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2017/18 CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

 SCOTTISH MOUNTAIN HERITAGE COLLECTION

 Cash in bank £2387.41

 

ANNUAL CHAIRMAN'S REPORT FOR 2018

 

 

Another year of continuous acquisitions and donations of gear a few details of which are listed at the end of this report.  This inevitably leads to more work for Mick (Chairman) and Hermione (Archivist) and it's interesting to note that our 'sister' organisation, The West Highland Museum, receive tens of donations per year whereas we receive hundreds.

The possibility of a permanent home for the Collection continues to crop up on a regular basis, though there are no immediate plans for this to happen.  Meanwhile we are constantly bombarded by short term projects such as the display at the Fort William Mountain Festival, which we are happy to comply with, a similar one at the National Trust for Scotland Visitor Centre in Glencoe, a  proposed Field Centre in Glen Nevis, an expansion of the West Highland Museum, and several others.  Interestingly, and somewhat annoyingly, requests for the use of our Collection are often made by highly paid consultants who want us to help out for nothing!

SMHC is fortunate in that our Trustees continue to work away for no reward, and they are complimented in particular by three other non Trustees, namely Stuart Moralee (photography), Mick Slack (woodwork/displays) and John Fraser, who does everything that no-one else will do – thanks to them all.

Though there are currently a few items waiting to be archived, 95% is archived and stored safely here in Glen Roy, and whilst we are not generally open to the public, folk visit on a regular basis to see what's on offer.  Occasional newspaper and TV articles help keep us in the public eye.

E-mail enquiries come in on a daily basis, we have visits from fashion designers, art students, journalists and ski trainers.  This, I hope, goes to illustrate that we are an active, thriving and very busy Heritage Collection well regarded by the world of the outdoors and the wider community.

 

 

 

 

 

A few of the items donated to the SMHC in 2018:

 

1) Tilley lamp used by Creagh Dhu Mountaineering Club member Dick Gowers in the 1950s.
 
2) An Ames, a Brades and a Cornelius Whitehouse ice-axe, all three donated by Harry Napier.
 
3) A Black's Mountain Tent.
 
4) A Black's Good Companions Sleeping bag.
 
5) A Pair of Fischnaller skis.
 
6) A Pair of Viking skis donated by 95 year old George Stewart who bought them in Italy during World War Two.
 
7) A Pheonix ski jacket.
 
8) 2 Optimus paraffin stoves.
 
9) Eric Shipton's ice-axe, donated by one of his cousins.
 
10) 3 x Pheonix climbing helmets. 
 
11) A rare Chouinard piton from America. 
 
12) A large selection of 1960s/70s rock climbing gear. 
 
13) Several books and magazines. 
 
14) A pair of military skis and poles. 
 
15) Another pair of vintage, 1920s, skis. 
 
16) A unique pair of home-made crampons, known as 'trampons', donated in memory of Andy Nisbet. 
 
17) A Karrimor rucksack. 
 
18) A pair of Greenlander boots. 
 
19) A British Antarctic Survey jumper. 
 
20) Selection of slides – to copy – from Eric Langmuir. 

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