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From: "Malcolm Cadman" <q...@mcad.demon.co.uk>
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 8:57 PM
To: <ql-us...@q-v-d.com>
Subject: [Ql-Users] Quanta Subgroups - Survival
Overall a good number of subgroups, yet two definitely meet at someone's
home, and three have no location for Meetings ( although one of these
claims 12 Meetings a Year ). Leaving three subgroups that have a Venue.
It seems to me that Quanta needs its subgroups to be active and thriving,
to feed into the main organisation.
Therefore continued support is vital to survival.
It is my policy not to take an active part in this group, but I am prepared
to make an exception occasionally. In this case because whenever you and I
have ever tried to start a discussion on this subject in the past there has
been no interest.
As far as I can seen the present status is as follows:
There are not 8 subgroups but 6. Surrey and Sussex have been saying for
about 4 years now that they have no meeting place. It is reasonable to
assume that means they no longer exist. Unless, of course, that group of men
under Brighton pier are not alcoholics as I had assumed, but vagrant QL-ers.
I also thought that Solent and Dorset no longer existed, but earlier this
year Solent gave new meeting details. It is a pity they did not tell us what
their numbers are and what they get up to. At the AGM John Mason confirmed
that Dorset still exists, but is getting smaller and now barely viable.
Since that time we have had the sad news of John Meadow's death.
You know what happens in London. I believe you are getting smaller, but you
do maintain a website and some trade in second hand goods. I think it's a
pity the Quanta hierarchy do not want any more shows in the hall, but the
officers have certified themselves as being too decrepit and senile to
manage the stairs.
Scotland also maintains a website and is remarkably active for an area with
so few Ql-ers, mainly because of the enthusiasm of John Sadler and George
Gwilt. They gave one member good support when he had problems with one of my
programs. (Apologies, Colin, I still have not solved the problem.)
Birmingham meet in a local pub and rely on the fact that inner city pubs are
delighted to have any customers in the evening. They are a group of about 8
elderly men who meet to talk about everything and occasionally the QL.
Interestingly six of them, including the chairman, are not members of
Quanta. (The chairman for reasons of principle.)
Manchester is the largest of the subgroups and you have to touch your
forelock when you meet them because they are also the Quanta toffs. (Quanta
is shortly to be renamed the "External Affairs Branch of the North East
Manchester QL User Group"). For a large group they are surprisingly silent
about what they get up to, probably because of years of covert plotting to
take over Quanta. I once tried to goad them into telling us something of
what they do by suggesting on this list that they were not really QL-ers,
but a secret Elvis appreciation society, but it did not work.
Manchester do not have a dedicated website in spite of the fact that the
Quanta toffs are always moaning about how little interest the lesser mortals
on other subgroups show in having a dedicated page on the Quanta website.
All very hypocritical when you consider Quanta's specialist web staff hale
from Manchester,
Best wishes,
Geoff
PS Dilwyn, please feel free to reproduce this in its entirety in the Quanta
Magazine, but somehow I don't think you will want to.
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