NABO News has been published six times a year since shortly after NABO was formed in 1991. For many years, the cover featured the familiar NABO roundel, but in 2010 the Council decided to change to a full-colour cover of a waterway scene that would change with each issue. The following year, NABO’s 20th birthday, we decided to print the whole issue in colour and acquire the magazine’s own ISSN number. Some of the original features have been included from the outset, including Fly on the Wall’s (and other iterations such as ‘Pseudonym’s’) observations of Council meetings. Over the years, regular features have been added, including Regional Reps’ reports and ‘Techies Corner’. This has increased the size of the magazine to the current 32 pages.
But some things haven’t changed: articles on the lack of transparency by waterway authorities and their unwillingness to consult boating organisations have continued from the days of British Waterways to the present. The magazine also continues to reflect NABO’s ethos of challenging injustice by waterway authorities and taking a stand on issues that affect boaters and boating. This campaigning attitude, reflected in the style and content of its articles, differentiates NABO News from other waterway magazines and newsletters.
Possibly because of this, the National Libraries of England, Scotland, Wales and France requested copies of each issue as reference material for researchers. As NABO approaches its 30th year, the magazine goes from strength to strength, being widely read and attracting positive feedback from members, politicians who are involved in inland waterway developments, and (sometimes) from senior waterways’ staff.
You can read a recent edition in the viewer link on top right of this page. Only paid up members can see the latest edition.
The archive of past editions is here
