Merseyside
AS in the
1970s
Guest
speaker on several occasions was Mr. Jim Kelly, Chairman of the Fancy Guppy Association, and
columnist of 'Trans-Atlantic Topics' in Pet Fish Monthly. After
talking on breeding and general fish keeping, as well as answering numerous
questions, Mr. Kelly was applauded and asked to accept Honorary Life
Membership of the Society. He was also presented with a club badge...
As the result of Jim Kelly's talk a Study
Group was set up, headed by member Shirley Taylor of Leathers Lane,
Halewood, to study various facets of the hobby i.e. identification and
cure of common ailments, simple water chemistry and the adaptation of
plants to a tank environment...
The committee received a letter from Marion & Victor
Stone, of Laporte Street, Windsor 16, Ontario, Canada, enclosing their
entry fee and a request to become members. They had a fish-house with over
100 fish tanks. Victor wrote an article in the March 1971 issue of Mersey
Beacon magazine about his success at breeding the Splashing Tetra, Copeina
arnoldi...
Several workers from Grimwood's Heating
Elements, Gerrard Place, Skelmersdale New Town, Lancashire, formed the Grimwood
Aquarist Society...
Several members of the Southport Aquarist
Society broke away to form the Sandgrounders Aquatic Society, their primary aim being to
hold competitive shows in line with other local and regional societies.
They held there first meeting at the Temperance Institute, London Street,
Southport, Merseyside, followed by their first Open Show at St.
Andrew's Church Hall, Southport...
In reply to the origin of the
Sandgrounders badge, Steve Hooton informed me:
"The two founder members who had the most to do with our badge were
Secretary Ted Pinch (who kept and showed marines) and Treasurer Ken Howard
(who was a printer by trade and provided the club with its printing and
stationary). From what I was told by Ken, he designed the badge using the
black and gold because he was a supporter of Southport FC (The
Sandgrounders) who play in those colours. I think the slant on marines may
have had something to do with Ted. That's all there is to it…"
Merseyside AS extended its 'exchange magazine' with
societies around the world, Honorary Life Member Jim Kelly recommending
those American societies he considered to have first class publications.
By 2001, this eventually resulted with exchanges with the following
societies (the list may not be complete):
UK societies:
Airborough & District Aquarist Society.
Exmouth & District Aquarist Society
Greenock & District Aquarist Society.
Horsforth Aquarist Society.
Ilford & District Aquarium & Pondkeepers Society.
Mid-Sussex Aquarist Society.
Nailsea & District Aquarist Society.
North West Cichlid Group.
Nottingham Aquarist Society.
Newport Aquarist Society.
Portsmouth Aquarist Society.
Ryedale Aquarist Society.
Sandgrounders Aquatic Society.
Sheffield Aquarist Society.
Wirral Fish Keeping Club.
York Aquarist Society.
International societies:
Aurora Aquarium Society, Illinois, USA.
Brooklyn Aquarium Society, New York, USA.
Central Ohio Aquarium Society, Ohio, USA.
Charlottesville Aquarium Society, Virginia, USA.
Des Moines Aquarium Society, Iowa, USA.
Duleth Aquarium Society, Minnesota, USA.
Edgewood Valley AS, Melrose Park, Illinois, USA.
Fort Lauderdale Aquarium Society, USA.
Great Plains Aquarist Society, Nebraska, USA.
Greater Detroit Aquarium Society, USA.
Greater Iowa Aquarium Society, Des Moines, USA.
Harbor City Aquarium Society, California, USA.
Hutchinson Aquarium Society, Kansas, USA.
Indiana State Prison Aquarist Society, Indiana, USA.
Kansas City Aquarium Society, Missouri, USA.
Lafayette Aquarium Society, Indiana, USA.
Los Angeles Aquarium Society, California, USA.
Long Beach Aquarium Society, California, USA.
Manhattan Aquarium Society, Kansas, USA.
Miami Aquarium Society, Florida, USA.
Minneapolis Aquarium Society, Minnesota, USA.
Norwalk Aquarium Society, Connecticut, USA.
Oklahoma City Aquarist Society, USA.
Pomona Valley Aquarium Society, California, USA.
Pacific Cichlid Association, California, USA.
Pan Pacific Guppy Association, Rededa, California, USA.
Rochester Aquarist Society, New York, USA.
Royal Oak Aquarium Society, Michigan, USA.
San Antonio Aquarium Society, Texas, USA.
Newcastle Aquarium Society, New South Wales, Australia.
Calgary Aquarium Society, Alberta, Canada.
London Aquaria Society, Ontario, Canada.
Aquarium Society of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
The new Show Secretary, Danny Francis, proposed, for the
first time ever, the introduction of a Marine Section at the Table Show's.
This same year Society member Harry Heatley entered his Seahorse winning
Best in Show. In the 55-year history of the Society it is the only Marine
fish that has ever been entered at a Society Table or Society Open Show!..
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