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was largely how I had been feeling then. It wasn’t because I wanted to shatter any hopes or impose opinions, it’s just that I had tasted so much disappointment that I didn’t want to lead anyone else up this path. The objective of the group was, after all, closer encounters, to concentrate on the nucleus of the phenomena while cutting away sightings, commentaries and so on. We would look at two possibilities--these things either existed or they didn’t. CES were open to both suggestions but aimed to work on the former. Our 40% was still a considerably large response and Paul had arranged a first seminar/meeting in a local community hall. It wasn’t the favoured choice as we had originally hoped for a hotel conference room but due to our tiny budget, we would make the most with this old council run school hall. The first meeting was a definite success due to so much nervous preparation by the three of us. Paul, Wendy and I took turns in speaking to welcome the guests, each equipped with an itinerary of what to expect. The initial unease of the first meeting was made easier by the total attentiveness of our guests who surprisingly took in with interest everything we presented without so much as a heckle. Questions were allowed at the end of the session and there were a lot of them. The guests appeared to be a pleasantly mixed bunch with a mixture of input. As expected, the majority wanted to know of forthcoming field events and what they might hope to see on them. This was open to suggestion and would be welcomed with any feedback or ideas even if that meant spending a night in a haunted castle. We were set up as a research group that wanted to get closer. I was willing to go the distance with that side of the research and would personally find it an enlightening challenge. Quite a few people wanted to know of useful reading on the subjects such as book reviews and there were others who sought the hobbyist aspects. looking to collect information, group literature and so forth. A cross-section of enquirers with a mixture of input but overall it was a success. The ages ranged also from the teens to twenties (many who wanted sky watching trips that turned into outdoor parties) to the middle-aged with a marked and surprising interest in the paranormal. Over the coming months there would be subsequent meetings but as expected, less attendance than the first due to the many “samplers.” It was interesting to see the same faces as these would turn out to be the new core of our future membership. Both Paul and Wendy felt confident enough to supply their phone number to new and prospective members. A small but reputable research group was now forming and things looked promising for 55