This year we celebrate our Golden Jubilee - 500 years younger than Waltham Abbey, 100 years younger than LAMAS, 200 years than the British Museum and 300 years younger than the Society of Antiquaries.
Still, we can be proud of our achievements while other groups are struggling.
We are, in fact, a trifle premature in tonight's meeting - the founding meeting was on April 22nd 1958 at the now defunct Passmore Edwards Museum in Stratford.
For many years we worked in close association with the Museum, processing finds and storing them there.
Pat Wilkinson was curator and has always been a supportive member.
We can be proud of our achievements, digging locally at Harlow Temple in our early days, to Copped Hall and Wanstead Park now.
We have published our reports promptly, a real (and rare) achievement.
We are building up a younger, active membership of about 150 at the moment, after a drop about six years ago, thanks to increased publicity and an annual dig at Copped Hall and Wanstead Park.
After the 2007 AGM Harvey Sheldon told us about the Birkbeck training dig at Syon Park.
In April, the speaker was unable to come, so John Shepherd told us about the Wanstead Park investigations.
(Simon West will be coming next month to tell us about Turners Hall Farm).
At a well attended Rudge lecture Philip Crummy updated us on the Roman Chariot race circuit at Camulodunum, with film of the chariot action.
The final talk was by Walter Loebel on his visit to Petra and the history of the site.
He showed a lot of photos of this huge spectacular site.
We began the Autumn programme with Gustav Milne on the Archaeology of the Thames from prehistory to more modern times.
We still needed 10 more lectures.
In October, Richard Hobbs spoke on the late Roman hoards deposited in East Anglia, so rich and impressive, now on display at the BM.
In November we welcomed Paul Craddock, who finished his series of talks on Metallurgy casting.
The December meeting had to be cancelled, as there was no caretaker - we in the committee are working on an emergency programme for cancelled meetings.
John Shepherd will give his presentation in December 2008.
In Feb Jill Cook came to tell us about our African ancestors, bipedalism, and how our genus used specially designed tools.
The Social was very well attended, with excellent book sales, lots of raffle prizes and a controversial quiz.
The Copped Hall trust has continued to support our work.
An account of the 2007 dig is given by Christina Holloway in the Jubilee Newsletter (available at the AGM), which should be a bumper edition.
We now have a new room on the ground floor at Copped Hall with a display case, repaired by WEAG members, containing finds to be shown to Copped Hall visitors.
In 2007 a report on the 2004/05 dig, written by Christina, and a pottery report, by Lee Joyce, were published.
WEAG members dug at the site in 2007, and in August we had a very popular training dig.
Members of WEAG will be digging at the Spring Bank holiday week.
The training dig in August will be replaced with a research group of experienced diggers so that the site can be fully dug.
We have also been involved with a new project in Wanstead Park with the Wanstead Park Community Project to help them research the heritage of the area.
WEAG was involved with the Geophysical Survey of some areas of the park - in the autumn there was a survey of 20,000 sq. mt. using magnetometry instruments (purchased with Lottery Heritage funds) and ground penetration radar (equipment borrowed from a University).
The results are proving interesting, and selected areas will be re-examined soon using equipment purchased with help from Redbridge Arts Council.
We hope to use state of the art instruments to find out about the past of the site without trowelling!
We have worked hard this year, with the technology of the 21st century being used as well as the good old trowel and barrow.
We have entertained and educated the less physically active members.
Thank you to all committee members for every thing they have done, to the coffee makers and to all those who help at digs.
Let us hope we make it to a century!
