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April 2020 April 2020

DORSET FALCONRY PARK OBITUARIES/EULOGIES

Briantspuddle Village Hall
Kath Wharton
evening lecture series

Kath Wharton who at 102 years of age was possibly the oldest person ever to
Last month we had a splendid talk have lived in the village of Briantspuddle.
from Martin Ballam. Martin explained
how he came to set up Dorset She was born Kathleen Ida Randle in August 1917, before the end of the Great
Falconry Park at the site at Lewell Mill War. Her father was a telephone engineering manager and her mother was a
Lane, between Woodsford and West housewife. They lived in West Bromwich in the West Midlands, where her family
Stafford. Martin took time to explain had always lived. She had an elder brother and a younger sister.
to us how the company is focused She was a bright girl and went to the local Grammar School where she excelled
on rescue, rehabilitation, and in sport. She represented the school in hockey and swimming where she won
conservation.
several medals and a silver cup for free style. She also loved literature and
He brought along five of the 130 poetry. Even at the very end she could remember word for word long passages
birds housed at the park, a Barn Owl, of her favourite poems and Shakespearean soliloquies that she had learned at
Great Grey Owl, Eurasian Eagle Owl, school some 90 years ago.
American Harris Hawk, and a When she left school, she learned shorthand and typing, a skill which she
Chilean Blue Eagle. I cannot find retained even into old age. She became a shorthand typist at a local firm
words to describe how beautiful and where she made several lifelong friends. It was war time and having passed her
impressive these birds were. Some of driving test she volunteered to be an ambulance driver in her spare time after
these birds has a history of misfortune work.
but Martin was able to tell us of the
p r o g r a m o f b r e e d i n g o r She enjoyed ballroom dancing and would often go with friends to the local
rehabilitation, each of which was an ballroom at weekends and that is where she met her husband to be, Horace,
embarrassing surprise of human folly. who was a good dancer (he had his own patent leather shoes!) and they
became regular dance partners. They married in 1942 and for a few years lived
Take the Vultures which were prolific with Horace’s mother. Then, after the war, they had their first child, Roger, and
in Asia until carcasses of dead cattle a few years later, they bought their first house together built in the grounds of
which had been administered with Diclofenac were duly demolished resulting in the recently demolished Charlemont Hall. In 1951 their second child, Andrew,
vultures subsequently dying from poisoning within six to twelve hours, leaving was born, and it was there that they would stay for the next 30 years. When
thousands of dead vulture carcases in the surrounding plain. So, these vultures, Roger and Andrew left home, Kath returned to work as a supervisor in charge of
which had been in the “Least Concern” class, were then reconsidered as either the typing pool at the local council offices.
“Endangered” or “Critically Endangered”.
Kath was always busy and wherever she lived she
But it’s not just birds of prey in the park. Martin’s daughter looks after the butterfly always wanted to change things. Every year she had
garden and Martin is having to read up about all the bats that come to the park. a spring clean – and it was a big spring-clean. The
The dragon flies also attract interest. The park is set out in mature grounds with the carpets would come up, the curtains and nets were
aviaries dotted between the trees. It is a home for eagles, owls, hawks and removed, and whitewash put on the windows.
falcons plus three species of critically endangered vultures. We sincerely hope Everything that didn’t move was cleaned and it took
Martin makes a success at the park in order to continue the work he already about a week. Finally, all the furniture was put back,
does and more. Why not enjoy a visit along with a cream tea in the quaint but not in the same place. The dining room would
tearoom.
become the sitting room and the sitting room would
become the dining room. Every Thursday was brass

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