Editorial

This will be the last editorial that I write as in September, my wife and I will leave for Thailand, where we shall be doing voluntary work. The first issue of the Newsletter went to 80 members, the last one went to 180 (with another 55 going in bulk to the U.S.A.). Such growth in just over 3 years is very gratifying and the credit for that belongs to our members who have so faithfully sent in articles and cuttings. (Especial thanks to Malcolm McCleary who has just sent me more material on the infamous Time Life series of loony books. $35 a throw). I am not naturally efficient, and if I have failed to use your contribution, I apologise. It was my policy to use everything sent to me and if I failed in this it was not intentionally. Thanks are also due to Mark Davies and his gang at Vic who, apart from the first few issues, typed out the material, duplicated it and stapled it together. If you look back over the past issues, you can immediately tell when Mark took over by the startling improvement in the layout and appearance of the newsletter.

My wife and I will work without pay in Thailand but this is not such an act of altruism. The rate of taxation in this country is such that one can live better in Thailand without pay than on ones pension here. We expect that this move will be a real challenge and of special interest to us as skeptics. The Thais are predominately Buddhist and therefore believe in reincarnation. I hope to discuss with young people there the extent to which the traditional values have a hold on them. Is there, for example, a quarrel between science and religion? My wife and I are both teachers and here again there will be a challenge. Thai children tend to sit, silently, in rows treating their teacher as the fount of all knowledge. Throughout my career, as a teacher of Science, my motto has always been 'You are not to believe a single word that I say, unless you can confirm it by your own experiment or your own experience. ' To introduce discovery methods into Thai schools will be some challenge and will not be attempted too precipitately.

However, we are going to Chiang Mai which everyone says is the nicest town in the country, with the prettiest women (I hope to investigate this point; Chiang Mai is in the far north, the people there are lighter skinned, is that why they are considered more beautiful?. A research report will follow). We shall be at Montfort College and we should be pleased to welcome any skeptics passing through. The climate, especially in the Northern winter, is delightful and a visit to the surrounding hill tribes an unforgettable experience. The Thais are charming and energetic people with much to teach us.

In conclusion may I thank all members for the friendships established over the last three years; may I express my gratitude for all the help and forbearance you have shown to me. Finally, I ask you to extend the same qualities to my successor, whoever he may be, confident that the Newsletter will continue to be the most interesting of the regional ones and will continue to grow in membership and excellence.