The following pictures that have been kindly submitted by Richard are photo' excerpts from a souvenir brochure issued to the guest of some great event at the time. They are absolutely super and explain some of the passion that is central to the continuing debate on whether preservation of the past is of no value to the future and should be fodder for the bulldozers and construction crews. It seems clear that this argument is strongest among those who have no past of their own to cherish and who feel that the bad of today is better than the good of the past. For sure you wouldn't want to have got sick or injured back then, but surely the quality of life, the peace and simplicity of the time has to be better than a lot of what we grumble about today. Thanks Richard.

The picture at left on what must have been the inside front cover of the souvenir handout shows an early view of the Bernstein field in Forest Reserve. Wooden derricks and corduroy roads typify the time, probably among the earliest pics that I have published so far.

The wording read "Regent British Petrols ", what lovely old language.

I have scoured the pic to see if anything familiar stands out without success. I worked this field every week for a few years when selling oilfield chemicals to the Bernstein water flood that got treated water from Brighton. Harry Wooldridge was in charge of Equipment Engineering at the time, and it is here that he and I built up a good working relationship. I was very sorry to see him go, both as a super person and a good customer.

Based on the story on the surrounding pages, this must have been during 1936/37....long long time ago. Trinidad Leaseholds Ltd, had just increased their capitalization to Pds 1,700,000 and paid Pds 3,460,300 in dividends.... pretty good deal. Hope that you enjoy the trip back.