Lets try again. This internet stuff is tricky. The above correspondance has only just come to my attention and never in my life have I read such a diatribe based on half facts and misconstrued assumptions.
But firstly, lets examine the real reason Mr Rogers is using this website to discredit me. Might it be that last time we met, after he'd told me that he'd surveyed our new find, uninvited and unannounced, and later, after swearing at me, I had my face an inch from his and 'invited' him to get out of his car, which he couldn't because of his seatbelt and his wife holding onto him. Yes, it's true, seatbelts really do save lives. I exposed him in front of his wife for the coward he is. And so he resorts to this vindictive backstabbing on the internet, rather than man to man in some quite place.
He sites the tradition of open access to caves on the Black Mountain as his major bone of contention. Caves, what caves! There aren't any, certainly none worth gating, with of course 1 notable exception. Dan-yr-Ogof restricts access to groups with insurance and a qualified leader. Has this not saved the superb formations in this magnificent cave. And god knows how many callouts have been avoided. And in this day and age, where insurance is a sad but 'essential' fact of life, is there any other way to regulate it?
Mr Rogers seems to have overlooked a few important points. Firstly, the wishes of the landowner. He incorrectly states this is Brecon Beacons Water Company, whereas in fact, it's owned by a large Belgium company. Brecon Water is a subsidery who deal with the product, Pure naturel spring water. At a recent meeting with the Managing Director, whilst he was delighted to hear of news of the finds, he was understandably concerned about 2 important issues. Pollution of the water and accidents. He informed me that the 'Coke-Cola' companys recent fiasco with the contaminated pure filtered water 'Desani', cost that company millions, (6 million alone in advertising). If a contaminate where to be found here, ie. spent carbide, with the water now undergoing incredible anaylisis of parts per trillion, it would simply shut them down. Would anybody want 107 people, in a very rural area, to be made redundant in order to maintain tradition. We also disscused a rescue at Llygad a few years ago where a young girl slipped in the entrance rift. The MD was on site in the fields for 6 hours, opening gates, liasing with the rescue personnel, dealing with the press. This is my opinion only, but I sensed that access to that cave hung in the balance for a time afterwards. The same thing cannot happen again. Llygad is a very popular and suitable cave with novice groups and outdoor activity centres, and rightly so. The new find, which we have named 'Heavens Door' isn't, being rather unstable. I have been hit by 2 falling rocks and narrowly escaped 2 much larger rockfalls. Combined with the fact that flood water also backs up some 12-14m's, then it might just be a good idea to keep inexperienced people out.
The next mistaken claim of Mr Rogers is my wish to keep other cavers out,( He overlooks the fact that there are now 4 of us in the team). This has never been our intention. We have discussed issuing keys to some of the major caving clubs such as SWCC and WCC along with a few others. Access for all, but controlled. This is all academic though because at the moment, we have absolutly no intention of gating the cave. It simply isn't worth it. Except underwater, the place is a shithole. It does however have 1 redeeming quaility, a superb draught. Digging continues and if 1 day we do get into the huge system that is under the mountain, then we will look at the gate idea in more detail.
One point raised by Mr rogers which dumbfounds me is my visit to SWCC. He states that I 'spouted of at lenght to a whole bunch of people that I've never met before'. Funny thing is, I've still never met them, the place was empty! 1 sole character who I chatted to for a few minutes. Take me outside and shoot me if I was a little exuberant. I'd only passed 'The Slot' for the first time a few weeks previously. I expect Mr Rogers has learnt to take the big breakthroughs he makes all the time in his stride. Alas, I haven't- yet!
Finally I have to raise the issue of his attempts, indeed, the 'utmost of efforts' to contact me. Obviously, if you attempt to call someone late at night, it will be iqnored. If you attempt to call someone whilst they are underground, it will not be answered. I had, and have no intention of ever calling Mr Rogers, why should I? Besides being the biggest bore I've had the misfortune to meet, I don't want anything from him. If he wants to know whats going on, the onus is on him to contact me. What really puzzles me is, given his 'utmost of efforts', why he didn't simply come and knock on my door. Since early December, I have spent weeks parked at the cave in my 'white camper van' As he only lives nearby, it seems the logical thing to do.
The sad irony is Mr Rogers, when we get into the massive system that is here, a gate will be required in order to protect the rights of the discoverers from people like you. I did 111 dives into Llygad, not to mention the set up trips, and countless hours of hard graft along with my team mates digging at the new site. And why? So that we could be the first, to explore, to name, to photograph, to survey. Your actions ie the surveying of the cave, were interfering with another groups project. The lower section of the dry cave had only been discovered 2 weeks prior to your survey because of the flood water. There were unentered passages still when you went down. You may have been the first to go into them. And no matter how small they might have been, that's poaching, in anybodys book. Be warned Mr Rogers, you've broken the unwritten rules of caving.
