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In 1979 we conducted a survey of fuchsias that had proved to be hardy in members' gardens. The results were collated for us by Hilda and Vera Anslow (who for many years set out and typed up our newsletters) and published by them in the BFS Autumn Bulletin
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The Society had always held two shows every year, the first in mid July and the second in early September (now discontinued). The reason for this was that in the sixties it was considered that the July show was too early for those who did not have greenhouses. These members would find the September show more suitable. Very soon the September event was made an 'open show' which attracted many entries from non-members. In those days there were fewer local fuchsia shows around. The difficulty of persuading members to enter the shows is not a new phenomenon but has cropped up from time to time since the early days of the Society. In recent times the lack of support for the September show led us to change the format in 1993-1996 to a 'Fuchsia Fayre' - essentially a fuchsia display supported by exhibits by other groups and societies. Two years ago the September show was discontinued and, unless circumstances change, is likely to remain so.
In September 1983 (was it as long ago as that?) our show was visited by a team from the BBC, the product of which was several minutes of exposure in one of Geoffrey Smith's 'World of Flowers' programmes devoted to the fuchsia. The programme has been repeated several times since, and some of our members hold video (and DVD) copies of it.
The year 1988 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the formation of the BFS. In anticipation of this, a group known as the Golden Jubilee Fuchsia Group (GJFG) was formed in 1986 with the objective of organising a bumper fuchsia show in 1988 to commemorate the event. Eleven fuchsia societies took part, including MEFS. Our own Margaret Slater was the Chairman. In the event a splendid show was held during a weekend in August at Oaklands College in St Albans. Although the show attracted many visitors, and received many favourable comments, it only just about broke even financially. During the course of the exercise we made many contacts and friends with other societies - friendships that continue to this day.
More recently an attempt was made to establish another grouping of societies - the North Thames Fuchsia Group - hopefully to continue to explore ways in which local societies could work together to establish a relationship similar to that which the GJFG found to be so pleasurable a decade or more before. Unfortunately, after a few successful combined shows, this group had to be disbanded.
Our annual photographic competition was launched in 1989. Here again we were resurrecting an earlier event - a one-off photographic competition that had been held in 1970. In the first year there were two sections - one for slides and the other for prints - but the slide competition received almost no support and in subsequent years this section was dropped. Later, in 1991, the event was given the name The Gordon Draper Photographic Competition in memory of Gordon Draper, who for years had been our Treasurer and Membership Secretary and, in his last three years, our President. It seemed appropriate to give his name to this competition since in his day Gordon had been a first class photographer.
During its history the MEFS has spawned three other local societies that specialise in fuchsias. First the Epping society, then the North Romford, and more recently the Waltham Forest society which also specialises in pelargoniums. We have been pleased to see these develop, and have given a welcome to them, regarding them as raising the profile of the fuchsia in this district rather than as acting as competitors to us. We are pleased to record that close friendship and co-operation exists between all four societies.
There are many other past activities of MEFS that can be recorded, and these will be referred to from time to time when an opportunity occurs.
Sufficient to note here that after 43 years the Society is still in a healthy state, and I see no reason why it shouldn't proceed happily to its own 50th anniversary in 2015 - although whether I shall be around to see it is another matter.
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