Bill
The Chair of Trustees!
I was born 64 years ago just outside Birmingham. My parents had friends who lived in Pendeen and we spent many summers in Cornwall. I have a vivid memory of walking along the coast path through the bottom of Geevor and seeing the torrents of red water coming down from the Mill.
I was able to visit Geevor on many occasions over the following years and was lucky enough to have a trip underground to bottom of the Sub-Incline level before it finally flooded.
I was fortunate enough to be able to retire at the age of 50 and shortly afterwards Sheila and I moved from Yorkshire – where I spent the bulk of my working life – to Cornwall. In Yorkshire I got interested in caves and this coupled with my interest in history led me into mine exploration.
I first came to Geevor to work as guide – I needed something to do with my life and golf did not really appeal. I became convinced that the site had huge value and potential. In 2001 I was involved in setting up Pendeen Community Heritage, the charity which won the contract to manage Geevor. This has kept Sheila and I fully occupied ever since.
April 2, 2009 at 7:55 am
[...] find out more about Bill [...]
November 24, 2009 at 11:41 am
Bringing the story up to date.
On 27th November 1944 there was a huge explosion in a bomb store in a gypsum mine at Fauld in Derbyshire. Although my parents lived about 30 miles away, family legend has it that the noise of the expolsion sent my mother into labour and I was the result – so it all started with a mine . . .
After my birthday I am going to cut down on the time I spend at Geevor. I want to come in for a couple of days each week and spend quite a lot of my time catching up on all the jobs at home that I have neglected for years. I hope I shall be able to continue as a Trustee.
Geevor has been a large part of my life since the end of 2000. A small group of had decided to tender for the management contract for the mine: we spent a frantic four days over Christmas producing a business plan as a first step in the process which we eventually won.
It has never been an easy job to run Geevor. Basically, the place has always been and always will be short of money: we rely on people who work for very low wages [or even for nothing!] because they are committed to the site and want to make it succeed. It’s the people here who have always been the best part of the job – they have taught me a huge amount.
Looking back over the last nine years, I think that PCH’s greatest success is the fact that the site is still open. At a time when museums are finding it hard to survive, it is an achievement. During these years Penzance alone lost two museums.
It’s good to see the site in good repair – I remember in the early days going down through the Mill to do the morning inspection and having to dodge the rain coming in through big holes in the roof. For me, the novelty of ‘Hard Rock’ has not worn off. I still go in there a couple of times a day and it is great to see visitors getting so much out of it. If our plans for extending the underground tour next year come to fruition, we will have even more to offer next year.
The job has not been without its frustrations. Managing a site that belongs to a County Council is difficult: all local authorities have huge demands on their funds and it would be wrong to expect them to divert funds away from front line services – I think more and more about care for th elderly! – into areas like museums. A constant dialogue with Cornwall Council will need to go on to make sure that the limited funds they cam put in are spent to the best effect.
OK, a lttle rant. But I want to finish by saying a big ‘thank you’ to everyone that I have worked with during the past nine years. It’s been hard work at times, often a bit frustrating, but it has never been dull!