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January 2023 January 2023

MILBORNE MOVIES OBITUARIES

MRS HARRIS GOES TO PARIS Mary Lewis

Friday 20th January 2022 at 7.30pm Mary was born in Watford on New Year’s Eve 1938 to Nan and Tom Mooney
and sister to Pat. In 1942 the family moved to West Street Bere Regis to be
Village Hall, The Causeway, Milborne St close to Tom who was based in Bovington, as a tank driving instructor. In 1944
Andrew DT11 0JX brother Terry was born.

Doors and bar open 7.00 After several moves in the local area the family moved back to Bere in 1952
to Green Close. Mary went to school in Bere and then Bovington. After
Tickets cost £6, which includes a drink or an leaving school Mary went to work in the Post Office in Bloxworth and then the
ice-cream village weave on West Street, Bere Regis. When this closed, Mary set up a

In partnership with the House of Dior, MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS tells the story of wool shop in Butt Lane in sister in law Pam’s hair dressing salon.
a widowed cleaning lady in 1950s London who falls madly in love with a couture Mary then went to work in Poole at the civic centre for Poole council. During
Dior dress, and decides that she must have one of her own. After she works, this time Mary, Nan and Tom were involved with the village hall actively
starves and gambles to raise the funds to pursue her dream, she embarks on an raising money to keep it going. Mary and Nan also ran the Monday night
adventure to Paris which will change not only her own outlook, but the very future bingo from late 50s to mid 80s, also being very involved with the Autumn
of the House of Dior. Leaves.
This is described as a well-directed and well-acted film about an English Mary and Les became a couple in the early 70s and they married in this
charwoman who becomes besotted with a Dior dress, and eventually manages church on 8 September 1973. Exactly a year and a day later Garry was
th
to cobble up the funds to go to the House of Dior in Paris to buy one. But a Dior born and after moving from 55 West Street Mary, Les and Garry moved to 7
dress is not something she can buy off-the-rack, and so Mrs Harris has time for side Southbrook in 1976. Garry recalls good times were had here with local friends
adventures. The film is well-directed and well-acted, and allegedly the re- playing football or cricket in the front garden with many a broken window
creations of Dior are authentic. due to a stray ball and Mary supplying the drinks and ice cream. If it was
raining it would be snooker in the living room on a 6ft x 3ft table.
OVER THE HILL JANUARY 2023 Holidays were always planned around horse racing fixtures at Salisbury or
Newbury with Mary always betting on Willie Carson the jockey. It was in the
mid 90s Mary suffered a heart attack and underwent a triple heart bypass in
I can’t believe what I have just typed as a heading for this article. Is the year 2023 Southampton. Mary still loved her bingo and would regularly attend the
here with us now? Well it will be when you read this. And what a strange year it Legion or Wareham bingos. In 2009 Les sadly passed away and Mary
has been. Climate Change has really been a big part of happenings of last year continued living in Southbrook.
as has the war in Ukraine but I am sure you also have your points to make on this Mary told many people one her happiest days ever
subject. was attending Garry and Sarah’s wedding in 2013
However I would firstly like to look at the changes that the climate has had on our but a better one was on the horizon when her first
lives. Temperatures have been higher than normal throughout the year and when grandchild Charley was born in 2016 and Mary was
autumn came and the countryside should have been preparing for winter, with over the moon loving her afternoons with Charley
all our deciduous trees leaves changing colour and starting to fall. Was this the visiting her or Mary going to see Charley.
case though? No it was not. In fact many trees, including the oaks, beech, ash, Mary had by now moved after 42 years in
hazel and hawthorn showing no real intention of changing the colour of their Southbrook to 2 Elder Road. Garry recalled going to
leaves or removing all their foliage until the really cold spell in mid December.

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