Once again the task of producing the annual report has proved to be a pleasure rather than a chore, enabling us to reflect on various aspects of what, for the whole of the membership I hope, has been a successful year.

It has been customary to leave words of thanks till the end of this report, but this time round I would like record them at this juncture, to ensure they are read before boredom set in!

To the hard working Branch Officers, Peter Martin - Treasure; Alf Tingey - Newsletter Editor; Pauline Pearce & Mick Warren - Ordinary Members; and especially to Sheila Alderman - our Field Trip Organiser, very many thanks from the members for your efforts on our behalf.

To the members who make this effort worthwhile with your support of events, contributions to the newsletter and not least, for being such good company. To all our Field Trip leaders and speakers for the enthusiasm and your freely given time. To the new friends we have made from other branches and societies as we continued to broaden our understanding of geology and share in the success of the OU in bringing Earth Sciences to the masses.

Finally, to all the National Officers, and organisers for all your hard work in supporting the society as a whole.

Our own program of events, ranging over much of Southern Britain, have included :

A successful AGM / Lecture day, with our own members Doreen Smith, Bob Christain, and Charles Jackson speaking in the morning, supported by displays provided by Margaret Dyos, Tony Sheehan, and John Davis of their own travels or collections. Michael Le Bas delivered the main lecture in the afternoon on Volcanoes in Japan.

In February we had a return visit to the Southampton Oceanography Centre, where Professor Norman Hamilton led us on a tour of the facilities and summarised a few of the many, global and local projects currently in progress. Staggering progress in technology and knowledge in just five years!

Later in this month Chris Pamplin opened up the Charmouth Heritage Centre to introduce us to the area before leading us on a fossil hunt and study of the Black Venn landslips. A lovely piece of Icthyosaur jaw bone being found here, to go with the rib fragment (found by the same person!) on Monmouth beach, our afternoon venue.

In March we again kept indoors, at least in the morning when we visited Oxford University Museum's marvellous facilities made available by Phil Powell. Particular highlights were watching the skills of preparators unveiling vertebrate fossils from slabs of Oxford clay and the Woolly Rhino teeth found at the gravel pit that Phil Took us to later in the day.

The year wasn't all soft rock and Fossils, as in May, Alan Holiday from Weymouth College led us onto Dartmoor and the Devon coast for an extensive itinerary packed into our sun blessed weekend trip based in the Bay Hotel, Teignmouth.

John Chaffey always seems to be able to accommodate our appetite for brisk walks over all kinds of geological landforms, complete with "running" commentary. In late May he led us in, around and over geomorphology of Lulworth Cove and Mupe Bay.

June found us in the Western Weald with Alan Taylor, a Chemist by profession but passionate about all things geological, particularly soils. Visits to chalk quarries, brick pits (hand made) and exposures of gravels sands and pipe clays of the Folkestone beds kept everybody busy, while Alan's test tube kit, to determine soil ph values at the various sites, added to the suspense as we waited for the brew to reveal it's colourful secrets!

An evening trip to Fleet near Weymouth to look for fossils exposed on the shore and in the fields, was tried in July. A favourite spot for our leader bob Christain who managed to refrain from picking everything up, leaving some for others, as well as giving the broader geological setting of this part of our Jurassic heritage.

As unconformites go, they don't come much more easy to discern and access for closer scrutiny, than that at Vallis Vale. Doreen Smith taking those not already away on holiday to this part of Somerset and included Tedbury camp where wrench/tear faults were on view in the exposed beds.

In September the very first, present Branch Organiser's trip took place, to examine the wonderful Geology on view at Osmington. This was billed as supporting S260 students in their studies. If the result of Wessex students takes a dive this year, we will know who is to blame. The trip was also loosley billed as "Jurassic fossils" and fortunately one or two nice specimens were recovered from the sparse exposures of Kimmeridge clay at Ringstead Bay, so as not to fall completely foul of the Trade Descriptions Act.

Sheila tried here hand at organising a weekend trip, in October, to the Hanter Stanner complex in Hereford. As ever it was indeed very successful and a chance to hear of John Jaggard's progress in his study of this area. Jill Smethurst took uo the "rains" on the second day, splashing through the local quarries exhorting all and sundry to - " get in there and work it out".

In early November, Steve Etches took us on a guided tour of Kimmeridge bay followed by an enthralling visit to view his wonderful collection of fossils from this area and hear anecdotes of the trials and tribulations most of them gave him, from discovery, to extraction, through transport and finally conversation.

Later in November we had a chance to give something back to our heritage, in a RIGS day at Corscombe, assisting Charles Jackson in mapping this SSSI for the exact location of some 17 sarsen stones. Should save someone stubbing their toe! But for some reason we have a blank diary for December. We will however support the Dorset GA group at their workshop in Wool, before giving the membership the rest of the year off.