PISCATOR

Vol 1 no 1 March 1947 – vol XXXII no. 104 Summer 1979

9 volumes, half tan leather with brown cloth boards and red labels gilt on the spine, numerous black and white plates and black and white illustrations, a very good set.

In March 1947 the first issue of Piscator, the Society's journal appeared. A. C. Harrison was its editor and, in a tribute to AC in December 1977 when the 100th edition of Piscator was published, the then CPS President, the late Dr. Frank Bradlow, wrote: "There can be few people who have met "AC" whose lives have not been enriched; his direct courteous manner, his dry sense of humour, his encyclopaedic knowledge of nature and fishing, and his human and humane wisdom are but a few of the qualities which make those who know him realise they have been in the company of a very unusual individual; one of those rare human beings whose personality makes an indelible impression on one's memory".

AC died in 1980 and, in his obituary, Dr. Bradlow wrote: "All our lives are richer in every way for having known him. Even those who did not know him well could say the same for he was a totally unjealous man, forever promoting the cause of angling and helping other people. From the first time we met I enjoyed his company and his complete honesty. There was never anything devious or shabby in his attitudes to other people and his extraordinary enthusiasm and unceasing work for the Society never clouded his judgement".

 Editorship of Piscator then passed to another outstanding individual, C. Ross-Munro who, after his retirement from UCT came into the CPS offices every day to carry out his duties as librarian and editor: "Ross", as he liked to be called, also served his country on the battle field and was wounded in action against the Germans while fighting for the Transvaal Scottish. He died three weeks before his eighty-eighth birthday and, true to tradition, called in at the CPS offices on the day that he died.

Ross edited sixteen issues of Piscator and, at the time, Dr. Bradlow, paid tribute to him in a function held in his honour a year before Ross died.

Pointing out the "Piscator" had only two editors since its inception, Dr. Bradlow said that Ross had performed an enormous service to the Society by stepping into a breech when AC died. "He was at that time the only person who could have done so and we were immensely lucky that he was willing to do it. Editing Piscator is no easy task. It involves the selection of material, page layouts, proof-reading and liaison with advertisers. All this he did on his own and, moreover, his service was given voluntarily and without pay.

"In many ways Ross was the ideal editor. He is a keen angler, well-read not only in angling but in general literature as well. He is a literary stylist, quick to spot grammatical errors and, in addition, he is conscientious almost to a fault".
http://piscator.co.za/old/history.html