The Belfast Geologists' Society celebrates its Golden Anniversary at Colin Glen in the Belfast Hills Notes by Tony Bazley A special day dawned for the Belfast Geologists' Society on Tuesday 4 May. The evening saw a repeat of our very first field trip in 1954. It was preceded by a reception held in the Colin Glen Centre, run by the Colin Glen Trust. Brian Black, the well-known media commentator on the environment, unveiled a fine commemorative plaque to mark the occasion. Brian Black (left) and BGS President, Dr Bernard Anderson, unveil the plaque at the entrance to the Colin Glen Centre. Photo by David Kirk. We were welcomed to the Centre by Tim Palmer (Chairman, Colin Glen Trust) and by our President, Bernard Anderson, who gave an account of the Society's history. It is remarkable that just two secretaries have run the society for the whole of its 50-year existence - Herbert Black and his successor, Peter Millar. Brian Black then provided a fascinating account of his uncle Herbert, from a family perspective. Instead of the driving (and drinking) force remembered by many Society members, Brian gave us an insight into a still more eccentric character - someone apparently capable of 'selling the family silver' to pay for his legendary summer-long trips to the Alps with his wife Pauline. Brian also seemed somewhat daunted by the prospect of receiving back the residue of Herbie's vast collection of 35mm colour slides, now that the Ulster Museum has completed its selection and cataloguing of some 16,000 images. Many of those at the reception then put on their boots to retrace the steps of their predecessors. We were led by Tony Bazley through woodland carpeted with wood anemones, bluebells and primroses. Tony reminded everyone that if glens could talk, Colin Glen would have more to say than most - especially about the last 100 years. The Glen has suffered pollution by industry and by people but now, thanks to the fine work of the Trust, it seems to be recovering. Underpinning the scenic variety of the glen is its excellent geology. To see all the rocks it is necessary to walk up the riverbed, as they did in 1954 (led by Herbie himself), but time dictated an easier and dryer route for the anniversary event. Tony expressed his horror that half the glen is missing below the Gamekeepers Bridge, and that an apartment block has been built virtually to the edge of the river. The question was asked, "might pressure from development eventually engulf the glen?" More positively, the local authorities have managed to renovate the old, glen-side McGladdery's brick pit so successfully that what would have been an eyesore in 1954 now looks like natural woodland. Our walk followed the Triassic succession up to the top, above the Glen Cantilever Bridge, where the Penarth Group is succeeded by the lowest Jurassic mudstones. Here we stopped as the light faded and the weather deteriorated. There are other interesting features higher up the glen but, on this occasion, enough had been done to commemorate a very important time for the Belfast Geologists' Society. Everyone hoped that the glen survives as an important 'green lung' for Belfast until the Society's 100th anniversary, and beyond. The Colin Glen Trust is certainly doing all it can to ensure the glen's long term future. Thanks were expressed for the Trust's past achievements - and for making the Centre's facilities available to help the Society celebrate that spring day back in 1954. The Belfast Geologists' Society - background information Notes by Peter Millar Belfast Geologists' Society has its origin in Belfast Naturalists' Field Club - a famous and venerable institution, which goes back to 1863 and included Robert Lloyd Praeger (a prolific writer on natural history) and Robert J Welch (the Titanic photographer) among its members. The Field Club still flourishes and has sections covering Botany, Zoology, Archaeology & History - and, of course, Geology. By the 1950s, the Geological Section had become very large and this led to tensions within the Field Club. In 1954, a majority of the geologists left and formed the Belfast Geologists' Society. The early success of the Belfast Geologists' Society was due mainly to the work of a remarkable individual - Herbert S Black. 'Herbie' was a schoolmaster by profession and it is no exaggeration to say that the Society was his whole life. For nearly four decades he ran the Society almost single-handedly. Herbie was not only a wonderful organiser but also a character in every sense. Anyone who ever met Herbie - whether a member of the Society or one of his pupils at Belfast Model or Annadale - acquired a fund of Herbie anecdotes. The support of local professional geologists was also vital, especially that of Professor John K Charlesworth of Queen's University and Harry E Wilson of the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, both of whom saw a flourishing amateur local Society specialising in geology as an asset to the science in the province. Today the Society has over 90 members. While most live in the greater Belfast area, there are a few from much further afield. The majority are amateurs but we have a fair number of professional members as well. We organise winter lectures aimed at both amateurs and professionals. For many years these were held in Queen's Geology Department. After the regrettable decision by Queen's in 1998 to close its Geology Department, we were fortunate enough to be able to move our winter meetings to the Ulster Museum, and indeed the Museum has been very supportive of the Society at a difficult time. We enjoy cordial relations with many other groups - including, of course, the Field Club - and we often have joint meetings with them. In the spring and autumn we organise field trips. Most are one-day outings but once or twice a year we go away for a longer period. During 2004, for example, we are visiting the Assynt area of north-west Scotland in May and West Donegal in the autumn.
