THIS EDITION OF NWBN is probably early - we had to get it out because Jean and I are visiting our daughter Pam in San Francisco and excuses like “We couldn’t make the flight, we were finishing off the News Mag” cut no ice with British Airways. They just keep your £304. Pam has lined up gigs in some interesting(!) places - so we may indulge ourselves and report next time! But this time we have a report by Kevin Garratt about his adventures in the Czech and Slovak Republics.Next time there will be one about Bluegrass in Brittany, by Bev Williams. Now, if we can just get Steve Read to tell us about his 3-month sojourn in Canada...

THE FACT THAT the iBluegrass Internet Mag has reprinted the Andy Townend obituary from our September edition is a sure indication of how widely he was known and the esteem in which he was held. But I will say it if no-one else will:- it also testifies once again to the quality of articles that our contributors provide - well done all, and thanks!

THAT TAKES ME ON to a couple of issues raised in a Letter to the Editor this time. I think it’s fair to say that no-one does anything literally for nothing. Take, for example, writing articles. Perhaps authors do it for personal satisfaction or for altruistic reasons, but as far as NWBN is concerned, it’s certainly not for the money! Whatever the reason, writing good articles is hard work and very time consuming - some are re-written as many as a dozen times over several months before they are ready. Some of our contributors are very busy people and, despite having no spare time, still come up with the goods. And usually on time (OK - maybe after a few ’phone calls!!!) Others are professional writers. Ian Reynolds, for example, writes for a living but charges us nothing for articles of Cheshire Life standard, like the Jack & Mavis Lee Story (May 1998). The point I’m getting at is “A little goodwill goes a long way.” If praise is due then let the person(s) concerned know - via these columns if possible, so everyone knows. As Bev Williams would say - “What goes round comes round.” Amen.

The other thing is making money out of Bluegrass. I can see nothing wrong with that - if anyone can actually do it. Frequently those who try end up losing money, in fact. Shops or Stores are among the few examples that can actually return a real profit. But it would be different if an organisation were to represent itself as something that it wasn’t in order to enhance its’ image or for whatever reason. That kind of thing would give the public a false impression - they would be misled and become mistrusting. For example, it would be wrong if I were to imply that NWBN is part of the BGU! Anyone doing that kind of thing would be fair game for exposure.

Heavy stuff, that! For now, just enjoy the mag (or if you’re reading this last - I hope you enjoyed it!).

Updated 23rd Jan 1999