College Memories.

[Mick Dempsey]

My nephew is doing a course at Kingswood at the moment and enjoying it from what I gather.

 

Got me a bit nostalgic about my 10 weeker at Merrist wood in ‘95.

These days in the age of social media everyone will at least know how to contact others later on, but in ‘95 we all just drifted off to the different parts of the world with a ‘see you around’ on the final day. I wonder how many are still in the tree game?

 

Some distinct memories I have are how testosterone fueled it was, we were nearly all quite young and physically fit so wrestling matches were common, sometimes quite edgy with the need of a submission before it would stop.

 

I was a total newbie, but a few of the students were already very accomplished and just doing it for the tickets, which was a bit dispiriting as you can imagine.

 

Jack Kenyon ran the course and he was pretty dismissive if you weren’t progressing after a few days climbing, I came pretty close to being left behind (the instructors marking you down as not worth the effort) but pulled it out the bag one day.

 

The practicals at Windsor Great Park where we were dismantling Turkey oaks were a bit dodgy to say the least, I remember skinning the inside of my forearms really badly when spiking up a trunk, large sections falling from great heights near people wandering around, you had to keep your wits about you.
 

All in all a great experience, anyone else cast their mind back to things that stick in their heads from college?

 

Edited August 18, 2020 by Mick Dempsey

[HuntingHicap]

The horse riding totty at Bicton?

[Mick Dempsey]

Horsey birds are ok, as long as you realise you’re always second to a horse.

Unless you have money, in which case you can fund their horses.

[htb]

wine women and song

[Khriss]

If you can remember college - you werent really there  ?  K

[Ty Korrigan]

I'm also a product of the Jack Kenyon 10 week Merrist mill.

I was pretty crap and insecure for a while though tip top in the science part being a Merrist horticulture student in the early '90s.

I went out climbing at the weekends and evenings at my own pace to try and get my head around exposure and work positioning.

It was a very mixed group of students. I was the oldest with many being around 19.

Some sent there as last resorts by social services and exasperated parents, others by their employers, a few like me paying their own way as a change of career.

One student even ended up on an environmental quango and addressed the House of Lords.

I recall a lecturer shooting squirrels with an air rifle during lectures.

He had a table set up in the woods with peanuts on it and a target.

One unlucky tree rat ended up skewered down onto the rooftop aerial of a students car.

Another student arrived for class complaining of a burning smell from his car. His boss had wedged a dead duck in the manifold.

There was a student of colour on another course.

He got ribbed by a lecturer for losing control of a tractor whilst winching.

The tractor was pulled up and over onto it's side. The video may still be on Youtube today.

The student made a complaint against the lecturer using the race card which resulted in the lecturer being suspended. We as a class wrote a letter of support for the lecturer.

I left Merrist as a mediocre climber but understanding the basics.

With practice I've understood more and remained a fairly mediocre climber but there are many trees well suited to a man of my skill level so earning a coin has never been a problem.

For the ones beyond me, there are hungry subbies.

I've been back since for courses, love it there.

 Stuart

 

 

 

[Tommy_B]

I either tried to drink it, climb it or get inside it when I was a student. Loved every minute.

 

I remember losing lots of evenings because the nearest Sainsbury did 4 cans of Skol and a litre bottle of Martini for less than a Fiver. Great times

[Mick Dempsey]

7 hours ago, Ty Korrigan said:

I'm also a product of the Jack Kenyon 10 week Merrist mill.

I was pretty crap and insecure for a while though tip top in the science part being a Merrist horticulture student in the early '90s.

I went out climbing at the weekends and evenings at my own pace to try and get my head around exposure and work positioning.

It was a very mixed group of students. I was the oldest with many being around 19.

Some sent there as last resorts by social services and exasperated parents, others by their employers, a few like me paying their own way as a change of career.

One student even ended up on an environmental quango and addressed the House of Lords.

I recall a lecturer shooting squirrels with an air rifle during lectures.

He had a table set up in the woods with peanuts on it and a target.

One unlucky tree rat ended up skewered down onto the rooftop aerial of a students car.

Another student arrived for class complaining of a burning smell from his car. His boss had wedged a dead duck in the manifold.

There was a student of colour on another course.

He got ribbed by a lecturer for losing control of a tractor whilst winching.

The tractor was pulled up and over onto it's side. The video may still be on Youtube today.

The student made a complaint against the lecturer using the race card which resulted in the lecturer being suspended. We as a class wrote a letter of support for the lecturer.

I left Merrist as a mediocre climber but understanding the basics.

With practice I've understood more and remained a fairly mediocre climber but there are many trees well suited to a man of my skill level so earning a coin has never been a problem.

For the ones beyond me, there are hungry subbies.

I've been back since for courses, love it there.

 Stuart

 

 

 

Yes, I think I’ve seen that vid.

[deezyboy]

15 hours ago, HuntingHicap said:

The horse riding totty at Bicton?

I think thats the main reason a lot of us went to Bicton, wasnt it? I dont think it was for the arb...

felling in clinton devon plantations.
Climbing 100ft trees around the arboretum.
nobby clarke offroading the college ldv minibuses up through the forestry racks etc

Nobby ran it when i was there in 2011 and he did the best he could with the management and budget etc etc that he had.
Ultimately it wasn't great but i left with a group of mates who still meet up now, my basic tickets and a hatred of cheap cider from the local post office.

[Ty Korrigan]

@Mick Dempsey

 

Will your nephew join you in France for a work experience?

    Stuart