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History
My name is Ian Wilson and I live in Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland. I am an avid
collector and builder; a fascination which started around the age of about 4. When I was about
38/40, I started to put together a Meccano funfair and other models. In 2003, I
showed some of my models under the wing of a railway club in Bangor, N.I. There,
I met one of our club members (Frank Murphy). We talked about Meccano as we both
shared a passion for it.
The trail went cold for several years until one
day Selwyn Johnston was asked to find someone with Meccano models for another
railway exhibition in Enniskillen. Under their wing, Selwyn was given my contact
details and after a long and lengthy conversation I agreed to put some models together
for an exhibition on the 20th September 2008. From March until September the
planning and model building started and we advertised in the local papers trying
to track down other Meccano enthusiasts. So, for the 1st exhibition, we were not
a club, but we were a small group; Selwyn Johnston, Francie Birney, and Ian
Wilson. During the exhibition, word got out and interest grew. At this time,
we fell in with Frank Murphy and asked him if he would come on board. At this
time, we noted that interest in Meccano was growing and we decided to put on
our own exhibition on the 1st November 2008 in Enniskillen Library with the help
of friends, family, and the media. The small group has grown from three to five
who were exhibiting on 1st November (See Exhibit '08 photos). During the exhibition, we picked
up another two members of the group and unfortunately we lost one due to other
commitments. The exhibition went well with over 150 models on display and other attractions.
After the packing away of all the models, there was a short discussion of how well
it had all went and some of the exhibitors came up with the idea of a club. Between
Frank and myself, we got together with the contacts that were made and let them know what plans we were trying to put together. Surprisingly, all that we contacted agreed on a meeting towards forming a club.
On Friday, 12th December, 2008, five enthusiasts met at Ian's house to discuss
the plans and the club. So, on 12th Dec. the Corlust Meccano Club officially
started!
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The aim of our club is to promote Meccano, share ideas and model
building techniques. Basically, to have a good time; we aim to flush out any
other Meccano enthusiasts that might be interested in joining the club, both
young and old, and put together an organised Meccano exhibition on a yearly
basis in different locations both North and South.
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The following is a group picture (click to enlarge) of the club as of Friday, 23rd Feb. 2009:
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Back row (l to r): Mark Wilson, Ian Wilson (chair person), Stuart Judd Front row (l to r): Samuel Burrows, Frank Murphy (secretary), Ron Corry.
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