Well that broke the ice.

This is my third attempt at writing the Hibble scribble this year. Every time I looked at the sparse contributions, and lack of information, and tried to compensate by writing more, the less convincing the words appeared.

It just did not seem to work, and I am reminded of St Paul who says "Though I speak with the tongues of men, and of Angels, my voice is but as the sounding brass". Reviewing those drafts, it is a bit tricky to avoid either guilding the lily, and ignoring the issues, or adopting a pessimistic tone, which presents a picture of insurmountable obstacles.

Well, we have just had one of those jolly good, sort-it-all-out meetings. Everyone has had either a say, or the chance to speak. What is the problem, and will the proposed measures now tackle it people say? Sometimes in the Knot, someone has a bad year, with house moves, job or business issues, redundancy, family concerns, or illness. In working careers there is often a welfare organisation. Even when regiments were based around a town it was difficult. In the knot, people just go away. Talking to members, everyone appears to have had a bad year in Rivers for various reasons. It must be said the Knot has not exactly had a good season with foot and mouth affecting the muster programme this year, and a drying up of quality events before that. It was good then to see such an enthusiastic turnout for Donnington. Let us hope we can all look out for each other in some small way.

The malaise seemed to turn on the issue of communication, though I don’t know about how people are affected by the current trend for programmes like Big Brother, Castaways, Shipwrecked, and the Weakest link, but they all encourage a tendency to pick on the failings of individuals, and make them so unforgivable as to put them out of the game. We in the SK are actually meant to be representing a community in the seventeenth century that despite the ideological conflicts had values that were Christian. This meant caring for people despite their differences. The trend of such programmes seems to encourage us to act in the opposite way, though I am glad to see those castaways who have stuck with it have been changed for the better by the experience.

Many people misquote Darwin a nineteenth century writer as the justification for survival of the fittest meaning largest and strongest. If that were so, many of our prehistoric monsters would be still with us today. Rivers is a small regiment, but it has a vibrant community. Evolution is a remarkable process. It changes things subtly. It is the survival of the best fitted, like the beetle without wings or the elephants without tusks that more often determines the future. Silverfish are tiny creatures that have remained unchanged over millions of years because they are small, and have always has a successful habitat. Sometimes cataclysmic events alter the pace, but adaptations often occur because they successfully meet the criteria for survival in a particular system. People often advocate sweeping changes in the Knot, and yet either complain about the individual trying to implement them, or adopt a half hearted cynicism that fails to see things to fruition. Yet there has been a lot of improvement over the years. There is a greater feeling of democracy. Some of the battles that were well scripted have been very successful, and the Living History side has come on a treat. Even Rivers seem to be getting organised, as you will see by the attached diary, and minutes.

John Adair wrote a treatise in Training For Leadership, about maintaining the balance between the team, the task, and the needs of the individual. If you look at the mathematical charts that determine performance in a wargame, then it becomes very apparent that despite the number crunching, the individual is all too important. If you loose too many people, you usually loose. If the morale of the unit breaks, it significantly affects your ability to win. If the training is inadequate, the troops do not do as well in combat. However commanders who place their faith in highly trained units swanning about the battlefield have been known to come very unstuck if they disregard their support units. Rivers used to be considered an elite, but is it regarded as the village idiot of the tercio, and can we do anything to change this without it affecting our cultural identity? A lot can be achieved if people give an enthusiastic response to training turnouts, and conscientiously do their bit.

It behoves us all to look after the individual then. A good example of this was when the whole of Palatines got together to move flooded members to higher ground at last years Aston muster. My personal thanks go to those who moved our tent, which like an indomitable Gaulish village stood out till the last, when the banks of the stream burst. A foretaste of the coming autumn no doubt. Please keep contact with members of the regiment you have not seen for a bit though. It is all too easy to allow a valued person to slip into the waters and go downstream. That means one less pikeman, musketeer, drummer or support staff. Sometimes individuals may not actually seem to be doing very much, yet they act as a catalyst for the rest. It is very nice to play soldiers, officers, and gentlemen, but there is more going on if you just look around.

With the advent in the Knot of a greater living history community, there seems to be a growing tendency amongst regiments to do this kind of activity. There is a lot of debate about many of the associated issues around this, but it definitely attracts favourable public interest. It is important to do something well, and have displays. The days of one tent, a cooking pot, a fire, and a few bits of armour are no longer enough. It is an activity that requires resourcing, which also means transport of heavy equipment. Now it is fine if you have the money to pay for a pantechnican, but if like most of us you have to fit everything into a family saloon, you have to be realistic in your ambitions. Nevertheless, if you would like to get things going please contact either Debbie Fisher or myself

I am looking forward to seeing you all for our service at Donnington at 11 am on Sunday 6^th January 2002. I hope to have some contribution from the ranks, and need readers, as well as other assistants. I am building up artefacts. We have an incense burner now, and it would be nice to have a proper crucifix for someone to carry. You know, all those sorts of things that make a greater spectacle, and infuriate some of the mechanic preachers on the parliamentarian side.

This Hibble scribble is written by your friendly preacher, and transmitted magically by the new communications officer John Bailey who will also be adding other information about forthcoming events.

One final point… if you forgot your membership renewal then please be extra nice to Elsa if you did. In the old days it was possible to turn up for the last muster of the season with your subs, and still keep your military rank. That’s not so these days. Even if you do not have a rank, it means an extra admin charge, and more work.