Croydon Camera Club History: 1890-2000
Preface Introduction The Club Foundation 1809 Soiree 1899 Movies Member Prestige Council Meetings 1903 Founding President Mees Years 1904-12 The Great War Between The Wars Recorded Years Riots! Police! 1931 Edridge Road, 1932 1932 Nudes Ladies and Exhibitions Club Room eviction The Studio: 1933 Cine! Ladies! 1934 Highs and Lows, 1936 A/V, Stag Party, 1937 Freemasonry 1938 Baird Television 1938 War! 1940: Bombed ! Annual Report 1940-41 Making Do 1941 War Ends 1942-5 A War Retrospective Ladies? 1946 Ladies Admitted 1947-8 35mm Slides arrive Struggling 1949 SLF Out! 1949-50 Troubled 1950 Outings 1951 Winter Season 1951 Celebrations Mees Visits Croydon 1955 1956 Nonexistence 1957 1958-1959 1960 More Success 1961 The Darkroom 1961 Frivolity 1962 All Change 1963 1965-1967 Exhibitions 1967 Photeurop 1968 Photeurop 1969 Years 1970-1972 Terra Nova Years 1973 Years 1974-1975 19 Selsdon Road Years 1977-1979 Changes 1980 Friends Meeting House Close the Club 1983 Progress? 1984 Turnaround? 1985 Years 1987-1988 Slow Revival 1989 About Club Outings The Helpers Postscript
One of the first steps the Council took on 13th February was to approve the new role of Honorary Vice President and to declare that the Club rules should be reprinted. All outstanding subscriptions were to be collected.
A letter from Streatham Park Society suggesting an inter-club competition with several societies in the district forming an association with the view to holding a league or knockout competition was viewed with favour, though not the latter.
John Keane was made a Life Member at the AGM on 6th March and although the President, Secretary and Treasurer were all re-elected unopposed there was a ballot for Councillors and when elected they decided that the present subscription of 5/6d per attendance and fortnightly meetings should continue till the end of the year and 1947 would start with weekly meetings and a subscription of 21/-. Membership was 117.
Mr MacLaren again raised the question of admitting Ladies to membership as he had done at the 1945 AGM. Again he was defeated on a vote of 13 for and 16 against. Ladies still remained by invitation only. However the vote was close enough to show a split in the Club and the issue was going to have to be resolved at some time.
It was also decided to revive the Annual Exhibition and to hold the postponed Jubilee Dinner as a Reunion Dinner on 26th October at Grants, price 8/6d, attended by 72.
For the remainder of the Winter Session the first meeting each month was a Print Analysis and notable lecturers were A. J. N. Fletcher on "Birds and Bird Nesting" (April 17) and Lancelot Vining on "My Way with 35mm" on 15th May. Print discussion and conversational meetings filled the summer months, and then a Special General Meeting called by the Club on 18th September 1946 to discuss the admission of Ladies to membership. The opposing view was expressed by S. E. Whitaker, who said the masculine atmosphere so long associated with CCC (56 years) was worth preserving. R. A. Wiltshier said there was no photographic club in Croydon with its large population, open to Ladies and he was in favour of their being admitted. A postal vote was 31 in favour and 4 against, taken together with a vote of the meeting of 22 for and three against was overwhelming. Ladies were in! Just 49 years since the question was first raised in 1897. Norman Gryspeerdt resigned soon afterwards in protest.