Edition 24 - June 1993

 
Artwork by: Debbie Cook

EDITORIAL

The Newsletter is solvent again! My sincere thanks to everyone who answered my pleas in the last newsletter: to the many readers who have continued to contribute via the collecting boxes in the Post Office and The Globe and the Parish Council, but especial thanks to the W.I. for their gift of £25 following the April Coffee Morning and the Manor Hall Management Committee for arranging a Coffee Morning for funds on SATURDAY, 12TH JUNE - please give this YOUR support! Ivy Richards has also kindly offered to hold a Coffee Morning and this is planned for later in the year.

1

CONGRATULATIONS!

Best wishes and congratulations to Lisa [nee Harding] and Kim Dove-Dixon on the birth of their baby daughter, Sophie Louise, who weighed in at 7 lb 4 oz in March. Our congratulations also to the proud, first-time grandparents, Colin and Doreen, and great-grandmother, Louise Sawyer of Ilfracombe.

Further congratulations to the Harding family! Very best wishes to Debra on her engagement to Gary Baddick from Braunton.

Good news of Samantha Bowden [Sam - Post Office], who, following intensive study - including courses at Huntley Equestrian Centre in Gloucestershire and Byfleet in Surrey - has been awarded her British Horse Society's Instructor's Qualification. This qualification demands a lot of hard work and determination and covers not only riding skills but teaching and stable management. Well done, Sam!

Wedding bells are ringing for Darren Burgess of Croft Lee and Tracy Camplin of Barton Lane, who will be getting married at St. Peter's on Saturday, 3rd July. Very best wishes to you both for your future happiness.

Once again the Berrynarbor Junior Pool Team are to be congratulated on winning the Ilfracombe and District Junior Pool League. Captain, Jamie Richards, won the Cup for overall averages of the season, with another team member, Eden Davies, taking the Runner-Up Trophy. The team, Jamie Richards, Eden Davies, Neil Redwood, Mark Staddon and Chris Fisk play at The Globe, and many thanks to Phil and Lynne who have opened early one evening each week to enable the team to play. Well done Berrynarbor!

2

BERRYNARBOR W.I.

A well-attended April meeting was given an enlightening insight to the history of The Body Shop by Sarah Burnett. Members were able to try for themselves the many creams and lotions available, and were guaranteed none had been researched on animals.

There were some very attractive Easter bonnets made of paper - Doris Upton and Betty Brown tied for first place, but by mutual consent Doris's was chosen for the Group Competition at Lynton. Win Collins won the competition for scones and floral arrangement. Due to the wonderful efforts of Doris and Win, Berrynarbor won the Competitions at the Group Meeting on 27th April. Thank you, ladies, on behalf of everyone.

Members were sorry to learn at the May meeting, of the death of Alan Richardson, husband of Inge. He had always been supportive of W.I. activities, and will be sadly missed in the Village.

Betty Turner, Kath Arscott and 'yours truly' put forward three Resolutions to be discussed at the National A.G. M. in London. Once again I should like to thank Betty and Kath for the research undertaken, making for interesting discussion. Both the raffle and competition were won by Betty Turner. Members were reminded that numbers are needed for the evening visit to Ashford Garden Centre on 29th June. For those requiring transport: Members FREE, Non-members £3.00.

Mr . Peter Jones will be the speaker at our June meeting; his subject - The Mission of Seamen.

Vi Kingdon - President

3

COMBE MARTIN MUSEUM

Combe Martin Village Museum is open Sunday to Friday daily from 1.30 - 4.00 p.m. from now until 28th July, when it will be open from 11.00 - 4.00 p.m. Small groups and small private parties are welcome. Access for wheelchairs.

Admission 40p, reduced rates for children and senior citizens.

The Museum is situated facing the sea at the top of Seaside Hill - car parking adjacent on the Parade Car Park. For further details, please contact the Museum Secretary, Telephone 882636.

4

FURTHER TALES FROM OZ
Queensland - The Sunshine State

Queensland is situated in the sub-tropical and tropical belt of N.E. Australia, with a wide variety of attractions, including the Great Barrier Reef, resort towns and islands, tropical rain forests, outback, gem fields, Aboriginal caves and rock paintings. The State has some 400 National Parks. Queensland was originally part of the infant state New South Wales and Brisbane had its origins as a penal settlement, housing the worst of Sydney's villains. Free settlers were not allowed within 80Km until the convicts were moved in 1870. Most of the early migrants were British. At this time came the cotton-growing schemes and the sugar cane industry and Brisbane became an important wool port. Today it is a busy commercial and industrial centre, gateway to the scenic wonders of the Great Barrier Reef. Here Karen joined another A. C. T. V. group, firstly working on a university campus talking to students about their voluntary conservation work with the Trust, and then a couple of days spent visiting various shops, hostels and tourist information offices with their posters and leaflets. The week-end was spent at Southbank, a millionaire complex with man-made lagoon, beach and shops, visiting 'Doylies' [Doolies] Irish pub [!] swimming and Barbequeing.

The following week Karen went on task with her group to Byramoo near Toowomba, which is Queensland's largest inland city on the Darling Downs near the rim of the Great Dividing Range, and known as the garden city. Unfortunately, her group were to stay on a farm in supposedly sheep shearing quarters - just a shack with lots of redback spiders, mice and tree-frogs in the toilet [typical Aussie outback style] - but instead they slept outside under the stars on mats with sleeping bags, open fires to cook on and watching sunsets and sunrises, "good atmosphere and great fun"! In between this the work carried on - planting trees and collecting native seeds The following week's task was nearer to Brisbane, on the Karrana Downs, clearing large areas of a weed called lantarna and fighting off cave toads [about 8" in height] which were introduced to eat the cane beetle but ineffective as they cannot climb and are now pests themselves. By now Karen had seen most of the poisonous spiders! Whilst working, Karen chatted to a girl from England and discovered that she will be going to the same College in September and doing exactly the same degree course, small world! Mothering Sunday was spent in Brisbane, browsing in the market, purchasing jewellery and gifts of Aboriginal design.

The following week Karen was kitted-out with steel capped boots, glasses, helmet, gloves and chaps - the task? Cutting down pine trees that had spread into a native eucalyptus forest. She doesn't say in her letter if she was able to do this, only that the pouring rain - the effect of Cyclone Roger - was so refreshing after the heat. After spending a week helping to renovate a house on Russell Island, Karen left Brisbane to camp on Stradbroke Island - one island, North and South, split in two in 1896 by a storm - and then back to The Banana Benders backpack lodge to make travel arrangements to go up the coast to Harvey Bay and a 3-day camping trip to Fraser Island. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world, and the 4th largest island off the Australian coast. It is a wilderness area with huge sand dunes, fresh water lakes, scenic creeks and rocky headlands and Karen camped beside the Champagne Pools - bubbling pools of seawater at high tide and the only safe seawater pools to swim in as the sea is infested with sting-rays and sharks . There are many scenic lakes and rainforest areas and the main highway - the beach - is 85 miles long. And we think Woolacombe Beach is long! At night the camp was visited by dingoes but by day there was an abundance of wild life, especially birds and tiny turtles. With no pollution, the lakes are crystal clear so there was plenty of drinking water, ".. in fact, Dad, a great place for a Geography Field Trip". Back to Harvey Bay on Easter Day and a visit to their church.

Karen is now travel ling up the coast and we are unable to write to her. When we last spoke on the 'phone, she had just landed after a 16hr coach journey to Townville, the major point of departure for islands and resorts of the Great Barrier Reef. She now on her way to Magnetic Island, a large continental shelf island with rugged granite peaks [Mount Cook], palm-fringed bays and beautiful beaches... and then on to Cairns.

I hope that when the next issue is due, Karen will be here to finish off the story herself.

Pat Sayer - Woodvale

Welcome home, Karen! Karen is now back in Berrynarbor, having had a wonderful time, and we look forward to hearing about the last part of her adventure in the August issue.

5

ST. PETER'S CHURCH

Dear Friends,

The Churchwardens and P.C. C. have asked me to write to you with news of two forthcoming events [plus several musical events in August, details later) which will affect the whole village. As you know, we take our responsibility for maintaining our wonderful Church very seriously [ see list of work carried out]. We are proud of St. Peter's and consider it the focal point of the village. We are also concerned with the people of the village, and their safety, which is why it cost the P.C.C. £10,000 to make the wall safe by the children's playground. The money for this work was taken out of bequests made to St. Peter's Church and we need your support to carry on with the Christian witness in this beautiful village. Please come and support the following events:

14th July Gift Day in the Church 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. 3rd August Summer Fayre, 6.00 p.m.

I should like to take this opportunity to thank so many of you for coming to the Mothering Sunday and Easter Day Eucharist. I enjoyed meeting you and the fun we had with the children on both occasions. I look forward to having more 'Family Services'.

With all good wishes, your Friend and Rector

Keith Wyer

Some £40,000 to £50,000 has been spent recently on improvements and maintenance of the Church and the events mentioned above are to raise money to further the good work, as was the Coffee Morning on Election Day which raised the fine sum of £176.00. Work carried out over the past year has included:

Repair of beam supporting clock platform Remedial work to the lightning conductor

Repointing of middle two bays of the South wall and cleaning and repointing of stonework around the windows

Repair of churchyard walls and lychgate cobblestone steps Many of the furnishings have been cleaned, waxed and polished, including the altar and vestry tables & pulpit

A statue of the Virgin Mary has been erected at the entrance to the Lady Chapel. It was given in memory of Bunny and Ernie Moore by their family - a gift much appreciated by the P.C.C.

6

OF THIS AND THAT...

North Devon Hospice Care Trust David Walden's Charity Walk [which was in fact 260 miles] raised the grand total sum of £2,740. Well done, David!

CLIC Betty Blackmore, through her recent Dancing Shows, raised the sum of nearly £l 200 for Cancer & Leukaemia in Children.

Badminton Club has now stopped for the summer and will recommence in September.

GOOD LUCK to all students from the Village who will be sitting their G.C.S.E. and 'A' Level exams over the next few weeks.

Visitor It was nice to welcome Dennis Barton [late of the Post Office) back to the village for a brief visit. Best wishes, Dennis, and come again soon.

7

PUMPKIN PLANTS

A few pumpkin plants [£1.00) can still be bought at The Globe. Some 60-70 have been sold and the Competition for the Heaviest and [for those whose pumpkins don't grow too well] the Best Dressed Pumpkin will take place on a Saturday in early October. This will be followed on the Sunday by a sponsored Pumpkin Roll, hopefully down the hill from the Car Park to Ducky Pool! All the money raised from the sale of plants and the events themselves will be sent to Children in Need. Another imaginative idea from Lynne and Phil.

8

RICHARD AND WINIFRED BARTEN

Congratulations and very best wishes to Richard and Winifred Barten who, on the 8th May, 1993, celebrated 60 years of marriage, their Diamond Wedding Anniversary.

They celebrated the occasion at Lydford Farm with their family and friends, including some from Australia! Their recipe for 60 years together - hard work, kindness, a sense of humour and a wife who can cook! Richard says the 7/6d Marriage Licence fee was very good value!

Richard (Dick), whose father was a draper in Romford, Essex, was born on the 1st May, 1911. Following the death of his father, the result of a fractured hip and his refusal to go to hospital, his mother - who lived to the grand age of 103!! - brought up 8 children in a close, happy and boisterous family. Richard carried on the family business.

Winifred [Win] was also born in 1911, in February. Her father worked on the railways and her grandfather, a sea captain, was sadly lost at sea.

 

Winifred and Richard were married at St. Edward' s Church, Romford, on the 8th May, 1933. The service was at 9.00 a.m. to enable the shop assistants at Barten's Drapers to attend the wedding before opening the shop. The honeymoon was spent in Combe Martin, and despite only knowing the name 'Huxtable', they soon found the correct guest house. So began their love of Combe Martin.

Win and Dick had three children - John, David and Sally. During the War, Dick joined the London Fire Brigade and was involved in many fires during 'The Blitz' , whilst Win and the family came to Combe Martin to avoid the bombing. The family returned to Essex after the War but continued to spend their summer holidays in Combe Martin and in 1955 Dick decided to sell up the family business and bought Lydford Farm, Berrynarbor, where overnight he became a farmer, despite having no real previous experience.

John now lives with his wife, Jenny, and family at Lydford Farm; David lives in Australia where he runs a Toiletry Wholesale business, and Sally - a Staff Nurse at the North Devon District Hospital - who lives in Berrynarbor, extended her home to happily include Dick and Win in 1989.

Their family now includes 11 grandchildren - Chilie, Nicky, Bea, Steven, Paul, Mandy, Wendy, Rachel, Janet, Amy and Emma - and two great-grandchildren, Steven's children, Reece and Jake. They have been kind and gentle parents and are much loved and respected, not only by their children and grand-children, but by all who know them.

Tom Bartlett
Tower Cottage, May 1993

The photos on the previous page show Dick and Win on their wedding day in 1933, when they were both 22 years, and in the garden in Berrynarbor in February 1991.

My thanks to Sally for the information and photos.

T.B.

9

WANTED

• GRASS KEEP required URGENTLY. Please telephone Jan Alcock, 882331.
• BABY'S COT If you can help, please contact Peter Bowden on 882456.

10

11

IN MEMORIAM

ALAN RICHARDSON

It is with much sadness that we have to report the death of Alan Richardson on 30th April.

Alan and Inge's first [holiday] home in Berrynarbor was Forge Cottage, but after leaving Hemel Hempstead to live down here, they moved to Barton Lane.

Alan has been a very active member of our community. Amongst the many things he did for the village, and the help and kindness he gave to others, he was, for some timer Chairman of the Manor Hall Management Committee; he formed and ran the Wine Appreciation Group; he was a stalwart of the U3A, editing their Newsletter, and did a magnificent job with our own local Charity Christmas Post. He will be greatly missed.

Our sympathy and thoughts, at this sad time, are with Inge, who writes:

I should like to thank villagers, neighbours and friends for the lovely cards, flowers and contributions to the Salvation Army, Ilfracombe. It was of great comfort to me to see so many familiar faces at the Church memorial service, when the magnificent sum of £77.70 was collected for the Salvation Army.

Also a big thank you to Joan and Bob Adams who were hosts to my friend from Hamburg.

Alan enjoyed reading the many 'Get Well' cards he had received during his brave fight against his illness in hospital.

Thank you all, dear friends.

Inge Richardson

TRUDY SPELLER

Olive Kent sadly reports the death of Trudy Speller on the 4th April. Many old pupils from the Primary School will remember Miss Speller as their 'minder' in the playground at lunchtimes, and having been a nurse, when play became too fast or rough, she was just right to attend to any minor injuries incurred! She will also be remembered by many members of the Church Women's Guild, of which she was a member. Before moving to a house in Combe Martin, Trudy Speller Iived for many years on the Caravan Site in the Valley.

12

PRIMARY SCHOOL VISITS

 

We left school at 8.00 a.m. and got on the bus for a 2 and a half hour ride. We got there at 11.15 and went to see a video about Morwellham Quay and what they had there. Then we went underground for about 5 to 10 minutest it was cold and dark and miners had to go underground for 12 hours. And they showed us how the miners worked. After we went to try on costumes and have our photos taken. The costumes were very hot. Next we had lunch and then we went to the Duke's drive to have a carriage ride. Then we went to the coopers workshop and he showed us how to make casks. After that we went to the Assayer's house and he showed us around the kitchen and the bedrooms And there was a sign saying where the flood level was in Morwellham Quay.

Lucy Roberts - Age 9 years

13

COUNTRY CUSTOMS
THE FLIGHT OF THE EARLS

I was reminded by the item in the April edition of our Newsletter - the Hunting of the Earl of Rone - that after our move to Berrynarbor in 1982, it took us some time to realise that the Earl of Rone, so disparaged in Combe Martin's hobby horse custom, was that same Earl of Tyrone revered in our last home, Rathmullan. It was from Rathmullan's shores on Lough Swilly in Co. Donegal [Republic of Ireland] that he and his family went into voluntary exile on 13th September 1607, together with the Earl of Tyrconnell, Chief of the O'Donnell clan.

Many of the Irish chiefs and princes were given English titles to keep them sweet, but Red Hugh O'Neill - in spite of his English upbringing - was a rebel, and constantly intrigued against Elizabeth I. He and Tyrconnell were defeated at Kinsale by Mountjoy, the Lord Deputy, in 1602, whilst supporting the Spaniards who had landed there. Mountjoy made him repent and beg for pardon. What O'Neill did not know [TV news still being far away!], was that Elizabeth was already dead, and he had been tricked into repentance!

He moved to London and made his peace with James I of England, but continued to be harassed by the English and not always supported by his followers. Finally, driven north to Rathmullan, they 'sailed from Irish shores, never to return' - from Portnamurry, a few hundred yards from the town to be exact - leaving 'their clansmen sorrowing and leaderless, without hope to face the future'.

And how do I know this? Well, whilst we were sorting out the threads of our new life in Berrynarbor, back in our old village over 100 0'Neill's were gathering from around the world to watch a re-enactment of 'The Flight of the Earls'. I was sent press cuttings and a souvenir brochure of this momentous occasion, and our English friends still living there were much in demand to play the dastardly Mountjoy and other English blaggards! Quoting from the press cutting, '... when Hugh O'Neill made his exit through the ranks of grief stricken maidens, there was a long-drawn sigh from the massed spectators. ...Among the assembled O'Neills there was a hint of a tear in many an eye, and a few wept openly. No author or producer could ask for more. '

How could Shamwickites put him back to front on a donkey, with his spurs reversed!

History has it that the Earls sailed to France, journeyed through Europe and buried their bones in Rome, some 9 years later [Hugh was then a grand old man of 76].

How, or even if, Hugh O'Neill came to Combe Martin and thence to Exeter for execution, therefore remains a mystery. Perhaps, after all, the Irish had the last laugh on the English by wishing Godspeed to a 'doppelganger'!

P.O'P of DC!

14

THE LIFEBOAT

A talk and video show will be given in the Penn Curzon Room of the Manor Hall on WEDNESDAY, 9TH JUNE, at 7.30 p.m. by Mr. Len Coleman, Chairman of Ilfracombe RNLI Lifeboat Station, who will be pleased to answer any questions relating to the Lifeboat Service.

Admission FREE. Voluntary donations to the Lifeboat Fund will be gratefully received.

15

MANOR HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The HORTICULTURAL & ART SHOW is to be held on Saturday, 4th September 1993. To ensure that we have a super show this year, I thought I would give you a 'scoop' on some entries you could be preparing - crocheted, knitted, embroidered, counted cross-stitch and patchwork articles; any item made of WOOD; artwork, e.g. landscape, still life or picture in black and white; floral art titles "Kitchen Garden" [fruit, vegetables and herbs, 18" x 18"], "Foliage Splendour" [foliage, 12" x 12"], "Tiny Treasures" [miniature arrangement, 4" x 4"] and "Maritime Devon" [any flowers and foliage with accessories, 15" x 15"]. There will be a WINE section this year, so please support this class. Most of the other classes will remain the same, so refer to last year's schedule. It is hoped to have this year' s schedules at the Post Office around the 10th August.

HELP is needed in filling out prize cards, so if YOU can help, please contact me by 5th July.

There will be a COFFEE MORNING on Saturday, 12th June, at the Manor Hall at 10.30 a.m. for the benefit of the BERRYNARBOR NEWSLETTER. Baked goods stall, raffle and bring and buy. Please help to support our Village Newsletter by coming along with a cake, raffle prize or just plain money! If you can help in any way, please contact Vi Davies [882696] or Joy Morrow [882531].

DON'T FORGET the BERRY REVELS Evening on Tuesday, 27th July, at 6.30 p.m. Can YOU help in any way? Items needed for tombola, raffle and also new ideas. Contact Ginny Neale [882447] after 6.00 p.m.

Wanted Someone to come along to be Treasurer for the Management Committee. Would require light book-keeping and a monthly written statement of accounts for the Committee. Attendance at meetings NOT essential. Please help if you can. Contact Roy Perry [883209] or Joy Morrow [882531] .

Joy Morrow

16

QUICK QUOTES

"Who cares from where kindness and compassion come - as long as they come."

Lionel Blue

"It is better to light a candle than moan about the dark. "

Jewish Proverb

17

LOCAL WALKS - 18

".. a lovely winding path ... starred with wood anemones among trees and bushes thickening green."
Reverend Francis Kilvert 1870

Although it was a cold, dull April we walked along the Taw at Umberleigh [7 miles south of Barnstaple], we were encouraged by the sight of some summer visitors - swallows and martins.

This is a gentle landscape of water meadows and grazing animals with wooded slopes beyond the railway line. A common sandpiper [another summer visitor arriving in April] flew along the river, nodding its head when it landed on some stones, before flying rapidly downstream, piping shrilly.

There were large clumps of marsh marigolds [or kingcups] growing abundantly. Their bold yellow flowers looked stunning. Also plentiful were the wood anemones. Although not as immediately eye-catching as the marsh marigolds, their neat, white stars, with attractive, intricately divided leaves, made beautiful carpet beneath the trees on a little island in the river. One plant had flowers of a colour between lilac and rose, rather rare. [The botanist, Richard Mabey, in 'The Flowering of Britain' says that he has only observed wood anemones of this colour, occurring in any quantity in Norfolk and Devon.]

Near the bend of the river, where the bank becomes steep, with the earth exposed - ideal for sand martins - a flock of swallows was engaged in acrobatics. A few sand martins were among them. The long streamers at the ends of the swallows' deeply forked tails helped distinguish them from the martins. The swallows have a dark metallic blue sheen on their backs and wings, whereas the sand martins have dark brown upper parts. It is the smallest member of the swallow family. Both birds have white undersides.

In her Grasmere Journals, in 1802, Dorothy Wordsworth describes watching a pair of swallows hanging against her window panes, looking like fish with their forked tails. She was very upset when the nest they were building fell down. "Poor little creatures, they could not themselves be more distressed than I was", she wrote, "I went upstairs to look at the ruins". They lay in a large heap upon the window ledge. These swallows had been ten days employed in building this nest and it seemed to be almost finished.

It is difficult to decide whether the Taw at Umberleigh is lovelier in the spring or in late summer when the river banks are richly yellow, purple and pink - with tansy, tall spikes of purple loosestrife and great willow herb. The latter is also known as codling and cream because of the prominent creamy white stamens and rosy apple [codlin] coloured petals.

In the summer a variety of dragon flies can also be seen here, large and small, some brilliant blue, some black, others with transparent wings .

Sue H

18

OLD BERRYNARBOR - VIEW NO. 23
The Smallmouth Caves & Breary Cave, Watermouth

 

With Victorian Week coming up again soon in Ilfracombe, I have chosen this particular card produced by B & R' s Camera Series way back in 1904. It includes fine pictures of the original Victoria Pavilion and Bandstand before modernisation in 1922 and again in the mid-sixties, completely desecrated a fine piece of architecture, albeit popularly known then as the ' cucumber frame'! The top view shows the many sailing boats and brigs in the inner harbour and I have this same view as a separate card in colour.

Most of you will have already noted the incorrect spelling of Briary Cave and misprints of this kind were quite common at that time. Indeed, I have one card depicting Barricane Beach at Woolacombe entitled "Babbacombe" and it probably ended up being sold down there in South Devon!

The Caves at Watermouth were quite famous at the latter end of the last century and the early part of this. Admission fees were charged to the many visitors who came to Watermouth by horse and carriage, or in some cases by donkey, as shown in Old Berrynarbor - View No 3 "Miss Leworthy & her Donkeys" in the February 1990 issue.

 

The second card, which shows top right ' The Hangman Hills, Combmartin', was again published by B & R' s Camera Series and the card is postmarked February 15th 1904. I believe this has been taken on the old coast road [now a footpath] just above the footpaths to Broadsands and Golden Cove, but I await your views as to whether you feel has been taken some distance beyond Sandy Cove Hotel, towards Combe Martin. Over to you?

Tom Bartlett
Tower Cottage, May 1993

19

T.l.C. COMBE MARTIN

In our Information Centre, by the Seaside Car Park in Combe Martin, we are always aware of our attractive neighbour, Berrynarbor!

Many visitors ask directions to the village and enquire of the delights to be found there - all of which we are happy to promote.

We carry information on many Berrynarbor hotels and guest houses in the Combe Martin Guide, and are keen to advertise for you any events, i.e. fetes, jumble sales, concerts, etc. So, please bring them in.

We are running a local Guided Walk Programme this summer and the Tuesday, 2.00 p.m. Walk begins in Berrynarbor Car Park. Please feel free to join Tom and Mary Tucker on these village strolls, or any of our Combe Martin strolls.

Our aim is to help visitors enjoy their holidays and our villages, return again, and help our local economy.

Please call in and visit us.

Yvonne Davey, Evelyn Boyd and Donald Taylor

20

NOTES FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL

The Chairman of our Parish Council for 1993-4, elected at the A.G.M. in May, is Graham Andrews, with Jenny Taylor as Vice-chairman.

At the meeting on 13th July, Mr. E. Farwell, District Manager of the Social Services Department, will be speaking and answering questions on 'Care in the Community' Interested residents are invited to attend. 7.30 p.m.

Free Health Service HELP Line For the answer to YOUR Health Service queries, telephone Freephone 0800 616190, for a confidential service for everyone in this area, during office hours.

The Watch-a-Box B. T. scheme has now come to an end as they feel there is no longer a need. However, should you notice damage or lack of cleaning in either of the boxes in the village, please either inform a Parish Councillor or report direct to B.T. by calling 151 [foc].

Council Tax Banding If you wish to appeal against the banding of your property, the number to ring is Barnstaple 326274 - District Valuation Office.

Appeal to Dog Owners Dog owners are asked to help overcome the problem of 'fouling' the village roads, and are reminded of the dog exercise area in the Recreation Field.

Parish Council Meetinqs Residents are reminded that the Council meets in the Penn Curzon Room at 7.30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month, except August. The Agenda and Minutes are always available in the Post Office. The public are welcome to attend and there is an opportunity at the beginning of each meeting for the public to raise any matters which may concern them.

21

STARTREK CRAZY

I think that we must be STARTREK-ing crazy, because having been drowned, frozen and blown away by STARTREK '92, we enrolled again for '93 on the basis that 'it couldn't possibly be worse!' I say 'we' reservedly, as one of our '92 team [who shall be nameless] preferred to trek to Antarctica rather than walk this year, and another was a pushover for sponsorship because, as she confessed, 'I'd pay anything rather than do it again!'

So, what was it really like? Ever seen a peacock roosting 30 feet up a tree? Or Miss Rosalie Chichester's memorial urn looking even more ghostly silhouetted by a cloud-covered moon? Arlington Estate was encircled by groups of four torches moving through the trees, like wreckers of old! Three members from last year's team braved it again, and a new fourth member volunteered. She must have been heartily sick of being told what a 'doddle' it was compared to last year.

The organisation was quite as impressive and the starting marquee posed the first question - which of the four desks to go to? Passing through the main gates of Arlington Court, we saw the stone herons on the posts enjoying a meal of eels, thus giving the answer to the first question on the list - What's for supper? Our witty member wanted to add "...and Walker's Crisps"!

Not to belittle our efforts, we walked an official 14 miles between 7.10 p.m. and 2.05 a.m. One fairly reliable source confessed that it was nearer 17 miles, and two teams who had to be rescued when heading towards Barnstaple, must have done considerably more!

It was a mild night, and the terrain not too hilly nor too far beyond the boundaries of the Estate. Time passed quickly as mental alertness battled with tired legs to solve cryptic questions. We tried to make one of the checkpoint teams envious by snacking off bacon butties, washed down by hot chocolate and brandy, but they had been well-catered for with a take-away from the local pub.

I have to confess that smelling the home straight, we did not divert an extra quarter-mile to check why the obelisk near Arlington was built. Our guessed answer, 'to commemorate the Crimean War', lost us 50 points and 7 places in the final ranking. The correct answer? To commemorate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. Still, our team did raise, thanks to the generous contributions from Berrynarbor and elsewhere, over £500 - one of the largest contributions towards the grand total of well over £10,000.

Finally, home by 2.45 a.m. to a hot bath and a hot whisky - yes, taken simultaneously! In 1992, these had been necessary life-savers, but this year more a sybaritic luxury, but who was checking?!

The geriatrics had done it again! And had carried their combined years, about 250, successfully around the whole course. We even came 23rd out of a field of over 60. Dammit, we deserved that whisky!

PP of DC

22

SHARE-A-POEM

PINE-TREES AND THE SKY: EVENING

 

Illustration by: Paul Swailes

I'd watched the sorrow of the evening sky,
And smelt the sea, and earth, and the warm clover,
And heard the waves, and the seagull 's mocking cry.
 
And in them all was only the old cry,
That song they always sing - 'The best is over!
You may remember now, and think, and sigh, O silly lover!'
And I was tired and sick that all was over,
 
And because I,
For all my thinking, never could recover
One moment of good hours that were over.
And I was sorry and sick, and wished to die.
 
Then from the sad west turning wearily,
against the white north sky,
Very beautiful, and still, and bending over
Their sharp black heads against a quiet sky.
And there was peace in them; and I
Was happy, and forgot to play the lover,
And laughed, and did no longer wish to die;
Being glad of you, O pine-trees and the sky!
 

Rupert Brooke
[Written at Lulworth, 1907]

23

AT-A-GLANCE DIARY

24

THANKS

Rita and David Duncan and family would like to thank all their friends in Berrynarbor who helped to make Angela and Lance's wedding day such a happy occasion.

Well done, contributors, you kept 'em coming and we continue our bumper issues. My thanks, and, I am sure, your thanks too, to Debbie for more of her talented work on the front cover; and to Paul Swailes for illustrating the poem for me.

August will be the next issue [let's hope we'll be enjoying some summer - at the time of typing this, it is wet and wintry outside!], and it would be appreciated if articles and items for printing could be in at the Post Office or direct to Chicane a little earlier than usual - by Monday, 12th July [latest], as our printing facilities are due to 'break up' on the 23rd!

I very much hope you will find time to pop in to the Management Committee's Coffee Morning for funds for the Newsletter and my best wishes to all readers.

Judie