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January 2018 January 2018
Extra Artsreach: Agent of Influence - The Secret Life of
Pamela More
OBITUARIES
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We have now secured a performance for Friday 9 March 2018 to add to our
calendar of events. Fluff productions are bringing us another interesting spy drama
to continue our season. ‘Mid-calf navy blue day dress with pearl buttons by Victor
Stiebel. Dove Grey tweed jacket and fox stole by House of Hartnell. Hat by Elsa
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Schiaparelli. Perfect for luncheons, jaunts around town and spying on fascists. Jean Conkerton 18 June, 1925 – 25 November, 2017
(12+)
“I came forth from God and return unto Him.”
As usual contact the organiser for Briantspuddle Jenny Beedle Tel: 01929471002. th
The performance has had fab reviews. More details in Feb Mag. My Mum, Jean Conkerton, passed away on 25 November after a long battle
with dementia. She had been a resident at Anglebury Court in Wareham for

the past four years, having lived at Turberville Court in Bere Regis since 2005.
Village Lunch Jean had lived a life typical of many of her generation, being born just after the
first World War, living through the bombs of WW2 and joining the Land Army to
The two monthly lunches combined for the Christmas meal in December, making it ‘do her bit’ at the age of 18. Born in Hull, she was posted to Somerset and had
a more sensible use of time and resources in order to provide a really splendid
meal for all our regulars. The January lunch will also have to be a combined meal her first taste of rural life. Mum was a rat catcher – or Pest Exterminator, to use
as the date of Burns night clashes with the Lets Lunch date. (see Community her official title – and was proud of the fact that she and her fellow land girls
Group entry for details) had authority over the menfolk on the farms when it came to handling arsenic
and cyanide. The time she had in the Land Army made a fantastic impression

on her, and in later life as her mind faded with the ravages of dementia, her
100+ Club memories of those days were as clear as they had been in 1945.

The winning number for Novembers draw was 22. The special draw for December Moving back to Hull after the end of the war Mum met my Dad, Walter, in the
was a little late and was made at the Christmas meal. There were 3 cash prizes Auxiliary Airforce. She was again proud of the fact that she outranked him in her
and other gift prizes all of which will have been handy before the Festivities begin. position as a fighter plotter: she was a sergeant, he just a mere corporal! Mum
(too late to report in Jan Mag) later went into shop work, and owned a corner shop for a number of years.
They raised three children - my two brothers, Peter and Keith, and me – and

lived in Hull until they were both well into their fifties. They moved to Cornwall in
Finally the hope that the warmer seaside air would help Dad. He passed away in his
sixties after a long debilitating illness.
In a recent research article on ‘happiness’ in a national newspaper it was
reported that ‘the biggest correlation with happiness is NOT with money, but, with Both my parents had very broad outlook with regards to ‘other’ cultures and
beliefs, teaching us children that it is the quality of a person’s character which
your personal relationships and your sense of community’!!
We already knew that, didn’t we? matters, not their religion or the colour of their skin. Mum decided to become a
member of the Bahá’i community, having known of the faith since the early 80s.
Happy New Year!
Mum moved to Dorset after I had had Alex, ostensibly
to help me look after my babies. Initially in Pimperne,
BRIANTSPUDDLE COMMUNITY GROUP Mum would organise coffee mornings for MacMillan
and other charities, always aiming to keep busy and
sociable whilst helping others. We were glad to secure
Happy New Year to you all a flat for her in Turberville Court where she took part in
as many village activities as she could. She enjoyed

the Autumn Leaves and the Pop In, but her health was
Coffee Shop
rapidly deteriorating and it eventually became clear
We will be open every Saturday morning in January and February. Usual opening that independent living was no longer possible.

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