for our schedule & below for details
All Meetings will be on the
Third Wednesday of the month
Doors open at 09:45 - Presentations start at 10:20 am
with Refreshments between 09:50 and 10:20
All meetings are at 
Harman’s Cross Village Hall
Also Live-Streamed on Zoom
(details sent to members a week before meeting)

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.

11th December 2024 - David Corben

Fifty years a Lifeboatman

David Corben’s talk is a personal story of his involvement with the Swanage Lifeboat over the last 53 years - including being on the crew for 35 years.

David is at pains to emphasise that his experiences are not unique and are reflected in any one of the 5,600 crew at the 238 lifeboat stations throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

He provides a vivid account of the Swanage Lifeboat Station, which will be celebrating its 150th anniversary next year - and his own involvement over the past years. This presentation may be considered complementary to the visit some S&T members made to the RNLI College in Poole during our August Field Trip.

The talk includes videos of actual rescues that David was involved in and provides an insight into the workings of this fantastic rescue organisation with the vast technological changes that have taken place that affect the efficiency and safety of the crews engaged in what is fundamentally extremely dangerous work.

Note: This is the second
Wednesday in December

15th January 2025 - Alan Neal

The Ambulance Down in the Valley –
Nuclear Accidents and Contingency Planning

In the nuclear industry, safety is of paramount importance and very detailed procedures and regulations are in place to ensure the safety of any nuclear plant.

However, over the decades there have been a small number of serious nuclear accidents, in particular: Windscale in 1957, Three Mile Island in 1979, Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011.

Alan’s talk will cover the causes and effects of these accidents. It will also cover what countermeasures can be taken to mitigate the effects of any accidents and how nuclear sites, whilst safety of the plant is always of foremost importance, will also have detailed contingency plans to deal with major accidents, no matter how unlikely they are to occur.

Alan Neal is a physicist who has 40 years’ experience of working in the nuclear industry, initially in radiation safety roles and then in nuclear site management roles.

In 1985 Alan moved to the UKAEA’s site at Winfrith where he remained for most of his career, becoming the Head of Site in 1998, after which he became responsible for the decommissioning of both the Harwell and Winfrith Nuclear Sites. He ended his career as Site Director of the Berkeley Nuclear Site.

Windscale
Three Mile Island
Chernobyl
Fukushima