History of the Thurrock Natural History Society Brian Harrod The idea of the possible formation of a 'Thurrock' natural history society came to me back in the late 1960s. Born and raised in the Orsett countryside I spent my boyhood in the usual country fashion, scouring the prolific hedgerows or perilously swaying in the uppermost branches of the tall elms that graced the area at that time. When school leaving age came, it again was the custom for the country lads to take up employment on a local farm and I was no exception. After my marriage and with the business of raising a family well established, my thoughts turned once more to the study of nature and I spent many years of lone wandering and watching the wild things of the district. At that time, it seemed as if I was the only 'watcher' around, and I suffered many curious glances as people noted my shabby duffle coat and binoculars. So much so that I developed the habit of pushing my binoculars inside my coat whenever I approached human habitation. Surely, I thought, there must be other people in the area with similar interests. So it was that in February 1969 I wrote an article for the Thurrock Gazette outlining Thurrock and the wildlife it contained, and calling for any 'naturalists' in the area to contact me. As a result I received 12 replies, a meeting was arranged, and on 13 March 1969 the TNHS was formed. Our very first field meeting was at East Tilbury, still a popular birdwatching spot. Further meetings in that year were arranged to 'discover' wild Thurrock and November saw the first edition of our bulletin and a programme for 1970. 7