warminster

A little bit of background first. I am privelaged to be a member of the long established Dragon Bonsai Society based in South Wales . Privelaged because the Society has an active membership that is so humble and enthusiastic it is contagious, and the members pride themselves on the ethos of Sharing Knowledge. However my knowledge and experience is very much in it's infancy' so as you can probably imagine my thirst for knowledge at the moment is always unquenchable.

Chris Thomas as an enthusiast has built up a wonderful rappore with the Warminster Bonsai Society through interactions at various Shows and Events so when Chris and two other enthusiasts' namely Jerry Wheeler and Bob Hill were invited down to Warminster in September to Share some Knowledge and Experience and they in turn invited me and another ‘ novice ‘ to come along we both jumped at the chance to fill our cups so to speak.

We arrived at Warminster on a fine sunny Saturday. The Society had opened up their venue to Chris, Jerry and Bob ready for a full day of Knowledge Sharing with warm hospitality. The refreshments flowed and the buffet was staggering.

I would guess that about Twenty or so members turned up on the day with again I guess about sixty to eighty pieces between them. From the basic raw material right through to trees that were ready for some refinement. All ceremonially laid out around the perimeter of their hall waiting to be displayed on a table and stand in the centre of the floor. There was even a gazebo outside with power to it waiting for anything that required carving !

I could feel that this was going to be an experience that was going to be priceless.

The Warminster ‘ boys ‘ and ‘ girls ‘ were falling over each other with enthusiasm to put their ‘ piece ‘ up on the centre table and stand for a critique.

Chris, Jerry and Bob facilitated the critique of every single piece of material.

Each piece was viewed from every conceivable angle and everyone that chose to had some constructive input, until the owner was happy that he or she was happy that they were getting what was best for them and their tree.

The hall felt like you were in a fashion show, the cameras were clicking and flashes were going off everywhere. Everyone wanted the Before and After shot, it was Great.

After each tree was critiqued there usually followed a burst of activity of wiring, cutting, pruning or even some carving led by Bob Hill before each was returned to the table and stand for final analysis. The end results were often staggering.

So this was the process that went on all day. There was no official tea or coffee break or indeed an official lunch. Nobody wanted to stop.You topped yourself up with food or drink when you had time or when you were taking a breather ! The enthusiasm was inspiring to watch.

So everyone cracked on until every piece had been viewed, critiqued and critiqued again. until finally the last piece was up on the stand. Phew !! what a day I had let alone the likes of Chris, Jerry, Bob and all the members from Warminster.

I had arrived at Warminster as a ‘ novice ‘ to the discipline of Bonsai and left still as a ‘ novice ‘ to the discipline of Bonsai. However, and it's a very big However I took away with me so much. Apart from the opportunity of seeing many species of trees, many different views and ideas on styling and carving, lots of pruning, cutting and wiring techniques I took away with me some of what I believe are the priceless benefits. Such as the boundless enthusiasm for Bonsai shown on the faces and body language of Chris, Jerry, Bob and every single member of the Warminster Society. The Pride that everyone took in Sharing what Knowledge and Experience they had. The Warmth and Dignity that was shown to people like me that felt a little overwhelmed. The Open and Friendly way in which everyone approached the critique sessions and the whole ambience that was created by a group of like minded people with no hierarchy, all hell bent on having a fantastic day working on and discussing Bonsai, Sharing Knowledge and Experience and in the process making new friends and contacts and catching up with old friends.

If this is what Bonsai is really about then I have definitely chosen the right Hobby for my retirement.

Chris, Jerry, Bob and everyone at the Warminster Bonsai Society, thanks for a Fantastic day and I look forward to the next one.

A Warm Welcome at Warminster.

by Gerwyn Reynolds