I've been involved in some fascinating stuff over the years, including running my own 60-piece symphonic wind band, helping to run a not-for-profit events organising service, and working with an absolutely fantastic bunch of people managing the University of Surrey's film society for four years.
Unfortunately, all of these are now defunct. I would like to state for the record that I do not believe myself to be to blame for the demise of any of these organisations. Not entirely, anyway.
This page will provide the most recent versions of the websites of these organisations for reference. These sites are not live and are not kept up to date. No guarantees can be offered on the information contained on these sites and I'm not even intending to fix broken links when they occur.
Oscar Film Unit
by Joe Hunter; formerly at www.ofu.org.uk or www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Societies/filmsoc; most recent information some time in 2002. Please note much of this site relies on absolute links, which have been royally clobbered by me using FrontPage to rip the site in the days immediately prior to its demise. I've done my best to fix these, so if you spot any, please get in touch and let me know.
Oscar Film Unit was the film society at the University of Surrey. It was primarily concerned with filmmaking between the 1950s and 1970s. Latterly, it operated the campus cinema, eventually running both its own screenings and those of the University Arts Cinema. A resurgence of interest in filmmaking between 1999 and 2002 was not sufficient to save the society which, after years of competition with the Odeon Guildford, finally succumbed to the obselescence of its chosen film format (16mm) in 2001.
Want to know what happened next? It was supposed to be Surrey Student Cinema. Strong stomach required.
Random Events
by Geoff Martin; formerly at www.randomevents.co.uk or members.tripod.com/RandomEvents; most recent information 2001.
Random Events was formed primarily to give a heightened sense of legitimacy to plans to organise and run social events for young people in the Sevenoaks and West Kent regions. It put its name to three successful events between 1999 and 2001, including a Millennium Party. However, its influence was transitory due in part to the post-university dispersal of its organisers to places outside the local area.
Phoenix Wind Orchestra
by David Abbott; formerly at www.pwo.org.uk or website.lineone.net/~d.a.abbott/pwo; most recent information 2001.
Phoenix Wind Orchestra was a community symphonic wind band established in 1997 initially as a means of keeping together the members of West Kent Youth Wind Band of that year. It had more than sixty members at its peak and played a total of five concerts, raising more than £1,000 for local charities.
