Bohemia Village Voice

BOHEMIA JOURNAL – issue 23 (December 1986)

Journal of the Bohemia Area Residents Association, no. 23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ST PAUL’S SCHOOL – by Derek Norcross, Headmaster

We left Amherst Road by Rambler Coach on the morning of 23^rd October 1986, bound for Gatwick and a North West Orient 747 direct to Minneapolis, a flight of 8 and a half hours. A beautiful day, clear skies and the most memorable views over Greenland and Northern Canada. There were 39 of us and most of the children aged 8-16 had never flown been away from their families, nor been abroad before.

The following eleven days were a kaleidoscope of rich experiences – a visit to the Hershey Chocolate World (Charlie’s Chocolate Factory); ten-pin bowling; American Football; walking up the Appalachians; Hallowe’en Party; a conducted tour of the Silverdome; sight-seeing days in Philadelphia and Washington; the Air and Space Museum; roller-skating; a visit to Minnehaha Falls; appearance on television; endless McDonalds; ice-cream parlours, etc. etc.

But our reason for being there was to perform and a heavy schedule of ten Concerts had been arranged – three in one day in Pennsylvania!

There was some home-sickness and actual sickness but with our very own Doctor, Mary Rees and Mrs. Jolley, we were all well taken care of. Despite jet-lag, early mornings and late nights and a totally hectic schedule the children were real troupers and we were all very proud of them; in true British style there were stiff upper lips and no whinging – they were all real little professionals.

As well as the official Concerts we had many impromptu sings with audiences quickly gathering round e.g. in a huge skyscraper block of International Bankers we sang in the foyer for an enthusiastic and appreciative audience who poured out of their offices.

Much of the work we performed was our Early Music and in addition three delightful works by Rosemary Fleet – ‘Songs of Childhood’, ‘Seascapes’ and ‘Our Street’. At the Breck School Centenary Concert we made our first public appearance in America and have a beautiful picture now hanging in our Hall with a plaque commemorating the event. It was there that we performed a work – ‘Ring-ee-Tye’ by American composer John Watson, – specially commissioned for the occasion.

I could really write a book, but will conclude with the words of the citation we received from the House of Representatives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:

“The Music Ensemble of St. Paul’s School, Hastings, England, has come to Central Pennsylvania extending fellowship and goodwill, through its songs, dances, music and joyous disposition.

The Ensemble is Children, children who are mistresses and masters of the singing, playing and moving to the music of medieval times. They have come to share with us their delight and skill in their music. The Ensemble is a continuation of the tradition of children as crusaders whose presence reminds us of the value of life and of the possibilities of peace and amity.

The people of Pennsylvania, through the House of Representatives welcome and commend the St. Paul’s School Music Ensemble and those whose work, art and dedication have enabled the Ensemble to be with us.”

This impressive document will be framed and hung up in School as a symbol of what can be achieved with determination.

My only regret is that I would have wished every child to have shared this wonderful experience.

Our special thanks to all those who helped make the trip financially possible – the Magdalen and Lasher Trust; North West Orient; Briscoe Trust; and other good friends both sides of the Atlantic.

OUR CHRISTMAS COVER – by H Northwood

This year, as always, we offered £15 in prizes for the best Christmas cards designed by the children of St. Paul’s School. I did ask that the cards should be in black and white (as colour printing is so expensive); that the top and bottom should be the shorter sides; and that it should be about 5.5 by 6 inches in size.

The card that I have chosen broke all these rules (as, indeed, did practically every entry), but it is original, is so well drawn and shows such technique that I have thrown the rules overboard. I have trimmed the card to fit without in any way losing the spirit of the designer.

She is Lilley Clements, aged 10. She had already won a prize for the best Christmas Card at a LarkhillSchool in Stockport before coming here. She also (surprise, surprise!) won our Christmas Card Competition last year!

H. NORTHWOOD EDITOR, 39 Salisbury Road, St. Leonards 426684

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SANDELL PERKINS [Advertisement] The South’s Leading Timber & Builders Merchants. Springfield Valley Rd, tel: Hastings 424300. For all your building and home improvement requirements. Softwoods, Hardwoods, Chipboard, Blockboard, Plywood, Sand, Cement, Bricks, Blocks, Door and Window Frames, Guttering, Electrics, Tools Plumbing and Much More. C.O.D. Delivery Service Available. The Merchant On Your Doorstep. ‘Build On Our 200 Years Experience 1785-1985’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

OWBENN ANTIQUES [Advertisement] And upholstery. Antique Dealers-Traditional and modern upholsterers, French Polishers and Restorers. 76 & 80 Bohemia Road. Tel 437443.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OUR SECRETARY SAYS – by Dee Jones

Again another year has passed; we held our A.G. M., which I must say was very poorly attended! We need support from all our local residents in our aim to make this Residents’ Association work for us and you. You are the most important part of this Association and all we do is for your benefit, so I was very disappointed at the attendance of the AGM, I only hope our half yearly meeting will be more supportive!!

I would like to say a fond farewell to Bob Ford who has retired as Chairman, and a very warm welcome to Ray Marchant who was voted our new Chairman for the coming year. I am also pleased to say that Iris Miller has joined the Committee again after a short break and has come back as our Social Secretary – which relieves me of the duty. We held a Jumble Sale in November which I am told by the Treasurer was very successful.

As I am sure our Editor has informed you, we are running our Fuel Fund for the Elderly again this year. The amount raised and the sponsors I am sure will be reported to you in our next Bulletin.

DEE JONES, Secretary

 

M.N.D.A. RAFFLE – by Iris Paine

The Motor Nuerone Disease Appeal Raffle took place on Friday 24^th October at the North Star Public House. The winners’ names were drawn at random by customers in the Bar at the time. As well as the patchwork cover, other prizes were given by people to help the appeal. The winners were:-

1^st. Patchwork cover. Mrs. Dunford. Salisbury Road.
2^nd. Man’s Watch. Mr. S. Spackman. Lower South Road.
3^rd. Ladies Watch. Mr. T. Larkin. Howletts Close.
4^th. Bottle of Wine. Mrs. S. Potter. Eversley Road.

The money collected was £105. I wish to thank all the people who bought tickets, and many thanks to people who gave the prizes, also to those who helped to sell the tickets. The money has been donated to M.N.D.A. Medical Research.

Iris Paine. 47 Wykeham Road. M.N.D.A. Collector.

 

 

WBM INSURANCE SERVICES SAVE MONEY ON INSURANCE HOME CONTENTS FROM ONLY £19.50! DISCOUNT FOR PENSIONERS. COMPUTERISED MOTOR QUOTES IN MINUTES. SPECIAL SCHEME FOR DRIVERS WITH CONVICTIONS ETC. INSTALMENTS AVAILABLE. SELF-EMPLOYED? – PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE FROM £20. ALL OTHER ASPECTS CATERED FOR INCLUDING LIFE AND PENSIONS. MORTGAGES ARRANGED. OPEN SATURDAYS – 24 HOUR ANSWERING. 32 Tower Road, St. Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, TN37 6JE. Hastings (0424) 434675. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GREEN LEAVES [Advertisement] FOR ALL YOUR FRUIT & VEGETABLES THIS CHRISTMAS. ROOTED CHRISTMAS TREES, HOLLY WREATHS. Drop in a list – or phone us on HASTINGS (428693). We will deliver free of charge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ONCE UPON A TIME

Bohemia was a thriving Shopping Centre; traders competed one against the other in all trades. You bought the normal things in the little general stores that abounded on every street corner. Bohemia provided the special things, the luxuries that meant so much at Xmas. This butcher, now Monks & Thorpe was Oliver’s at that time. He employed a van driver, a driver for his motor-cycle with its box sidecar, and three errand boys with carrier bikes to deliver the orders.

He was only one of five butchers in Bohemia!

If you had not been married very long you fell into the trap of raising your own chicken for the Christmas dinner in order to save money. Came Christmas and a positive wife and a tearful child almost laid their lives on the line to save that of the chicken – which now had a pet name and had become part of the family…..

Those Christmas stockings, noisily gloated over at three in the morning, contained, apart from the one special (albeit, inexpensive) present such luxuries as an apple, an orange and some assorted nuts.

Without the boredom of television we played games as a family – like “Ludo”, “Happy Families”, “Snakes & Ladders” and, later, “Monopoly”. Christmas was really “Merry” in those far-off days.

Has Progress brought genuine happiness? I wonder!

—–

Christmas is a time for special stamps, not only the Xmas issue but also the occasional expensive stamps that grace the Christmas parcel. All these when used still have a value and should be saved, without damaging them, to go to help various charities. If you do not have your own special charity, please pass them on to me and I will see that they go where they will be appreciated.

CONGRATULATIONS !

Although a little belatedly, to DAVE & VAL HARMER of the A21 Café on the birth of their son ANTHONY. He arrived just after I had put the last edition of our journal to bed. At birth on September 9^th he weighed 6lbs. 9.5 oz. With the good living we naturally associate with the A21 he now scales a bouncing 11lbs. 8oz… (what makes babies bounce, I wonder?)

 

OPEN ALL HOURS [Advertisement]107 Bohemia Road, Full Off-Licence, Groceries, Stores, Provisions etc, Coal, Video Hire, Ices, Confectionery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

R & J PERKINS [Advertisement] Sharpening service, Discount tools, Key cutting, Locks. Electrical goods and repairs, Paraffin, Lawn mower repairs. Paraffin heaters serviced. 105 Bohemia Road, St. Leonards. Hastings 430301.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOHEMIA BEAT

Thank you to all the residents of the area who made the effort to attend the Neighbourhood Watch Meeting held at the Methodist Church Hall on the 10^th of September last. I’m very pleased with the responses and I have listed below the street co-ordinators for you to contact. If there isn’t a co-ordinator listed for your road why not volunteer?

BOHEMIA ROAD: C. LEVETT, 35 Bohemia Road (430658)
C. HARRIS, 136 Bohemia Road (no phone)
LOWER SOUTH ROAD: T. LAVENDER, 16 Lower South Road (no phone)
UPPER SOUTH ROAD: Mr. WHELDEN, “Footsteps” Shop. (436210)
NEWGATE ROAD: Mrs. D. Jones, 47 Newgate Road. (436125)
AMHERST ROAD: L. TREEN, 49 Amherst Road. (no phone)
CORNFIELD TERRACE: F. ADAMS, 45 Cornfield Terrace (442943)
HORNTYE ROAD: Mr. HELLYER, 6 Horntye Road (no phone)
St. PETER’S ROAD: J. DURRANT, 2 St. Peter’s Road (425865)
CRANBROOK ROAD: B. KNIGHT, 14 Cranbrook Road (440551)
SALISBURY ROAD: H. NORTHWOOD, 39 Salisbury Road (426684)
D. LEAKEY, 28 Salisbury Road (432018)
ALDBOROUGH ROAD: R. FORD, 12 Aldborough Road (713719)
St PAULS’S ROAD: Mrs. K. Styles, 21 St. Peter’s Road (no phone)

The Contact Co-ordinator for the whole area is Mrs. D. Jones of 47 Newgate Road. She is the Organiser and she will be able to answer your queries. She is also the person to whom you must pass all your non-urgent messages for the Police Collator.

Hopefully over the next few months we should start to see a reduction in the amount of criminal activity in Bohemia. However, if you are unlucky enough to be burgled please follow this simple routine:

1) Phone the Police immediately.
2) Do not touch anything that might have been disturbed by the intruder, and don’t attempt to clear up any broken glass etc…
3) Have ready for the Police Officer a complete list of all the items you believe to have been stolen, including model numbers and serial numbers.
4) Get in touch as soon as you can with your street co-ordinator to see if he can help by making enquiries with your neighbours and other local residents.

PAUL SMITH [Advertisement] THE NEW YORK, CHICAGO AND ST. LOIUS RAILROAD COMPANY. Company Shares, Bonds, Debentures, 19^th & 20^th Century Prospectuses. Legal Documents. For Prices Contact: Paul Smith, 39, Amherst Road, Hastings. Tel  426753.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GRINDLE & CO [Advertisement] Who’s selling your property? Over 30 years experience in selling your type of property in the Bohemia area. Estate Agents, We offer a special discount to members of the Bohemia Residents Association. NO SALE – NO FEE. Call in and see us at: 115, Bohemia Road. Or telephone Hastings 444425/445551.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PERSONALITIES

ARNELDA LATIMER works as Gallery Organiser at Empress Art in Tower Road. She was born in the United States where she studied drawing and painting and took a BA in Creative Arts. She moved to Scotland in 1968 and worked as Secretary to a Professor of Medicine in Glasgow which enabled her to travel around Britain and Europe. She later trained as a registered general Nurse, and after coming to St. Leonards eleven years ago worked for a time at the BuchananHospital. Her drawings, executed in pencil and oil wash, have been exhibited in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Rye and Hastings and she recently had a one-woman show at Empress Art. She is married with one daughter. She enjoys collecting pictures and playing badminton.

PAM BEANEY moved to Hastngs with her parents, brothers and sister from Paddock Wood in Kent in 1938. She married her husband Ken in June 1958. They moved into their house in Newgate Road in November 1962. They have two sons; both were christened at ParkRoadMethodistChurch and attended St. Paul’s and The Grove Schools. She opened her General Stores in November 1969 and moved into larger premises in Bohemia Road in December 1970. She writes: “I have seen many changes in the Bohemia area in the 24 years I have lived there, but one thing that stands out is the friendliness of the community. As for my customers, I do not look upon them as ‘customers’ but as friends. Unfortunately, due to health reasons, I cannot do as much as I would like to in the community. What I can, I will.”

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Once again it is time for me to remind you that your annual subscriptions have again fallen due. They are still the same low figure, so that everyone can afford to join. They are: 50p per individual member, £1 for a family living under the same roof and 30p for Old Age Pensioners. As our Membership Secretary is waiting to move I ask you on this occasion to pay them to our Treasurer, Councillor Paul Smith at 39 Amherst Road. If that presents any sort of problem, then any Committee Member will see that it gets to the right quarter. Thank You!

EMPRESS ART [Advertisement] The Picture Framers. 3/4 Tower Road. St. Leonards-on-Sea, EastSussex. Telephone (0424) 442000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

K. R. NUNN [Advertisement] Antiques, Weapons, Furniture, China, Medals, Coins, Silver. Valuations, House Clearance. 106 Bohemia Road, Tel 431093.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WINTER & THE OLD FOLK

Once again winter is upon us and with it all the problems that cold weather brings, particularly to our old folk. We are again getting together money to help them with their fuel bills. Our recent Autumn Event raised £95 gross, which means a profit of £75 to go in the kitty. The customers at “The Wheatsheaf” with their customary generosity have been collecting for our Fund with a bottle in the Bar.

Mr. Whiskin, of “Open All Hours” is putting together a parcel of Christmas goodies and will be raffling it to raise money for our Fund.

Last year, when I announced that we were going to use our funds to help our pensioners, I expected to receive a lot of requests for help. I had thought in terms of picking names from a hat… Instead, not one such request was received. In the end I got together a list by dint of putting down the names of folk who I knew would genuinely benefit from the scheme and by asking wise traders for names.

These old folk do need this help, but the only thing they possess in many cases is their independence. They would rather die than ask for help, but are truly grateful when it is offered to them. If you do know any such folk, please let me know.

For those who use coal or paraffin we issue vouchers they present to the appropriate trader. For those who use gas or electricity we give them a cheque made out to either the Gas Company or the Electricity Board.

I am going to raffle three of my paperweights valued at £50, £30 and £20 for our Fund. They will be available (the tickets, that is) at various shops which will display a special poster.

The Draw will be on Wednesday December 17^th in “Green Leaves” and the winners’ name will be posted up in the Bohemia shops.

 

COMING EVENTS

November 29^th to December 31^st, Exhibition of original pictures for Xmas gifts, Empress Art, Tower Road
December 10^th & every other Wednesday, Coffee Mornings, Red Cross, Newgate Road
December 18^th 2.45 p.m., Crib Service with St. Paul’s School Choir, St. Peter’s Church

POLITICS & US

We are specifically, intentionally and constitutionally a non-political organisation. That is the first clause in our Constitution. We do not ask, nor would we ask any Officer, Committee Member or Member what their political beliefs are. No political Party has the right to claim credit for anything we do. Your Committee heard with real dismay that one of our friends who deliver our Journal, over-enthusiastic in a political sense, also included with our Journal certain political documents. Should you find any such material delivered with our Journal I would be grateful if you would let me know. We will take steps to prevent the re-occurrence of such regrettable activity.

MY TYPEWRITER

My typewriter, which like myself, is getting old, has made two spelling mistakes in this Edition. Did you see them?

(I corrected the spelling mistakes when typing this issue up for the Bohemia Village Voice, without knowing about this bit, and now I don’t know where they are to put them back in without going back through the entire magazine, which I am not prepared to do, sorry. Nick Pryde, August 2013)

“Technicolour isn’t cricket, ‘e’s an eye for you to pick it.”

 

_________________________________________________________________

RELATED ARTICLES

Bohemia Area Association

Bohemia Journal 21 (June 1986)

Bohemia Journal 25 (June 1987)