CAA History

Since becoming a member several years ago I have always been interested in finding out more about the waters I fish and the general make up of the club in the early days.

Now I have taken on the role as PR Officer I thought I would try and make the time to ask some of our older and wiser members if they can shed any light on days gone by. There are still many members that I have not got round to talking to but hopefully with the season due to start I will be able to catch up with them on the bank and start making some notes to put on the website. Please keep checking this website to see if there have been any updates posted. If the history is relevant to a certain waters please also check in that section.

It just so happens that back in the late eighties and early nineties there used to be newsletters created which I have been lucky enough to have a read of, below is a small nostalgic section that I have copied.
In 1921 a handful of anglers got together and reformed the old Chelmsford Angling Society which was renamed Association and started to function at the start of the 1922 Season. Each member paid an annual subscription of 10/6 (52 1/2p) and a hat was passed round at the end of the season to make up the usual deficit. The only water rented was the small lake at Newhall Boreham at an annual rental of four pounds.

The accounts that were announced at the AGM in 1933 showed a total income of £19, which was made up of twenty subscriptions at 10/6 with the rest being donations to eradicate the deficit. The meeting was attended by nine members, five of whom were elected onto the committee. I was one of the two left out in the cold as I was only sixteen (Jack Yerbury).

I think a special mention should be made to Mr wicker, no club could have a better secretary, his enthusiasm and energy inspired all with whom he came into contact and his close associates found themselves being bulldozed into doing jobs which they had not the slightest intention of doing. He laid the foundations of the present club.

To accommodate the now growing membership Mr Beach was approached and agreed to the associate taking over the river upstream of Beaches Mill at no cost. Only one competition had hitherto been fished, in the lakes at Danbury Park. We all put 6d (2 1/2p) in the kitty and the top weight fish took the lot, usually about 8/- (40p).

We continued to expand and eventually procured the fishing rights on a stretch of the canal, namely that between Paper Mill Lock and Rushes Lock, seven land owners were involved and we paid £15 a year in all. With membership now in excess of 100 we were able to finish the next season with a surplus of £35.

I feel that a special mention should also be made to Mr Tufnell. He became our president following the resignation of Brigadier General Wigan and continued in that capacity until he felt his age prevented him carrying on as actively as hitherto, but agreed to be the clubs patron, he has been a very loyal friend to the association.

Further stretches of water were being sought and the Chelmer and Blackwater navigation company leased us the fishing rights on the Beeleigh to Heybridge basin water, membership by this time had increased to 160.

An application was made to join the National Federation of Anglers and was accepted in 1938. We were thus entitled to send a team to fish the national championships which that year was on Bedfordshire Ouse. On September 24th we were given our first experience of big match fishing. Having seen how this big match was run we were inspired to run our own match. The match became very popular and on one occasion 650 anglers from all over Essex and Suffolk competed. Since the inception of the charity shield match we have donated over £4000 to charities.

One big milestone in the Associations history was the purchase in 1952 of the lake now known as Boreham Mere. The late Mr Frank Hawkes had for some years given us the privilege of fishing this disused gravel pit and with a lot of cajoling by Mr Maurice Moore we brought the freehold for £200.

During nearly sixty years with the Association I have seen many changes and improvements. When I recall that in 1933 a Nil bank balance, an income of £19 and our only water was one small lake, now we have substantial reserve balance with an annual income of nearly £30000 and rent over fourteen miles of river, the lakes at Broads Green and Ulting and own the freehold of Boreham Mere. I feel we have accomplished much and can be proud of what we have done.

The above article was a small section from a newsletter which was dated 89-90.
The author of the nostalgic piece was a Mr Jack Yerbury.

Thank you to the following past committee members who were named on the newsletters back in the day.
Editor:- D Wiffen
Secretary:- J Hopkins
Mem Secretary:- Mrs I Lewis
Chairman:- J Peachey Edwards

I would also like to thank Mr Mick Bearman and Mr Stefan Reed who kindly brought these newsletters to my attention.

I hope you enjoyed reading the above. Peter Harrington

Chelmsford Angling Association

CAA History