Meet the Committee
PRESIDENT
Edward Townsend
I am a retired chest surgeon and my GP thought that our two acre garden would be an excellent location for hives but did not tell us that they were in Dadant Hives. So we enrolled on the beginners course in 2001.
The bees eventually arrived and we were left to fend for ourselves. The hives were riddled with wax moth and took a long time to sort out. In recent years, I try to enter exhibits in the shows and have been moderately successful at local, county and national level.
As President I would like to encourage all members to ‘have a go’ and enter the shows, especially those in their first productive season i.e. year two of beekeeping.
CHAIRPERSON
Fiona Matheson
I was born in Australia, living in the UK for many years and have dual citizenship. I have been beekeeping since 2011. I keep my colonies in my garden and a nearby allotment and I am passionate about all things bees.
I’m interested in the science of the bees and I have studied the BBKA modules,
I also enjoy going to the shows, talking about bees with the public. I am interested in making things with honey and wax, such as cakes and candles and also took a course in encaustic art
As Chairman of the club I want us all to enjoy our beekeeping and have fun.
SECRETARY
Gilllian Jones
I came to bee keeping by accident when someone asked if they could keep bees in my woodland and so signed up for the beginner’s course. I passed my Basic Assessment in 2017. I have three colonies and want to be a good beekeeper rather than the most studious.
I am fascinated by bee behaviour. I have had many diverse jobs but my main work was in organising major events for a consultancy company which honed my attention to detail and allowed me to travel and stay in some of the world's top hotels.
I currently work as a Production Manager, with my producer/director boss on projects such as videos to enhance websites, music videos and we have entered a few drama competitions.
WEBMASTER
Mike Knapp
I live in Chalfont St Peter but my bees are at my bee-partners house in Chorleywood. We began beekeeping in 2016; we’re learning and highly indebted to our mentor for encouragement and assistance. I work full time as a director of an IT company in Little Chalfont, servicing utility and facilities companies. I have many hobbies and unfinished projects, mainly linked to motorcycles and tools barely justified for maintaining motorcycles. I plan to retire in a few years, and hope to be able to spend more time with the bees once I leave work. I love travelling and find having a bee partner invaluable, as although we enjoy working and planning together for our miniature apiary, when one of us is busy we can still inspect and look after the hives.
BEGINNER'S APIARY
Jim Liness
I’m a country boy at heart, growing up in the foothills of the Sidlaw Hills just north of Dundee. My grandfather kept bees but they were a mystery to me then and I wasn’t allowed near them. I didn’t get around to keeping bees until 2014 when I was given a Polystyrene Langstroth Hive. Now all my colonies are in Polystyrene Langstroths and located in my garden. I help run the Beginners Course and most Wednesday and Saturday mornings I can be found at the club’s Beginners' Apiary, fixing, mending or demonstrating some aspect of beekeeping. I enjoy making changes or trying a new process, and love the way that Beekeeping helps you to stay in touch with natural world around you.
TRADING OFFICER
Mike Walters
I was born and raised in Harrow and have been keeping bees for several years having 10 hives in two locations. I took over from Bill as trading officer and enjoy the interaction with the club members. I don’t particularly like honey, but I love watching the bees work and find them fascinating and love to talk about them to anyone silly enough to ask.
I enjoy experimenting with different types of hives and equipment, most of which I build myself. Passing on what little knowledge I have to new beekeepers is something I find highly rewarding and teaching is something I think this club does so well.
I also enjoy motorbike riding, scuba diving, sailing, woodworking and woodturning.
I run a gardening firm employing about 15 staff so I don't have much spare time, especially during the summer.
EVENTS
Dorothie Jones
I have been interested in nature since iI was a child. I studied botany and zoology at university and I think I always wanted to be David Attenborough! However, as so happens, life took a different turn and I spent most of my working life in medical research and later in science education. When I retired in 2015, I signed up for the beginners course and the rest as they is history. I keep bees in my garden and my husband now describes himself as a "bee-widower!" I think we are extremely lucky to have such an active and supportive club here in the Chalfonts. I continue to learn so much from the club and it's members. My goal is to become a better beekeeper. We'll see how that goes!
WEBSITE PUBLISHER
Varsha Kirkby
I have been very lucky to have lived in so many amazing places around the world from Africa, to the Far East and Australasia, including many years in Tokyo. One thing I have learnt from my travels is what we all have in common is the love of outdoors and natural surroundings. I studied Micro Biology at University, but very quickly realised that I did not like working in a lab environment, so I studied Computer technology and started working as a programmer and progressed through the years as a Technology consultant. After returning back to UK from our travels, we settled in Chalfont St Giles., I decided to work in secondary schools, teaching Computing and Japanese and ended up heading the network department in the school
I retired in 2016, and decided to join my husband who also retired at the same time, to learn about bee keeping. I signed up for beginners course at the Club and learnt fundamentals of bee keeping. Years on, with three other friends formed a cooperative are proud owners of 3/4 hives. Apart from beekeeping, I volunteer at the local community library and still do some consultancy work at the School.