The following is reprinted from our 10th Anniversary Issue of Zoo News dated February 1992. We are grateful to Mr Norman Memmott, the founder Chairman of TZA (served 1972 to 1974) for the following article:
It was in late 1968 that Rural Science Advisers from a number of Local Education Authorities met with the owners of Twycross Zoo to discuss the Zoo's "educational potential". This led to a second meeting in 1969 - attended by over 300 teachers, at which a Committee was formed to set up "Twycross Zoo Educational Society".
During the following two years, a number of activities were arranged - workshops, talks, a week-end course, a Schools' Art Exhibition, etc. In addition, schools were offered facilities which included heated accommodation for groups, use of a small reference library and a display loaned by Leicester Museum.
The most significant feature of the TZES in the light of its eventual failure, was that it was addressing itself to teachers and schools almost exclusively. For a variety of reasons, the response was hardly enthusiastic. Membership never ecxeeded a total of 45; attendance at meetings was poor, seldom reaching 20 - and most of those were committee members; income was precarious and barely covered basic expenses.
By September 1971, after only two years of existence, the society was "on the rocks" and clearly not "fulfilling the needs of teachers". A meeting of L.E.A. and training College representatives was called to "ask their advice about what is needed --in the future". At this meeting, for which I was invited to be Chairman, although many suggestions of a minor nature were made during the two hours of discussion, it was generally felt that nothing had been proposed which could be sufficient to "create renewed or new interest" in the Society.
A report to this effect was made to the Annual General Meeting of the Society which, under the Chairmanship since its inception of Mr G W Codling (who later became the first Life Member of the TZA in recognition of his services to TZES), immediately after the special meeting already mentioned. It was at this Annual General Meeting (held on 30th September 1971) that I proposed that "the TZES, as at present constituted, be dissolved". It was accepted and received a majority vote, as did a proposal from the chair that "a Working Party should be formed to work out the detail and constitution for a reconstituted Society". Unfortunately, partly due to ill-health at that time, Mr Codling felt unable to accept nomination to the working party though he attended a number of its meetings as Ex Officio Chairman of the Society.
The Working Party, of which I had the honour to be elected Chairman, consisted of about a dozen members. Its brief was to "discuss the setting up of a Twycross Zoo Association, aimed more directly at the public, and children in particular g of our brief marked a very significant change in emphasis away from a narrowly educational function for a particular group of people, to a much broader general appeal which deliberately avoided the description "educational" and aimed at the public at large. It also embodied our faith in the belief that this could be achieved without any lowering of the standard and quality of the service that could be provided - a belief which not everyone endorsed at the time.
The Working Party met for the first time in January 1972 and, after holding a lengthy inquest on the failure of the TZES, it was resolved that "this meeting form a Twycross Zoo Association". Its object was "to promote an interest in wildlife and conservation in particular, within the context of Twycross Zoo", and "membership shall be open to everyone". This meeting then appointed officers to run the affairs of the TZA until the first General Meeting which was held on Sunday, 23rd April 19
The attendance at the first general meeting was not very auspicious, consisting as it did of less than 30 members. However, the working party had worked very hard during the proceeding three months, and had produced not only a badge but of Zoo News, a copy of which I hold as a treasured memory. I am delighted to know that the badge which I had originally designed, still adorns your publications, and that Zoo News is within reach of its 30th issue; but above all I am pleased that the membership of the association now stands at over 750. The faith of the 1972 Working Party has been more than justified if numbers are any indication of the present health of the Association.
Finally, your readers will have noted that my potted history of the Association's history has made no reference to individuals other than Mr Codling and myself as chairman of TZES and TZA respectively. A number of people gave much in ti lay the foundations of success, but this seems a suitable occasion to pay tribute to Bill Bakehouse and to Neville Kirkman who, as first Secretary and Treasurer respectively of TZA, handled organization, correspondence, printing and finance ic efficiency throughout those early years.
And what of Miss Evans and Miss Badham? Without their constant encouragement and support for the idea, their generous provision of facilities for meetings and their personal involvement in its activities, TZA would probably have died in the same time, no attempt was ever made by either of them to bring pressure to bear on our deliberations and decisions.
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