A Personal Recollection of and about the Foundation Meeting of the Society 8th May 1963
Bernard James , Founder Member
“ In May 1963 , I was a health physicist working in the Health Physics and Medical Division at AERE Harwell , part of the UKAEA . The Head of the Division at that time was Mr N G Stewart and I was working directly to Miss E M Flew . Also in the Division was Dr B J Lister .
I had been at Harwell since leaving school in 1951 . It was then the Atomic Energy Research Establishment of the Ministry of Supply which became to the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority in 1954 . The then Head of Division was Dr W G Marley .
In 1963 Dr Marley was the Head of the Radiological Protection Division , AHSB , which was located on the Harwell campus .
In 1963 , I was working at the nuclear reactor site where the experimental reactors Dido and Pluto were located , developing and implementing operational health physics practices . In 1963 we were busy preparing for the Symposium in Health Physics Operations in Reactor Areas to be held on the 21st and 22 May 1963 at the Cockcroft Hall at Harwell .
During the latter part of 1962 , health physicists at Harwell were being encouraged to join the American Health Physics Society and we were aware of a meeting of representatives from various UK organisations held on 16 Jan 1963 , in the UKAEA Offices in Charles II St . At this meeting it had been agreed that an application would be made to the Health Physics Society to form a United Kingdom Section of the Health Physics Society and preparations were being made to achieve this .
The meeting on 8th May 1963 was held in Room 102 , a standard lecture theatre , at the Department of Chemical Engineering , Imperial College . It was chaired by Dr Lister .
Dr Lister referred to the meeting of 16th January where there was widespread support for the formation of a UK Section which would recognise and maintain close contact with existing UK societies and other related bodies . The meeting decided to send a formal petition to the Board of Directors of the Health Physics Society asking for approval in principle for the formation of a UK Section .
Subsequent to the meeting , Bylaws had been prepared and proposals made of the composition of a pro tempore Board . These had been circulated to members ahead of the 8th May meeting .
The main aims of this meeting were to decide whether or not a UK Section of the Health Physics Society should be founded and , in the event that this was agreed , agreement of the Bylaws .
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