Martin Fry ’s Surprise 50 Year Celebration at CCC

Richard McCleery - Chair of Cheltenham Camera Club

Martin Fry, well known in AV circles, furthered an early interest in photography by joining Cheltenham Camera Club (CCC) as a schoolboy in 1972. In 2022 he was due to reach a 50-year anniversary at Cheltenham. As arguably one of our most active, successful and awarded members in our club’s 157-year history, we felt it appropriate to nd a good way to celebrate Martin’s time at CCC.

Martin’s 50th fell on ‘my watch’ as current CCC Chair. Having known Martin for 30 years I decided it might be entertaining to arrange a ‘surprise’ presentation, based on a ”This is Your Life” concept. The idea wasn’t original but had played successfully at CCC, 15 years earlier, when celebrating Godfrey Outram’s 50 years. That too was a surprise event, then timed for the ‘Chairman’s night surprise’ talk.

Aware that Martin might expect something in 2022, we kept all discussion and plans to an absolute minimum. Knowing Martin was well networked in CCC and the AV World, meant a challenge to maintain secrecy during the planning stage. Nothing was documented for the rst few months with only a few aware of my plans.

Amusingly, Wendy Outram later advised me that Martin said he “thought we had forgotten about his anniversary”, having heard no mention of any 50th.

CCC’s new season opening night of 8th September was chosen for the 50th surprise. Our ‘rst night’ is when CCC traditionally run the Cheltenham International Salon of Photography (CISP) AV premier. This showcases and celebrates photography from around the World. I chose that date thinking that Martin would never suspect our real intentions. Also, for the prior 9 years Martin had compiled the AV show for CISP. Out 10th CISP AV show coincidently fell to me to produce in 2022. I felt it likely that Martin would attend but was conscious that a celebration party without the surprise guest wouldn’t work well. We later had to take extra steps to ensure Martin attended, but that’s another story.

Ian Bateman, with his agreement, was scheduled in our new season programme to talk at CCC on September 15th. This was a decoy since we planned to announce a switch of CISP’s AV show to the 15th, once the CISP AV show had morphed into a surprise celebration for Matin Fry. On Thursday September 8th at 7:30pm I introduced and started the CISP show, which ran OK through the intro and moved into the 1st section (Travel), before ‘breaking down’ 2 minutes into the evening. After a brief ‘technical x’ we restarted near the end of the intro when the ‘celebration’ suddenly switched into a celebration of Martin and his 50 years at CCC.

Martin Fry ’ s Surprise 50 Year Celebration at CCC continued ...

Previously, having elicited the full (and essential) support of Jane Fry, Martin’s wife of 31 years, I then called Edgar Gibbs, as a mutual friend, for help and advice. Apart from connecting me with many others, Edgar as Chair of The RPS AV Group Committee also helpfully arranged for an RPS AV Committee tribute to Martin. So, Ian Bateman, Alastair Taylor, Peter Warner, Andrew Gagg and Sheila Haycox joined Edgar in recording a short (via Zoom) video congratulating Martin on his 50 years with CCC. I was able to show this just after revealing our real intention of the 8th.

Martin, who had been sitting quietly at the back of our hall, probably thought at this stage that we were nearly done and would soon get back to the CISP AV show. He was invited to come to the front, presumably thinking we might present him with a certicate or similar. But no, he was very much surprised, yet again, when several of his friends walked in from a side room to join the party and share his special night. Some were friends from 40 years back and included his long-term musician friend and collaborator, Johnny Coppin. His AV friends, known to readers of AV News, included Robert Albright, Ian Bateman, Linda and Edgar Gibbs and Sheila Haycox. Others would probably have ‘dropped in’ too but deterred by the time and distance as they were travelling to the National AV Championships in Leeds the following morning.

Several CCC club members and other friends spoke about Martin live and shared recollections and anecdotes. From the AV World we heard stories from Ian Bateman, Edgar and Linda Gibbs. Johnny Coppin played and sang live. Richard Brown and Keith Brown contributed via pre recorded videos as did another 4 friends unable to attend on the night. The Holy Brook sequence by Martin was also shown and we projected a number of his awardwinning pictures, before closing the formal presentations.

Many attendees signed a custom designed card celebrating Martin as our own ‘Cotswold Lad’. We nished, chatting socially over cake, nibbles, prosecco, and other refreshments (for those driving). All in all, an excellent and special night, especially for Martin. My thanks go to the many people involved who contributed and helped in some way to make the evening a success.

There is a video on Vimeo covering the evening for anyone interested. Click on the QR Code or visit: https://vimeo.com/753919786/500fd0602a

Dictionary Day, Powder Monkey Pub and a Feathered Friend!

Lilian Webb AIPF, ARPS.

The Irish Photographic Federation’s 39th National Audio-Visual Championships & 8th International Audio Visual Competition took place on Sunday, 16th October, 2022 via Zoom. It was judged by Sheila Haycox, ARPS, MPAGB/AV, EFIAP and Ian Bateman, FRPS, MPAGB, AV-AFIAP, APAGB. Though there was a big decrease in the number of entries, especially in the national section and the numbers attending were slightly down, it was great to see attendees from the USA, South Africa, Italy, Scotland, England & Wales and from Antrim to Shannon. The sequences were judged in advance and Ian & Sheila alternately gave very helpful comments on the national entries.

In the International Competition, Francesca Gernetti, AV-AFI & Carla Fiorina won the bronze medal for APT22 Alan Tyrer, ARPS, FPAGB/AV won the silver medal with Bomber and the overall winner of the gold medal, with In Search of Christina was Richard Brown, FRPS, FIPF, FACI(M), EFIAP, APAGB, which also won the Audience Vote.

In the National Section, the Overall winner and winner of the Advanced Section and the Kieran O’Loughlin Memorial Trophy was Liam Haines, LIPF for A Tribute to Jack Again the audience agreed with the judges. Brendan O’Sullivan, AIPF won the Best Sound Production Trophy for The Man who Gave a Voice to Silence, Jane McIlroy, CPAGB-AV won the Best Photography Trophy for Flower of Scotland. Celbridge Camera Club won the Best Script Trophy for One of Ireland’s Greatest.

Following the showing of all the sequences and prior to the announcement of the winners, Ian and Sheila treated us to the showing of their sequences. It was very appropriate that Sheila showed Dictionary Man as it was National Dictionary Day! Sheila also showed three other sequences including They Stole a Mountain. Ian showed a short sequence on enhancing speech for voice recordings, The Final Cut, which was originally produced in slides with 1 roll of 36 frames (and I remember many sequences that I made with 1 roll of slide lm!) of a Pink Floyd Concert and updated and digitalised. His nal sequence was The Moor, The Monkey & The Wall Street Crash, which was made after his move down south around Dartmoor & Exmoor.

To return to the title, 16th October was also National Dictionary Day, The Powder Monkey Pub was the only place that had Wi when needed per Ian‘s sequence - and I had no Wi for the almost 10 hours on Zoom - depending on a dongle! And the Feathered Friend .. well, I may claim to be the rst AV Co-ordinator who had a wee bird attending - on the shoulder of Peter Thomas, all the way from South Africa! Brings a tweet to a whole new level!

I now bow out after almost 24 years as IPF AV Committee Secretary/ Treasurer! Maybe I’ll take up bird watching!