THE next time you walk down Butcher Terrace, York, towards the river you may notice the old blue hut that once stood there has gone.

It was once the home of the British Sub Aqua Club and I remember the hard work and commitment involved in building it. I was a mere lad of 12 when I joined and, because I was the youngest member, I quickly became their mascot.

The club was in its infancy then and while the rest of the world learned of the Twist and Beatlemania, ours was the undiscovered one beneath the waves.

Our equipment was primitive by today's standards: we thought nothing of donning woollen jumpers, socks and a tin bucket (for air) and leaping into the water.

As our club matured and technology improved we managed to sweep forward man's knowledge of that hidden two thirds of our planet: the sea.

Our club held many social events and the annual boat race was a popular and familiar sight upon the river Ouse.

At the site now among the rubble, a fresh adventure will soon be emerging: the Millennium Bridge.

For me it comes with mixed emotions of sacrifice and rebirth.

P R Shepherdson,

Chantry Close,

Woodthorpe,

York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.