DON'T LET THE MEMBERSHIP DIE! (WE CAN'T ALL BE CHAMPIONS)

(No pictures in this one sorry)

A year or so ago, a gentleman called Mr G T Corby from 14 Beech Road Skellow Doncaster DN6 8BT wrote an open letter to everyone concerned for the welfare of the dahlia, it was title Don't let the Dahlia Die, or something like that. At the time I thought it was the most passionate few words I had ever heard about our  flower, and obviously the chap loved the species as much as I did. Since then I've being told by countless people that the dahlia is becoming more popular, and if you believe what you  read in the press, this happy hybrid from far off lands is making a come back. For my part I never thought for one second it had ever gone away, but then I'm a fan, as in fanatic, of this special hobby plant. Having just read a part of the American Dahlia Society Inc. Third Quarter Bulletin, I realise they have a completely different approach to our own National Society. For the most, things are done with less starchiness, don't get me wrong I love our Society warts and all, it is how we do things over here, but is the approach costing us membership? As a country our growing and breeding skills are second to none, don't let anyone tell you different, but shouldn't we be trying to persuade potential members to join by making things simpler? I'll give you a example, everyone knows how that reasonably new Society the Vagabond's operate. No committee, no minutes, in fact no anything, as far as I can tell, but it works, it's less starchy you see. I'm not for one minute suggesting the NDS adopts their strategy, but a less formal approach could maybe gather more in the way of membership. Some will say they like the way it's been run for the past twenty, thirty, or forty years, but is it encouraging new members, don't we have to make it fun.

Take American Football with all it's Razzmatazz, it sells the game, it isn't the game, but it draws in the crowds. The same way as the large dahlia stands of years ago used to. Where are they now? Don't tell me we couldn't get dahlia nurserymen to stage them, the rivalry would be good for the dahlia. I hate to quote anyone, but I'm going to for the sake of our flower, a few weeks before the show season's started a certain Bob Hendley told me he was determined to revive the dahlia, he wanted to put it back on top where it belongs. For shear flower power there is no  greater species, keep the dead blooms off, and from mid July until the first frosts of Autumn halt it's continual display, it will flower for you. The bloom rate is phenomenal, it out strips it's nearest rival the English rose hands down. True it isn't a flower that lasts when cut, although there are quite a number of varieties that will last over a week, but the blooms are so fast to replenish who cares.  A flower arranger from one of the local churches I supply flowers  to said, "I sometimes make them last a fortnight, by changing the water every day" I think by then they are probably petrified, or someone or something is intervening.

When I went up the various aisles of the National show, not the church, I was amazed at how many wonderful flowers there were, and how many beautiful exhibits didn't gain any recognition at all. To the general public, was there any? They all looked equal, and if they'd have judged them, they'd have all received a prize. Because we are a specialist Society they didn't, but couldn't some of the superb exhibits have been treated with the dignity they deserved, I know rules are rules, but a Highly Commended here, or a Special Prize for effort wouldn't have gone amiss. However know one was more pleased than I, when Jack Gott received a red ticket for that vase of singles in the basket class at Harrogate, every last flower his own creation, and the public loved `em.

Looking at the finances of the NDS reveals we are in a pretty healthy position, so why not use a little to excite new young growers, we have some very clever people as members, surely some of them can come up with ideas to increase membership, we cannot all be Champions, but we are all capable of putting on a show, it just needs ideas. Take the Collerette Carousel that Ivor Kitchener put up, that's what I call `Show Business ' I believe his daughter help him stage it. Could have been even better if they'd have hidden the wooden base with dark green material, but the idea behind it was marvellous, I know I pushed it around gently more than once. I'm sure in our membership we have men and women who are capable of creative thinking, so why not have someone in charge of all these ideas, and put a few in practice. Rivalry in all things brings forth the best, but money alone won't always increase membership, we have to make the dahlia exciting. We are already excited and have been bitten by the bug, and look forward to each season with relish, we have to inject that excitement into the whole idea of dahlia growing, in other words make all the hard work worthwhile. True in this modern World where principles an morals seem to have been thrown out of the window, it is far harder to entice the young to compete in what to them is an older persons hobby, but get a few on our side, and just like anything else the rivalry will start.

The year is 2005, five years into a new century, all those who are over seventy know we have seen the best music, the best film stars, the best comedians etc, but throw this aside, and learn the art of persuading the young to give this dahlia lark a go. There are so many things these days to take up their time, so we have to thrust the dahlia into the limelight. How about having a World Dahlia Convention, staged somewhere in the centre of Britain, lay on coaches at a reasonable rates so as everyone has an opportunity to join in the fun, you never know I might meet Jack Gott. This is a very prosperous Country, expensive but prosperous, and small in comparison to the States, regards getting from the top to the bottom. Out there they travel miles to shows, bit like our Northern friends, sadly I never learnt the skill of travelling on the motorway, and of cause now it's to late to learn. Having just got back from a few days in Torquay by car with a mate and his wife, I am more tired now than when I left, and all down to driving. At one stage I proposed to place a card in the rear window reading thus: Old Fa-t New to Area Excuse Driving' my mate was all for it, but the wife wouldn't hear of it. So let me stress, we owe a debt of gratitude to all of our  members who travel miles to exhibit their beautiful flowers, win or loose they are champion, which brings me to the final part of this small article.

During the course of my few short years of being a member of this great Society, I have heard from various sources of discontent among Northern members, okay not major gripes but there are certainly things that they're not content with, as a Londoner first and a Southerner second I find this terrible, because these members are dear to my heart, to me they are the backbone of our Society, their jocular manner, and gibes both amuse and comfort me, if we lost them, in other words, if they broke away from the main group it would be a major catastrophe. I'm all for a British Society, each Nation under the flag makes us strong, no matter what we think of one another, but to loose our Northern friends would be disastrous, okay to them, us down here are soft, or so they think, but when push comes to shove, we are all in it together as British men and women. (Fancy Jack thinking I speak posh)

So please `Don't let the Society and the dahlia die'

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