This page lists the current Trustees of the British Society of Dowsers.
You may also view the latest version of the British Society of Dowsers Memorandum and Articles of Association or view the pdf document here.
Richard Fry (BSD President)
I am a retired Fire Officer and former Royal Air Force Radio Technician. I also served as an Officer in the Air Cadet Organisation for many years. Since retiring, my main focus, apart from Dowsing, is to teach ukulele for members of the University of the Third Age (U3A).
I was introduced to dowsing in 2018 by our then-President, Graham Wayt. Since joining his Group in Gower, near Swansea, I have become a member of the West Wales Dowsers Group. I was also fortunate to attend a workshop on ‘Finding Lost Objects’ with Christopher Strong the previous summer and I was really hooked after that.
I find the dowsing community absolutely full of interesting, talented and friendly people who are willing to share their skills and experiences. Having worked with youngsters in the past, I can see the potential of getting them involved and hope to promote the groups to which I belong to spread the word.
Apart from learning more about this wonderful Art I hope to share my experience of Health and Safety Management with individuals, groups and events where needed, and so add to the professionalism that I believe the Society stands for.
Jonquil Webber
Jonquil began her career in the RAF where she served as a Loadmaster on VC10s. She later joined the Civil Service in the UK and served as far away as Hong Kong. Following a career of ‘service’ she settled in Plymouth and became a housekeeper on Drake’s Island, where she learned to dowse for water. Jonquil subsequently learnt to dowse for answers to most things in her daily life and has taught others how to dowse too. She has recently taught her neighbour’s daughter and hopes more youngsters will take up the craft. Jonquil also wants to promote dowsing and the BSD, and believes articles published in
mainstream and specialist magazines would spread the word. She has also served as Treasurer of the Plymouth Branch of the Royal Air Force Association for several years and hopes to use that experience to help the BSD move forward.
Cornelius Cavendish
I’m a business and management journalist, author and editor, having written six books and recently edited and partly co-written the memoirs of a celebrated medium, Roy Mackay, I’m not a Large, I’m a Medium. I’ve worked as a writer and editor for several periodical publishers, for business schools and for the University of Oxford. I now work mostly as an editor for a global financial publication and as a ghostwriter. I’m also a spiritual and shamanic healer.
My interest in dowsing stems from a social gathering I went to almost by accident about four years ago where dowsing happened to be the subject of the evening. When we were asked whether anyone would like to try their hand at dowsing, I said yes, and discovered I could dowse (for water). Next day I bought dowsing rods from the British Society of Dowsers. Four months later the BSD asked for volunteers to help run the bookshop at its Symposium. I said yes to that as well. The symposium was an eye-opener for me, and looking back was life-changing; I heard some wonderful talks and met an array of very interesting people, all of whom were so friendly and welcoming. Through that one event many new doors were opened to me. This has continued ever since.
I think the BSD has great potential and relevance, given the myriad ways in which it can be applied. I also believe that this is a time of awakening, when many people are thinking beyond conventional thought and practice. I think dowsing is likely to gain greater acceptance now than it has in the past.
Nick Haywood
Nick has experience in both scientific research and business. He is a PhD physicist, who having spent several years undertaking post-doctoral research on industrial contracts, switched to his current career in IT.
Living in west London and a member of Thames Dowsers, Nick is married with a young son, who he hopes will one day take up the art.
His interest in dowsing was piqued after watching the Tomorrow’s World program on the subject in 1978 and he later joined the BSD, being a member for more than 21 years. He is particularly interested in the academic study of dowsing, studying how it is practiced and its applications, which he communicates to the wider public through his own website and blog. Through this, he has become particularly well acquainted with the history of the BSD since its inception.
For several years now, he has been freely offering his time to the society, being a proof-reader for Dowsing Today, contributing articles himself and more recently helping to manage the web site. Since he was already helping with the society, it seemed appropriate to assist further as Trustee, starting at the end of last year.
He recognises along with its critics, that the council must act effectively to give the BSD a new sense of purpose. The future of the BSD is the priority, and he wants to help get it in a better position to serve the needs of all dowsers.