THE guest speaker at the May 3 meeting of Crediton and District Probus Club was Tony Price, a local specialist and practitioner of the centuries-old science or art known as "dowsing".

Tony said that he could not explain why his "gift" worked but it did: he admitted that many people considered that it was all "hokus pocus", but with the aid of a short and bent piece of brass wire, a bottle of water and even his keyring he demonstrated how he had been able to find lost pipes and the source of leaks and blockages and buried foundations of demolished buildings.

From the number and variety of questions by the 22 members, it was clear that a majority of the people present accepted that dowsing was a method of finding physical things that had been lost or buried but "ley lines" joining prominent buildings or places of interest was a concept that was much harder to comprehend.

Tony’s "food for thought" was still being digested when the food for lunch was served.

The President thanked the speaker for his thought-provoking talk and called the meeting to order so that the rest of the day’s business could be completed.

Richard Adams