Having just taken over from Dave Butcher as Chairman, I was really struck by something this weekend. As you know, nobody in Liss Archaeology gets paid - not even Juliet Smith as our professional Archaeology Director, who lives on the site for the duration and gives our group credibility. We are a community group, and like any club or society the majority of our members depend on a select few to organise interesting things for us to do. The trouble is, if those few people who do the organising for the rest of us do not get support from the majority, then they get fed up and eventually give up or leave. A community group depends on support and teamwork from everyone.
These last few days I have seen evidence of just how much work and time some members put in - for example in hosting visits, arranging the excellent barbecue, teaching potential members, lending their professional skills, and pouring a concrete floor in our stores - but I have also been really disappointed to see quite selfish and unthinking behaviour by a few people too that has put extra pressure on those we all rely on to keep our group going.
Examples of thoughtlessness this weekend that really irritated me were:
Members who had booked to dig this weekend but failed to turn up or even let Juliet know they were not coming; and
Members who on the last day of the dig today did nothing to take equipment back from the trench, who actually left early and did nothing to help with the clear-up.
As a result I saw Juliet and the same few people as always who at nearly 6.00pm were still clearing up before the digger comes tomorrow: putting away tape measures, collecting the boundary pegs and string around the trench, and packing away tools and finds. They understandably looked distinctly fed up!
So please ask yourself what more you can do to help Juliet and those who organise the digs. In particular I would really appreciate a good turn-out tomorrow to help with putting away the tents, returning the equipment to stores and generally clearing the site. End of rant but comments welcome
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