Five members shared their approach to mind magic and at least a dozen favourite effects from this fertile field with the rest of the attendees including one guest from Leeds. The mini-lecture/workshop model worked perfectly and there was a great deal of expertise demonstrated. The ground covered included background information on the paranormal to help scripting, guaranteeing spectral phenomena, suggestion and hypnosis, ESP and Premonition effects, Diary Effects, Tarot, Cold Reading, Contact Reading, NLP and much more. For those present this was a stimulating and very useful night. Everyone left with two or three new ideas and new motivation to explore mentalism further. Much more importantly, the atmosphere was great and the evening thoroughly enjoyable.

Congratulations to Mike Diamond on his hugely successful appearance at this year's Kidology convention in Birmingham. Mike sold out of the book he produced to go with his lecture. However, he did leave at home half a dozen copies. The Children's Entertainers Halloween Handbook contains very commercial and entertaining material. There are 7 routines and 5 games that, despite the book's name, you can use all year round. Everything is superbly illustrated by Tom Rigley. Members can still get their signed copy from Mike -if they are quick!

9th July

Table Sale and Workshop

We arrived to find that our meeting room has been decorated and is much lighter and airier.  A slightly lower turn out than we hoped for but numbers were bolstered by guests from Manchester and Liverpool. There four main tables and some single items for sale. The dealing was brisk and some excellent bargains were struck. A big thank you to everyone who brought items for sale and also to all those who bought so generously. Sale donations to club funds were also bouyant reflecting a successful time all round.

John Mills generated a lot of interest with some club archive materials he had found. including registers going back to 1996 and two old notebooks belonging to past members. At some point John needs to write his own memoir to bring the archive up to date.

During the second half several members shared favourite rope routines and were generous with their tuition. All in all, another excellent night packed with interesting stuff.

PS Don. I still haven't managed to remove the pencil you looped into my buttonhole.

11th June

Harry Robson

Many thanks to Members for a near full attendance and for inviting a good number of magician guests.  There was short delay at the start of the proceedings due to slow service in the restaurant but when our room was eventually full The Mahatma were able to welcome Harry warmly.

 Harry gave us a fantastic night assisted by the charming Andrew Dean. Harry shared some very strong comercial effects with the enthusiastic audience and was also pleased to give 'one to one' tuition during the break and at the end of the evening. Harry's sense of humour and routining, delivered with perfect timing,  were a lesson for the performers present just as important as his excellent effects. Harry also has a fund of entertaining personal anecdotes concerning the perils of a being a professional magician.

Many of us had previously only seen Harry at a distance on his stand or organising the Dealers' Halls at Blackpool. So it was a real pleasure to have him and Andy visit. The Harry Robson Lecture is highly recommended to any other club secretaries reading this note.

14th May

Workshops

Another great night at the Pheasant. Paul Sylvester gave us a powerful start with a highly professional look at 'Presentation Skills' applied to magic and magicians. This was a entertaining but very informative romp through the subject which was well recieved by the society and guests. Rick Tynan followed with the related art of 'Ventriloquism' and provide the room with a starter kit and written instructions. Scripting advice and some coaching in sounding difficult consonants ensured all attendees were able to walk away with a double act partner they didn't need to pay.

In the second half Mike Lee led the workshop by sharing his method for increasing the value of treasury notes and an excellent routine for translocating salt in the hand to an empty cup through a saucer acting as a lid. Finally, for those who could stay, Mike Diamond literally made their hair stand on end.

Thanks to Mike, Tim, Keith  and Rick for donating a fantastic range of raffle prizes.

9th April

Mike Diamond

Magic Memorabilia

and

Eccentric Entertainers

Mike Diamond's new lecture is perfect for any club looking for something different to add variety to their syllabus. Mike shared his collecting passion and a small part of his extensive collection with members and guests in a fascinating and entertaining night which simply ended too soon. Many of the items Mike demonstrated or explained were very valuable but some  were priceless because of their provenance.  Each had been chosen for the the interesting or funny story attached to it.

Starting with the contents of a high quality Magic Set for adults made in Bavaria in the 1920s Mike then demonstrated effects and props used by fake mediums during the early part of the twentieth century. He followed this with an intriguing section on unusual equipment used for mental effects. The first half concluded with items used by Victorian parlour magicians and the Aerial Fishing Rod used in the 1890s by a magician who may have invented the 'Gate Routine' later used to great effect by Tommy Cooper. 

The second half started with a look at some items from famous dealers such as Vampyre, and Supreme. Mike then talked about two lesser known contemporaries of Houdini who enjoyed very different relationships with the great magician and very different fates. Mike concluded with reminiscences about Stromboli and his project to resurrect Prof Spark and Thelmina's Electric Baby Act.  All in all a great lecture and an excellent evening.

The Austin Wand

The Mahatma's most prestigious award for 2008 was presented to President Paul Stone by

Past President and Honorary Life member John Mills at our AGM in February. This was

for services to the Mahatma far beyond that normally expected of a President in Office. 

In particular the organisation of our Liverpool 08 Dinner in May.

It was also for raising the profile of the Mahatma as a result of

Paul’s activities in the wider world of magic.

It also recognises Paul’s services to magic in

 general during 2008 as Executive Producer of the IBM British Ring Convention at

Eastbourne and by the launch of a major international magic charity initiative, MagiCares. This was marked by his production of a spectacular magic variety show at The London Palladium that paid tribute to

 Siegfreid and Roy

and was attended by them.

Any one of these achievements during 2008 would normally

warrant the presentation of the Austin Wand.