Ivan Cane

Branch member, Ivan Cane, became an Honorary Life Member of the IWA in 2021 - 60 years a member!

I asked him some questions about his sixty years of membership:

Q. How did you first become interested in Canals?

A. As a teen I spent too much time in Colchester Public Library, and loved collecting Esso Maps (at 6d each) . I read this fictional book about a group of children undertaking a mystery bike ride across England, and I followed the clues and story on the Esso maps. At one point they go onto a narrowboat and through a canal tunnel. Exploring the canal’s dotted lines on the map, I found that it went to London, Birmingham and beyond. I decided to find out more about canals, and in the well stocked library section there was this book, Introducing Canals by Charles Hadfield. I read it from cover to cover - fascinated. I moved onto Rolt’s Inland Waterways of England, De Mares Canals of England and of course Rolt’s Narrow Boat. I was hooked. I even asked for Introducing Canals to be my Form prize in 1959! I also persuaded my parents to hire a Deans Pleasure Boat from Christleton near Chester at the time. We managed to boat to Trevor Basin and Nantwich, including the Pontcysyllte aqueduct - and exploring the disused Frankton Lock flight.

Q. What inspired you to join the IWA?

A. Using the Notes and Guides at the back of Hadfield’s book, I sent off for various hire boat brochures, and also juggled whether to join the Inland Waterways Preservation Society or the IWA, opting for the latter in early 1960. Soon I was the secretary of the River Stour Action Committee and a committee member of the 1961 Aylesbury Rally of Boats. In those days there was plenty of opportunity for the lay member to join in with activities.

I recall IWA branch trips on the Slough Arm, Great Ouse from Ely, the Trent and Mersey campaigning for the Derby Canal, and a weekend trip as part of the crew on Les Critchley’s boat for a protest cruise, on the Middle Levels, with the Peterborough Branch over Easter 1962. I was always keen to receive the IWA Bulletin, and the Windlass, the magazine of the Home & Counties Branch of the IWA.

Q. What restoration projects have you been involved in?

A. Although the River Stour was my first “project”, the first muddy experiences were with David Hutchings on the Stratford on Avon - two weeks in total. I could bore you for an evening just talking about those. A family move to Norfolk saw me taking members of my Hunstanton Scout Group to the Stourbridge Sixteen digs for weekends away - experiences that they never forgot, especially as we were always offered the chance to leg a joey through Dudley Tunnel. After we moved to Staffordshire, I took youngsters from the Youth Club to the Dudley Canal restoration at Blower’s Green Locks. So I was very fortunate to have been involved in those pioneering days.

Q. How far have you travelled during this time?

A. By the 1970s, now married, my wife and I enjoyed many trips with Ernie Thomas’s Gailey Cruisers’ hire boats from Hatherton. One August we hired a two berth for three weeks for £90, travelling through Birmingham, via the Wyrley & Essington, and Grand Union to Norton Junction, Market Harborough, Leicester and back via Great Haywood Junction. We had intended to boat the Erewash, but ran out of time - that took another 45 years to achieve.

During this time, I had started to take youngsters, from my Walsall Wood School, on historical walks along the local canals, which often ended up with a trip on Malcolm Braine’s Cactus from Great Haywood . A move to a Derbyshire School followed, and here my wife and I decided to take a group of youngsters away, for a week’s camping, in the hold of a narrow boat. That was in 1976. For the next thirty years this became a regular annual trip for 13/14 year olds, supplemented by two Spring and Autumn long weekend trips for College students after our move to Norfolk in 1978, 48 trips in total (including one to the Grand Canal and River Barrow in Eire). From 1986, we used Graham Wigley’s Birmingham & Midland Canal Carrying Company’s boats, and each year aimed to visit even more remote spots and longer trips - with plenty of locks to get everyone tired at night. So Gas Street to Norwood Tunnel on the Chesterfield, Northampton to Windsor via Limehouse and tidal Thames, Aylesbury to Goldalming, Stoke to Huddersfield, Liverpool to Bugsworth, Birmingham to Stoke then Llangollen, Whaley Bridge to Gas Street via the Manchester Ship Canal, Leicester ring, Avon ring and nearly every part of the BCN. Following my retirement from School in 2006, I bought a Wilderness Trailboat, so that we could visit those Canals I hadn’t been able to visit on a 70 footer. So, the Grand Western, Royal, Leeds and Liverpool, Rochdale, River Glen, Welshpool, Witham Navigable Drains, Northern Reaches and my favourite - the Brecon and Abergavenny.

It was at this time that I became involved in the restoration project on the North Walsham & Dilham Canal, and, having my boat based on the Wissey, when not trailing, have explored the Great Ouse and tributaries, Middle Levels - always trying to get that bit further - Methwold Lode, Horseway Sluice, Santon Downham and the Soham Lode.

Q. How do you see the future for the IWA?

A. I have two concerns about the IWA. First, it seems to be moving away from attracting the layman, much appears to be aimed at boaters or larger scaled events. If there is a Branch cruise - why not invite non boaters to join a crew - as I did with Les Critchley in 1962?

The Ipswich IWA ran successful weekend trips for its members, the campaign cruises on the Slough Arm and Erewash were open to all, the big digs such as Ashtac attracted hundreds. Today’s activities are all too “safe” and controlled. Which leads me to my second concern. Would I today, as a 15 year old, be attracted to join? I dug muck out of Stourbridge 16 locks with 14 year olds, today they are allowed to make bird boxes. My 13/14 y.o. crews catered for themselves, lockwheeled through Walsall, bow-hauled a butty across the Huddersfield Narrow. They were treated as equals to other adults working the canals at the same time. We are losing by not reaching out to that age range with proper challenges. On the other hand the IWA, the Restoration Hub and WRGies do much to extend our canal system - but, is it just for the silver generation?

Q. Where would you still like to visit?

A. When we were twelve, my mate and I used to play on Stratford St Mary Lock (River Stour), pulling the chains to lift the paddles, opening and shutting the gates. (Even then there was a bund above, so we weren’t really able to use it). Although, a couple of years ago it was restored, I’ve still not been through it by boat. My ideal would be to take my trailboat on the Lower Stour - but the EA wouldn’t allow it - even though my paid up licence covers the River Stour.

Thank you for that insight into your past, your views and future aspirations Ivan - much appreciated.

Carole Alderton, Editor