Page 74 - BR-May-2018

May 2018 May 2018
BERE REGIS WI
OBITUARIES
Last month we met a lively and interesting lady –
who very kindly stepped in at the last minute when dawn to milk the cows, I had to help with this before I went to School,
our speaker had to cancel. The Honourable Della then when I came back from school I would be helping again taking
Jones, MBE, a patron for Cancer Research, the heavy buckets of milk from the cow sheds where they were all milked by
entertained us with anecdotes and poems – hand and into the Diary.
dressed accordingly! (“When I Grow Old I’ll Wear Purple”) In addition Mrs Jones
gave us an insight into the research at the new unit in Southampton, reassuring us I reckon I was about eight years old, and looking back the times were hard and
that all monies raised are being put to good use. I got very tired, but I can’t imagine it any other way, as we knew no different.
We had outside toilets they were simply a hole in a bench seat with a bucket
th
Plans for our 100 Birthday Celebration in August are well under way, when we
hope as many of the villagers will join us. underneath, we had to go out to use them in all weathers and then they would
have to be emptied. I remember we had a really good crop of tomatoes
th
At our next meeting on Wednesday, 16 May, Mr. Andrew McElwee is giving a talk where we used to empty our bucket!
entitled “Behind the Scenes of the National Trust”.
Moving forward a bit I remember the haymaking and Bale cart in the 1970’s
If you would like to hear this talk when we would have about forty acres to harvest, we had help from the
or any others on our programme village lads Steve Cox, Lawrence Legg, Chris Hopkins, Paul Bennett to name just
you will be very welcome. a few there was also help from the neighbouring farm hands Geoff Gale and
Doug Curtis from Debenhams. Then we would go back to the Debenhams Farm
If you would like any further and return the favour helping with their harvesting.
information about the WI please
contact: The bales were the small ones and we hand hauled them stacking them high
on trailers, just leaving us room to sit up on top the load to ride back to the farm
Eileen Salisbury on 01929 4720223 to unload it all into the barns. It was hot and thirsty work and we would reward
or Dian Pitts on 01929 471322
ourselves with some cold milk straight from the bulk tank,
Happy Memories of a time gone by but at least with books like this it has been
recorded and can be remembered.
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In 2014, Tony Shave was nominated by the Parish Council for the Purbeck
Volunteer of the Year Award. This is the citation that was read out at the Award
Ceremony.
Tony was born and has lived all his life in and around Bere Regis. Part of a
farming family, he has spent all his working life on farms in this area.
Tony was born with a form of skin cancer which has
necessitated regular bouts of hospital treatment and
surgery. No-one can ever remember Tony complaining
about this. Indeed he is a most positive and cheerful
person, despite his medical problems. Despite his
constant pain and discomfort, he is a person who
constantly brings good cheer and warmth to everyone
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he meets.

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