There were not quite as many entries as usual in this year's WI Group Home Economics Show on Saturday, organiser Mrs. Betty Cramp tells us; neither Rye Harbour nor Udimore Institutes were as fully represented as they have been in previous years. But this was certainly not apparent to the casual admirer; the food in the big room at the FE Centre, and the flowers in the smaller one, were every bit as beautiful as in previous shows, and 24 gold stars (20 marks out of 20) were awarded by the seven judges: 8 went to Iden, 7 to Beckley, 4 to Playden, 3 to Rye and 2 to Peasmarsh.(Last year there were only 19.) Peasmarsh won the co-operative cookery class - a Bonfire Party was this year's theme - with 1954 >points, closely followed by Playden with 193. Other cups were awarded as follows: the Silver Challenge Cup for garden produce to Iden with 509 points; the Rose Bowl for the cookery classes to Rye with 868i points; the Pottery Cup for flower arrangement to Beckley (416); and the Ada Banister Cup for preserves to Iden (166).
Perhaps the most astonishing entry was in the class for small Madeira cakes - there were 44 of them! At the opposite end of the scale, there was just one entry of eggs, though there were three classes; we heard various reasons for this, from the high price of chicken-food to the prevalence of foxes in the iden area. There were, however, more entries in the wine class than last year, including a bottle of mead made from home-produced honey and a bottle of elder- flower wine as well as the more traditional vintages, some made from kits. The flower arrangements were superb, particularly the class for Autumn Tints in which three gold stars were awarded and which glowed like a sunset across the room; the miniature vases also attracted plenty of admiration. There were some delicious-looking sweets, and another gold star went to a bowl of quite immaculate potato crisps - an object lesson to Golden Wender!
Local people who have dealt with their insurance through the Prudential for twenty years or more will have been particularly pleased to discover the identity of the firm's new representative in the Rye area.
A year ago, and half-way through his A-levels, Gary Bourn of Udimore Road - footballer, cricketer (see page 4) and Thomas Peacocke pupil - had to make a difficult eecision: should he finish his school course or take the offer of an immediate job with the Prudential? He chose the job, and for the next ten months was a trainee representative with the company. Then the Rye-area rep left the business, Gary was encouraged to apply for the section, and got the job. As far as the local office knows, he is the youngest rep currently if not ever employed by the Pru; he will not be 19 until January.
But there is more to the story than this. Gary is now covering the same territory as his grandfather did - Mr. Albert Gladman, who was the Pru's local rep for some 36 years until he retired in the late 1960s. Gary's mother Sheila used to help her father with the paper-work before her marriage; now she finds herself back in business taking her son's phone calls. Mr. Gladman has not been too well lately and is staying•with the Bourns, so Gary has the benefit of his experience too; and the Rye area is not exactly a mystery to Gary's father either, since he is Sub-Officer Michael Bourn of Rye Fire Brigade as well as one of our milkmen.
British Rail announced last week that there would be a special offer during
November (1st to 29th) for holders of Senior Citizen railcards. With a card, £2 will buy a day-return ticket to any part of the country. So start planning now for a November break: £2 each way, and up to four weeks in between!
2.
Mr. Frederick Addy, of Pottingfield Road, was killed last Tuesday when his car was involved in a collision with a cattle lorry from Rye Harbour cn the road through Udimore just east of Hundred House Lane. The lorry driver, Mr. Graham Saunders of Tram Road, clambered out unhurt through the window; his passenger, Lr. Ted Baker, had to be cut free by Broad Oak firemen but was not seriously hurt and left hospital the same evening. The accident took place at 3.25; the road was closed for some time and all traffic including school buses was diverted. The Legs on the lorry, which Mr. Baker was taking over to winter keep, were unhurt and transferred to Edward Mille's lorry to continue their journey; the two dogs in the cab also escaped injury, though one was thrown through the wind screen some distance on to the grass verge. Both car and lorry were write-offs.
Mr. Addy, who was 72, had worked at Spun Concrete for fifty years until his retirement in 1982; after many years as works foreman, he had been the firm's safety and training officer. He leaves a widow and two daughters, who have the sympathy of their many friends in the town and of Mr. Addy's colleanues in St John Ambulance Brigade. The funeral takes place at Hastings Crematorium on Friday (12th) at 2.
Mr. Alan Moore, who died in August after a second stroke at his home in Playden had brought his family to the Old Rectory with the intention of using the house as a base between overseas assignments; it was tragic that soon after their arrival and a fortnight before he was due to take up a UNESCO appointment in Iran, he suffered the severely disabling stroke which ended his active career at the age of 50. Alan Moore had volunteered for the RAF at 17, flying Wellington bombers.
After the war, he moved into the field of teaching - first for the National Coal Board, teaching English to foreign pit workers, then in Finland organising English courses for the British Council. He then taught in military establishments in Pakistan, and worked first in Sarawak and then in Ethiopia to develop and run educational radio programmes. For UhBSCO he worked in the Cameroons to integrate the French and English educaticnal systems, and his next posting would have been as head cf a team reorganisis the Iranian educational system. He leaves a widow, Line, who was born in Finland, and two sons and a daughter. In her notes for this obituary, Mrs. Moore sums up: "He worked very hard all his life and did not deserve these last ten years..." all of which had been spent in a wheelchair.
Mrs. Barbara Bagenal, who lived for many years in Hucksteps Row before moving away to be nearer her family, died on 11 Sertember. She was 92, and leaves two sons and a daughter. In her youth Mrs. Bagenal - then Barbara Hines - was a member of the Bloomsbury Group, a friend of Vanessa Woolf, and must have been one of the last remaining links with that memorable assemblage of artists and writers. There will be a memorial service in St. Mary's on 17 November.
Mr. Tin Bourne, hitherto the accountant at Rye's Midland Bank, has recently been appointed Manager there in succession to Mr. Turner who has gone as Manager to the Battle branch. Mr. Bourne, 31, was born and educated in Hastings; he and his wife and two sons now live in Ashfcrd. He joined the Midland in 1974 and worked at the St. Leonards, Eastbourne and Ashford branches before coming to Rye. His hobby, nays the press release, is computers.
This week's list shows an amended version of an application which has come up before and been deferred: for car and coach parking in part of the former Farn-borough Engineering yard, on Thursdays, at weekends, and "when there are special events taking place in Rye which place a strain on existing parking provisions". Cars would go at the Farm Lane end, with pedestrian access from there into Winchelsea Road - coaches at the other end. There would be two attendants on duty, and room for 200 cars. The list also shows an application for extensions to a house in Love Lane.
- 5 - THE RYE GAZETTE, 10.10.1984
Saturday saw a real triumph for Tony and Cynthia Reavell of the Martell° Bookshop. Not only were there almost twice as many Tilling Society members as last year for the annual get-together, but the Reavells' own new book on E F Benson was published earlier in the week, just in time for copies to be passed round after the luncheon. (The Editor is much too interested in reading this book to find time to report on it this week; next week, we shall look forward to tempting readers with small tastes of the goodies it contains.)
In the morning, a group met at the station to walk up to the cemetery, where flowers were placed on Benson's grave and snowdrop bulbs planted there. But the main gathering was at lunchtime, when 77 Tilling Society members sat down to a suitably-phrased menu in the ballroom of the George Hotel (which the author disguised as the King's Arms), most of them coming some distance to honour their idol - indeed, there were members present who had come specially from Wales, and a couple who had arranged their holiday from the States to coincide with the meeting.
After the excellent lunch, Mrs. Reavell brought the company up to date with the latest developments on the Benson front. It now seems likely, she said, that as a result of the petition there will be a Benson plaque on Lamb House (the beside the garden gate) in due course. Also (something which the GAZETTE mused about ages ago, though we are sure it is only coincidence) two writers are combining to produce a sequel to the Tilling books entitled "Lucia in Wartime". Then the guests had a quite unexpected pleasure: Aubrey Woods, whose BBC readings of the Lucia books have been so much apnreciated, was present, and in a sequence of passages from the Tilling stories introduced us to his conception of many of the Benson characters (his Mrs. Wyse voice was a real stroke of genius). Mr. Wood recalled with pleasure that after one of his broadcasts Charlie Tomlin (of Udimore Road, AB's manservant for very many years) wrote to him: "Mr. Benson would have been proud" said Mr. Tomlin.
Most of the Society's members spent the afternoon strolling round the town in the sunshine before meeting again at the Hope Anchor (Benson's "Trader's Arms") for tea - scones with jam and cream and home-made cakes, in the best Diva tradition. If the numbers increase again next year, says Mrs. Reavell, they will have to settle for a buffet lunch; as it was, the Hope Anchor had tea-drinkers tucked into every nook, and the George ballroom was completely full at lunchtime. Good news for the Society; good news, too, for the town in general.
nome Town Councillors are worried about the danger to pedestrians in Lion Street when parked cars on one side mean that moving vehicles sometimes have to mount the pavement on the other in order to get past. It was proposed at a recent committee meeting that a representative from ESCC should be invited to come over to Rye to see the problem, with a view to banning parking in Lion Street and other parts of the town.
When this matter was raised, there was considerable opposition from other Councillors who felt that to cut down free parking would be extremely unfair to the town's traders, already at a disadvantage in this respect compared with shops in Bexhill and Battle; our shopkeepers, said one speaker, pay high rates and employ local people and they depend on shoppers coming into the town to snend their money.
It was agreed that the matter should be discussed at the next meeting of the full Town Council, on Monday, 12 November. This gives local people who feel strongly - either way - plenty of time to lobby their councillors (see the list in GAZETTE no. 99). Those who wish to listen to the debate are, of course, at liberty to attend the meeting, though not to speak; but the Council is more likely to be convinced about the strength of public feeling if members of the public take the trouble to turn up. The-Chamber of Trade feels very strongly indeed about the Proposal; if parking were banned just in Lion Street, it would mean more than 40 cars a day looking elsewhere - or maybe not bothering to look, and goinF to Tenterden or Hastings instead.
Rye Cricket Club: the Hon. Sec. reports on the season
Despite disappointing overall results for the season, Rye Cricket Club has seen some oneeilent individual penfersancos during the summer. The 1st XI won 18, drew 17 and lost 27 of their matches; the and XI won 3, drew 4 and lost 8. The 1st XI Saturday Lessee won only 4 matches and finished just clear of the relegation zone; the Sunday League had six wins, and the Midweek team had 8, five of them conseentivc3v in mid-season.
Among the Colts, Matthew.Hechott slayed for the County 13.13 team, and Peter Thomson for the U.1 5s. The U.15 side -played in the 13.16 competition; they only won one game this canotn out will still he young enough to compote in the same age, group next sear, with. good prospects.
2nd XI players pnodneed several eutstanding performances, notably Arnie Sanyal's 100 in a League catch, when batting secend, to win the game. Of the senior 1st >XI players, Po tee Mathews. scored Over 1,000 runs. (500, remarkably, in - the first pis weeks of the sum non) and took 30 wickets. Mike BalcoMb scored 677 runs, David Edwards 486, Martin Curd 360 and John Coles 329. Mike Chambers had a fine season with the ball, achieving 50 wickets in midweek games.
Excellent progress was made by the four youngsters who received the Prank Bryan awards last ye n: Andy Edwards, with 893 runs (including three centuries), 31 wickets and 12 catches; David Doe, 66 wickets (he has now taken nearly 250 wicks for the 1st XI and he is still a teenager); Ian Harris, 341 runs and 10 catches - Ian also captained the Sunday XI at the end of the season; and Gary Bourn, 591 runs, topping both batting and bowling averages in the League. Of the other youngsters, Nigel Hacking scored 377 runs on a Sunday and was given some captainc experience. Neil Cloute batted well on Sundays and scored his first 2nd XI League 50 v. Sidley - he also fielded well (15 catches); other useful Sunday batters were Simon Bourne and Neil Shepherd. Roger Tagg scored well, particularly at the end of the season. Ian Shepherd umpired on a Sunday and Darren Smith scored regularly and umpired at times as well as providing all the Club statistics; Karen Bourne scored for the Sunday XI. It was a pleasure to welcome Alan Stephenson and Mark Chapman to the Club. This blend of youth and experience must mean that there are good results to come.
The Club will be active throughout the winter with two six-a-side teams in Divisions I and II of the Indoor Competition played at Hastings Sports Centre. Anyone wishing to play should ring Peter Mathews, Stephen Tagg or Mike Thomas.
(Editor's note: in hie report Mike Thomas says nothing about his own achievemen - as Man of the Match for the Over-50s Championship Final last month, but we do no, feel that any report on the Club's season as a whole would be complete without some reference to it. For details, see GAZETTE no. 99.)
Calling at the Library to admire their new counter arrangements, we were touched -en the pathetic display of abandoned bookmarks, pinned on the notice-board like squirrels' tails in a "gamekeeper's larder". If you have lost a favourite one, it may well be there.
A lady who certainly lost something at the Library - her wallet - last Friday morning wants to express her thanks to the unknown person who so kindly handed it in at the desk.
The new counter is a great improvement on the old one. There is much more room to get past people waiting to hand in books, and space for two staff members to receive them with all the cards conveniently to hand. Withdrawals are made at >a separate counter, and here again two people can work if there is a rush. The changes were made more or less to the requirements of the staff, who are very Pleased with the new layout. With great ingenuity, their corral im;orporates the radiator!
5.
Despite the Fixtures entry, the Rye Town Model closes on Sunday for the winter (ie it will be open on Sunday but not on Monday); work then begins on cleaning and maintenance, which is no mean task. The Model will reopen briefly at Christ¬mas for booked parties from the hotels, and the Town Clerk tells us that other party bookings can be arranged out of season if required (ring the Town Hall, Rye 223902, mornings except Tuesdays).
This Saturday (13th) at 7.33 the Friends of Rye Harbour Nature Reserve are holding their main autumn event at Thomas Peacocke Upper School, when John Gooders will be talking (with slides) about "Wildlife of Bharatphur" (India). John Gooders has written several books on birdwatching abroad, and also scripts for some of the TV "Survival" programmes; he runs birdwatching courses from his Sussex farmhouse at As Burnham. In the course of the evening, Barry Yates will be giving his first report as Warden of the Rye Harbour reserve. Tickets at the door - adults 90p, children 40p.
The same evening sees a concert of French music given by Leo Halle, Lesley Brownbill and Anne Whiteman in aid of the John Williams Memorial Ald. The trio have performed in previous years for the same cause, and their concerts are greatly enjoyed.
Next week's Monday Club meeting (15th) is a very special one; at the Clinic as usual, they are holding their Annual Sale of Work, which always means a splendid choice of handmade goods, cakes, produce and bric-a-brac. The sale begins at 2, and they look forward to welcoming plenty of patrons - the proceeds go towards the cost of next summer's Club outings.
Three lectures at the end of next week:. on Thursday (18th) at the Community Centre, Laurie Band's slide show "Rve in the Past" (GAZETTE no. 101); on Friday at 7.30 at the FE Centre, Geoffrey Bagley on "An Artist and his Camera in Sussex" for the Museum Association (non-members welcome, 70p); and on Saturday at 2.30 at the Community Centre, P. Berrisford on "Some saoects of the art and history of some Italian towns" for the National Trust.
Half-term week begins early for Thomas Peacocke pupils, since the school will be closed on Friday (19th) for in-service staff training, as well as for the whole of the following week.
The end of the month sees two events on successive evenings, one for the Mayoress's charity (the Eye Laser Appeal) and one for the Mayor's (the Lifeboat House Appeal). On Friday, 26 October, at 7.30 in St. :ary's, Molly Townsend (mezzo-soprano) and Gary Densem (piano) are repeating the concert they devised earlier this year for at. Peter's at Bexhill - a celebration of music and poetry entitled "Glorious is the Sors:". Tickets will be £1, and proceeds go to the Eye Laser Appeal.
Saturday, 27 October, is a date keenly looked forward to by local teddy-bears; they are all invited to a wine-and-cheese party at the Town Hall given by Councillor and Mrs. Roger Breeds, with tickets at £1.50 in aid of the Lifeboat House Appeal. People without teddies of their own are also, of course, invited; there will be an RNLI scuvenir stall, and a raffle - for which all teddies will be given a free ticket. The Editor is delighted at the opportunity to introduce her own bear into polite society, and hopes he will make many friends - "however old and thread- bare" says the notice - at this promising party.
The RAF Association, who have a jumble sale at Thomas Peacocke Upper School on 27 October, would be glad of some more jumble to add to their existing resources. "Anything" says Gordon Stanbridge rashly, "however large, however small" - the spacious school hall can comfortably accommodate proper furniture, and collection can be arranged (ring Mr. Stanbridge, 0+24 882589). For those who can deliver their own contributions, the hall will be open on the Friday evening from about 5 pm.
STOP PRESS - BIBLE. SOCIETY AUTUMN MEETING is NOT this Thursday at the Methodist Church but next Thursday (18th) at the Baptist Church, 7.45 - speaker, Roy Weaver, Extension Secretary of the Society. Sorry!
Saturday, 13th
Monday, 15th
Tuesday, 16th Wednesday, 17th
Bible Society Autumn Meeting, Methodist Church, 7.45
Civil Service Retirement Fellowship coffee morning, FEC, 11 Sea Cadet Corps Annual Inspection, Rock Channel HQ, 7 Nat.Hist.Soc. talk, "Iceland" (Professor Onions), FEC, 7.30
Scouts jumble sale, Scout Hut (The Grove), 1.30
FRENR talk, "Wildlife of Bharatphur" (John Gooders), Upper School, 7.30 (see page 5)
John Williams Memorial concert, St. Mary's, 7.30 (see page 5)
Monday Club Sale of Work, Clinic, 2 (see page 5)
Modelling auditions, TP Lower School, 4.15 (GAZETTE no. 101)
TPS Parents Evening (4th year), Upper School, 6.30
Council of Churches talk, "Unity in Evangelism and Witness" (Rev. Edmund Heddie), St. Mary's, 7.30
Thrift Shop (receiving only), Red Cross Centre, 10.30 to 12.30
• The Simpson family of South Undercliff have a stray kitten which they would like to return to its owner:. a male tabby, with a blue collar. They think it may have come down from the Watchbell Street area on Saturday evening. Enquiries to Mrs. Simpson please.
• After last week's report on the police campaign for safety on two wheels, we are sorry to say that an entry in the press book this week pinpoints the dangers: a 12-year-old Northiam boy, Derek Apps, is in RESH with serious head injuries after cycling into the path of a lorry in the village.
• Mr. Rog Langley of Hastings, who walked in his pearly outfit to Rye and back recently for the Eye Laser Appeal, raised 2200 in sponsor money.
• Anyone going almost anywhere by train on Saturday or Sunday should make prior enquiries about the journey; there are a lot of engineering works this week¬end all round this end of the Region.
• As a footnote to our recent reports on the school buses, we noted with regret last week that children getting off the morning train from Hastings behave in a very foolhardy way, opening carriage doors and jumpine out before the train has anywhere near stopped - thus nutting at risk both themselves and passengers waiting on the platform.
At Vidier & Co's monthly auction sale on Friday, an 3'9" breakfront sectional bookcase in oak realised £940. Two German bisque dolls fetched £200 and £130, six Victorian baby's gowns went for £95, and a Spode breakfast and dinner service for £180. The self-assembly conservatory realised £140.
• British Telecom's new red phone boxes are now installed and working at the top of Station Approach. Those on the other side of the Post Office are closed, but the long expanse of whitewash which now runs from the main Post Office building to Vidlers does not herald any immediate start of work on the reorgan¬ised layout, Mr. Vallender of the head Post Office at Hastings tells us.
• We have been unable to contact anyone who can speak officially about the extent of the new gas mains in Ferry Road, but one of the workmen told us that they were eventually going right up Udimore Road; it was, we are reminded, the water and not the gas mains which involved such extensive and interminable excavations at the foot of the hill about a year ago.
THE RYE GAZETTE is registered as a newspaper with the Post Office, and published by Mrs. Mary Owen, 2 Cyprus Place, Rye (Rye 222303). News items for inclusion are always welcome - deadline Monday afternoon, Tuesday 9 am for emergencies. The GAZETTE costs 25p weekly, and is delivered to subscribers and pick-up points on Wednesday: a few spare copies are left at Squirrels, 9-13 Cinque Ports Street, and back numbers are available from 2 Cyprus Place. (Copyright Mary Owen 1984)