Do you know that there is a State school at the top of Rye Hill? Probably, but its Headmistress, talking to the League of Friends of Hill House at their AGM at the Town Hall on Tuesday said that many people do not. Entirely separate from Hill House Hospital and managed by the County Council and not the Health Authority, it was opened in 1971 when a new Education Act laid down that all mentally handicapped children were to go to school rather than to the previous "training centres". Once it had 55 children, but gradually numbers fell and intellectual standards fell too as many of the more able pupils were moved back to homes and hostels in their own areas. There are now around 25 pupils, who come both from the hospital and from the area round Rye; there is a link with Mount Pleasant Hospital in Hastings, which has a teacher and assistant under Miss Dean's charge and three of whose more mobile wheelchair patients come over daily to Rye. Each class of six needs a teacher and an assistant constantly present because of behaviour problems.
For those used to a normal school, the Hill House curriculum would seem a bit peculiar. Teaching the more handicapped children must take the form of play. The school’s aim is to let the pupils enjoy their life by helping them to achieve the best they can, which of course includes skills to make them accepted by the community outside the school. So swimming lessons are not only a good thing in themselves (the new pool, Miss Dean says, is their greatest asset) but also an opportunity to teach the technicalities of dressing and undressing. School dinners provide the chance to practise basic table manners for those who can feed themselves. Groups enjoy sessions in "the cabin", where there is a kitchen, and they can wrestle with the problem of getting the skin off a potato. Trips in the school minibus are not just for the sake of the outing, but to visit places that other children would take for granted - the sea, the harbour, woods and fields, other schools (whose pupils pay return visits). Pony riding classes are very much enjoyed. There are weekly visits from the physiotherapist and (soon) a speech therapist.
The school's adventure playground is making good progress with its face-lift. Enough money has now accumulated from various kind donors and fund-raising events to pay for a very expensive stainless-steel slide which they hope to have up by Easter. But they also have to pay for running the vital minibus - County pays the licence and part of the insurance, but for petrol, repairs and servicing they are on their own, and with no back-up from a PTA for this or such extras as TV rental costs, etc.
Miss Dean had a particular word about her volunteer workers, and she would be very pleased to meet anyone who would like to visit the school in this connection, or indeed just from general interest - but please phone first (Rye 2624) just in case it happens to be a day when most of the children are out. What they particularly need at the moment is someone who would do a bit of sewing for them - making up material into pinafores or painting-overalls, setting up zips and buttons for practising on, and other simple jobs, not necessarily done at the school for someone who had no time to spare during the day.
Mrs. Mary East, in charge of voluntary workers at the hospital itself, tells us that the adult occupational-therapy department could also do with voluntary help. What they are asking for is perhaps rather more demanding: working with patients who are only able to concentrate for short periods but who do much better with one-to-one attention. If this interests you, please phone Mrs. East at the hospital (Rye 3001) on Tuesday mornings, to fix a convenient time for her to show you the kind of work where this particular help is needed.
The League of Friends badly wants more members (subscription £1 a year) but gets excellent support for its one-off events such as the summer fete (which netted over £700) and a wheelbarrow race at Icklesham (£255). Members of the 1983 Committee will gladly give more information about the League to anyone who would like to join. They are: Mr. D. Bailey (Icklesham), Chairman; Mr. D. Hughes (Rye), Treasurer; Mrs. Glenda Smith (Rye), Secretary; Mrs. Amy Breeds, Mrs. Betty Cramp and Mr. and. Mrs. Penfold (Rye); Mrs. Joan Baker and Mrs. J. Pearce (Icklesham); Mrs. Maureen Baker (Beckley); Mr. and Mrs. Roney (Hastings); and Mr. Handley, Mrs. Peachey, Mrs. Fuller and Mrs. East of the Hill House staff.
2.
A number of Rye applications were considered by Rother Planning Committee last week.
Some decisions were deferred for various reasons: Ian Addy's gas storage tank is waiting for further reports, so is the proposed new house between 26 and 28 Fishmarket Road, while the new arrangements for the Grist Mill (minus garage) and alterations to the back of a house in Watchbell Street (town side) could not be dealt with on an official basis because objection time had not elapsed.
Permission was granted for minor alterations in Hylands Yard and at Fletcher's House; it was renewed in outline for a house on land at the back of The Mint and refused for a parking space beside South Undercliff (cliff side).
There were two obviously difficult applications.
Permission was given to the owner of Bellmount to take down the watchtower and wall in his garden (GAZETTE no.15) in view of the condition of the cliff, despite objections from four conservation organisations (who had not, he tells us, actually visited him to inspect the site or even discuss the problem). The landslide at Point Hill some time ago serves as an example of what could happen to the main road below Bellmount if this problem were allowed to remain, and work is expected to start as soon as the weather permits. The question of rebuilding - what, when and where - will obviously have to wait until the full extent of the cliff's deterioration can be explored. Incidentally, the present tower was built, on the site of a much earlier structure, by Sir Reginald Blomfield in 1900 at the same time as the extension to the house itself, so we are a bit puzzled as to why anyway the non-local conservation groups took any interest at all in this application.
There was also opposition to Rother Council's own application (GAZETTE no.18) for a summer site on the Salts for an ice-cream van, and this was eventually referred to the full Council meeting on 7 February. Councillor Mrs. Yates tells us that it is possible that permission will be granted for a trial period of one year; as she says, the present alternative seems to be casual vans who park at the kerbside, snarl up the traffic, pay no rent and leave their litter behind them, whereas a firm paying money for the concession will see to it that it is theirs alone. Objectors took the view that there is already plenty of opportunity for buying ice-cream in the High Street and Landgate; but this is perhaps not a big help to bowlers, putters, or mothers with small children in the playground - and certainly the High Street is very short of facilities for removing the melted remains from a child afterwards, as we have all noticed.
For the next planning committee, the Planning Officer is producing an overall policy for development in Rye Harbour Road, which is why two separate applications for light industrial units there are still on the deferred list. We shall hope to have more about this soon.
(Interest has been expressed about the composition of Rother Planning Committee, and where the different members come from; it will of course all change anyway after the new Council elections in May, but we will see what can be done in the meantime.)
Nobody could come away anything but happy after a visit to the Easton Rooms this month, where pupils at local schools are displaying their talents to great effect. Tilling Green, Freda Gardham and Thomas Peacocke (perhaps next year Hill House too?) have combined to produce a colourful show of work in clay, paint, pencil, fabric and various ingenious combinations. The gallery is in effect wallpapered with pictures, from proud infant collages to skilful 0- and A-level work of a very high standard, and if some of those exhibiting remain in Rye we are sure we shall see their work again in adult exhibitions.
We do congratulate all those concerned with arranging, hanging and contributing to the show - this seems a much better time and place than earlier versions. The only regret could be that not every piece of work bears the artist's name - it is always nice to receive the congratulations of one's friends and neighbours on something outstanding placed on public view.
THE RYE GAZETTE 2.2.83 - page 3
To the envy of a germ-ridden Editor, Joan Parkes and a great many other people obviously enjoyed enormously the Ryesingers' production of "Pirates of Penzance" at the Community Centre. Joyous and well-rehearsed singing, she says, imaginative costumes, a packed hall, and an appreciative audience- a good recipe for a delightful evening out. The show, produced and conducted by Lesley Brownbill, was much enjoyed by singers as well as audience. Jim Simpson was a convincing Major-General, his trembling legs much admired in Act 2. Charles Eldridge, who has been a tremendous help with previous G & S productions, was this time a truly fearsome Pirate King, and George Eldridge gave a good account of his lieutenant, Samuel. Tony Thomson was a suitably gullible Frederick, the pirate apprentice, David Cade came into his own as the Sergeant of Police, singing with great verve; Sallie Grant's performance as Ruth, the piratical maid-of-all-work, was excellent, and Jan Reeve as Mabel had a rare opportunity to sing soprano; Jenny Hadfield, Carole Ball and Sally Osborne looked and sounded delightful as the General's other daughters. June Elgar again came over to accompany all three performances.
The forty or so ladies and gentlemen of the chorus disported themselves to everyone's satisfaction, using the new 92 square feet of extra stage presented to the Centre by Ryesingers and Rye Players jointly. Designed by David Cade and made by and Brian Lovell, it can be dismantled and stowed away between productions, and will obviously be a most useful asset for future productions of many kinds.
Facing strong competition this year from three other events the same evening, Rye Ratepayers Association nevertheless held an instructive AGM at the Town Hall on Monday. The very hard-working and diligent Committee was re-elected en bloc, minus Councillor Prebble whose resignation was, received with regret and a warm tribute to his invaluable service both to the Association and to the Council. The Officers were also re-elected: President, Mr. John Everest; Chairman, Councillor Mrs, Nelson-Barrett; Vice-Chairman, Councillor Shackleton; Secretary, Mr. Menhinick; Treasurer, Mr. Chubb. The subscription is to rise to a still modest £1 in July.
Various matters were discussed which have already been reported on in the GAZETTE, and what follows is not, therefore, a full account of the meeting. But things were said which were news to us. The County Librarian has told the Association that the Library hours are likely to be cut to 4 (not 3 1/2) days a week, and there was a discussion about the possibility of using volunteer labour to help out – of course if anything comes of this we will report further. It was felt that the Town Lottery tickets were not being pushed enough in view of its value to the town. Street lighting is maintained by Seeboard, and a free phone in their showroom gives access to the department which would like to know if a light is out of action - though it would seem more sensible not to have to send someone out from Eastbourne to replace the bulb! Local radio: Councillor Starkey said that we are no nearer having a commercial station, but the BBC is about to open a transmitter at Bexhill to relay what used to be Radio Brighton, but which will adapt its programmes to its new name of Radio Sussex. Rye Town Council is to run a poster competition - for both adults and children - to produce an eye-catching advertisement for the town. Rother is preparing a report on car and coach parking problems, and there was a suggestion that the Gun Garden car park should be for residents only. Street cleaning was discussed; part of the problem is that cars parked overnight in the main streets make sweeping difficult for the cleaners who start work at 7.30 am, as well as during shopping hours (the same point was made to us on another occasion about cleaning the Estate roads) - a particular source of complaint is the Rope Walk area, littered with chip papers every morning.
We shall of course have more to report on the future of the railway, and also on the problems with the cliff at the end of Watchbell Street. The remaining major issue was, naturally, the rates, and here there was applause for Councillor Shackleton. It is to his persuasive powers that we owe the fact that, although everyone else in the County will get a 5.4 rate increase at least this year, Rye's increase will be nearer half this due to the reduction in our "special expenses" payment which he negotiated for us in November (GAZETTE no.10).
THE RYE GAZETTE, 22.85 - page 4
A recent reference to BBC world Service brought an invitation to call on Mr. Norman Jennings, whose home at 64 Udimore Road contains tucked neatly and unexpectedly away in a corner, the equipment for a most fascinating and unusual hobby.
Mr. Jennings is not a radio ham – that term is reserved for those who transmit radio messages as well as receiving them. He is a short-wave listener and watcher, which means that he can pick up messages from all over the world. If he wants to reply; or to report back on a particularly unusual piece of reception, he has three fat directories with the call-signs, names and addresses of all registered "hams” - and there are nearly-half a-million off them in the USA alone, and another 400,000 over the-rest of the world! However, postage at this level can work out very expensive and in general Mr, Jennings is happy just to listen.
He did his best to explain to a technologically ignorant reporter just how the amazing System of RTTY works but he was, we fear; largely wasting his time. You have heard your own radio giving out bleeps (Morse code) and very fast bleeps (teleprinters) and have wondered how anyone could think, let alone write, fast enough to note them down, Mr. Jennings has the answer. Somehow the bleeps are decoded into words which come up on a quite ordinary-looking TV screen, and from the letters which make up the call sign Mr. Jennings can tell - often from memory! - who is putting out the signal. It could, for instance be King Hussein of Jordan, a keen ham whose call sign JY1 appears in the directory against Al Hussein, or maybe Brian Rix, another well-known enthusiast. Hams can, of course, also communicate in direct speech, and English is the international language, though within a particular language area people naturally tend to talk in their native tongue. Mr. Jennings has overheard Russians talking to one of their satellites. As well as people transmitting from their own home base, there are interesting transmissions to be picked up from expeditions moving themselves and their radio equipment around the far parts of the earth, and also from ships since many owners of big yachts amuse themselves transmitting "en voyage".
Before the War Mr. Jennings was in the Territorials, and was already interested in short-wave radio, so it was natural for him to do his wartime service in the Royal Signals. Since then, he let his hobby lapse until he was looking for a new interest some 18 months ago. Of course, the equipment and much else has changed considerably in 40 years, but he found it was not difficult to pick up the procedures again. He has already contributed to the four radio magazines he subscribes to. The only external sign of all this activity is when the big aerial on the back roof of no 64 suddenly rotates - disconcerting to new neighbours, but merely a sign that Mr. Jennings is working on his VHF reception and beaming directionally.
It is very clear that Mr. Jennings' idea of short-wave radio and that of the average CB fan are worlds apart. He is, he says firmly, a very serious short-wave listener and also a keen member of the International Short-Wave League, which caters for all ISWL members, short wave listeners who listen to broadcast as well as amateur bands. A hobby like this is obviously a useful introduction in any part of the world and a recent newcomer to the town was delighted to find another short-wave listener in the neighbourhood; there are now three, and Mr. Jennings says he would be quite prepared to help any really serious short-wave listener in the area with information about the ISWL and the other societies in the fascinating field. His phone number is Rye 2530.
(Apologies, by the way, to The Times and The Guardian, who do publish World Service programmes; but the Radio Times really doesn't, and the 648 wave length does not appear on the official BBC chart issued to radio dealers.)
No crime in the police press book this week, but Rye Police Station has been asked to warn people to be very wary if they find a 45-gallon drum washed up on the beach. Some which went overboard from a tanker off Harwich before Christmas are apparently likely to turn up on Sussex beaches any time now. They are green with white tops, labelled PYRDINE 200 C - POISON - HAZARDOUS - INFLAMMABLE. Fair enough warning to avoid them anyway, but police information is that they are extremely dangerous, and even to inhale or splash the contents could cause death. (They would, of course, like to know if one turns up - Rye 2112.)
5.
It has been suggested that the GAZETTE's outline of life in the town is not complete without reports of the proceedings of Rye Magistrates' Court. We therefore went to see Mr. Smith, one of the staff of the Justices' Clerk's Office for the Hastings, Bexhill, Battle and Rye Courts who are at certain times on duty in the Rye High Street office.
Rye and Battle are jointly a Division for Court-purposes, but in general Rye deals with cases arising in the town itself and its own circle of villages, bounded by Fairlight, Northiam, Brede and Camber. The main Court is held on Wednesdays, and for the past few years a further Court has been held on Mondays to deal mainly with traffic offences.
Many years ago, the local press used to report Court proceedings in some detail, - even quite unimportant cases, and the prospect of having one's name in the paper had a certain deterrent effect on less hardened wrong-doers. The regular papers no longer have time or space for this, and it would perhaps be unfair for the GAZETTE to publish names of Rye culprits when their equivalents in the villages were able to remain anonymous. It also happens that Monday is the day the GAZETTE is written and Wednesday is delivery day, so attendance at Court would anyway be impossible.
However, it would be possible to publish (without names) the penalties imposed for some local convictions - this might have a deterrent effect of a different kind, particularly since fines have increased since some of our readers were in trouble for cycling without lights in the Thirties! A report of this kind, at intervals, would require the co-operation of the police and the Justices' Clerk's Office, but it might be worth doing; what do readers think?
This seems a good opportunity to give, with permission, the names of those who give up so much of their time and shoulder a great deal of responsibility by sitting on the Rye Bench: Mrs. Mercy Whitehead (Chairman), Mr. Arthur Woodgate, Mrs. Anne Mair, Mr. James Jury, Mrs. Joan Munn, Mr. Alan Webb, Mr. Peter Cyster, Mr. Ralph Holland, Mrs. Edna Horniblow, Mrs. Daphne Jones and Mrs. Jo Kirkham. Most of our villages appear in the list of addresses; it all seems a very far cry from the day in 1743 when Mayor James Lamb, supported by his Rye Jurats, sentenced to hang for murder the unwisely jubilant John Breads - whose gruesome remains still grace the attic above the present Magistrates' Court in the Town Hall built the same year.
Our proposed advertisement supplement is not after all appearing this week, and probably not at all, due to an almost total lack of response from advertisers. Are we too small? Too expensive? We don't know - and don't much care, since there was a good deal of hassle arising from it which we could well do without! We might try again later in the year, if any serious interest is expressed; but otherwise, your GAZETTE will continue as before, always pleased to report on any venture that is of general public interest.
We have been asked occasionally why we don't print letters to the Editor. The reason is largely one of space; we try to get as much information as we can into the paper, keeping a fair balance between the different items, and a couple of letters on a particular subject printed in full could upset this - and we would not wish to lose our friends by drastically cutting their material.
However, we do of course get feedback, and if this is of interest to our readers generally, we try to incorporate it, either with or without the contributor's name as seems appropriate. In general, the views expressed are those of the Editor but also, we hope, those of the majority of readers. If you feel strongly that we have been unreasonable, please tell us.
The GAZETTE aims at 100% accuracy in its reporting. If - when we do slip up, we very much appreciate it if someone will put us right, so that a correction or apology can be published in the next issue.
Wednesday, 2nd Candlemas service, St. Mary's, 7.30
(TONIGHT)
Thursday, 3rd Christian Lunch Club - Mr. Ron Collard of the Missionary Aviation
Fellowship speaking on "Winged Victory", CC, 12 for 12.30
Blood donor sessions, Baptist Hall, 2-4, 5-7.45 (corrected times) National Trust Talk, CC 7.30 - Brian Hawkes on "Birds of the British Isles"
Friday, 4th Vidler & Co.'s monthly auction sale, 10
Blood donor sessions (as Thursday)
Jumble sale, Thomas Peacocke Lower School, Ferry Road, 6.30
Papa Joe's film: "Richard Prior - live in concert" - Pizzeria, 9
(The rest of the week appears to be blank from the Town Diary's viewpoint.)
• Second-hand bargains at the FEC on Saturday brought in over £230 for the NSPCC. The branch's next event will be the AGM on Wednesday, 16 March, when the speaker will be Mr. Ron Hawker, the Society's Centenary Officer.
• The Old Forge Restaurant, which has been closed for staff holidays, will reopen on Tuesday, 8 February, when the Bayntuns expect the delicious aroma of venison to greet their customers.
• An entertainment for Saturday evening, 19 February, at 7 (not 7.30) at the Community Centre, will be the local National Trust group's tasting of French country wines. Admission is open to all, and the entry fee of £1.50 includes snacks. 12 different wines will be tasted, and all will be on sale in the hall - but only in cases of a dozen bottles: scope for sharing here? The lecturer is Mr. John Bertaut, winner of the Evening Standard Wine Tasting Award.
• Forms for the Thomas Peacocke School 50:50 Auction on 5 March (GAZETTE no.18) will go out to all TPS parents this week, and copies can be had from either The Grove or Ferry Road. Anyone can have one enclosed with their next issue of the GAZETTE if they like to ring Rye 2303.
• Rye Tiles in Wish Ward are now holding their annual sale, until 31 March. This is always interesting, but Tarquin and Biddy Cole suggest that even browsers should measure up first. There will be some 6" floor tiles, and plenty of 6" and 4" wall tiles, plus some interlocking shapes; but ends-of-range cannot be repeated.
• Community Centre Secretary Mrs. Maureen Sherwood tells us that all the Centre'svbusiness is now conducted from her office there and not from her home. All correspondence should go to the Centre, and she will be available at the office there (Rye 2850) as usual on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 9.30 to 11.30 and now also on Tuesday evenings from 5.30 to 7.30 and Friday afternoons from 2 to 4. The Committee is inviting contributions for a retirement present for Mr. Cogger, the caretaker at the Centre for ten years.
• The recent jumble sale at the Scout Hut raised £65 for Troop funds.
• Thomas Peacocke Lower School announces that the finals of its annual Speech and Dance Competitions will take place on Friday, 11 February, in the Lower School Hall (Dance, 1.30 to 2.30; Speech, 2.35 to 3.45), and supporters will be welcome. As usual these contests - plus, this year, an essay competition - are Rotary sponsored.
• Readers may have noticed that only four of the first 21 GAZETTES have been the four-page paper we originally offered, though there may be others to come depending on the amount of news which crops up. If the only inside pages are numbered 2 and 3, it is of course a 4-page issue; if they are numbered 2 and 5, then it is a 6-page which has lost its "middle" as does occasionally happen - if so, we apologise, please ring Rye 2303 and we will see you get the missing sheet.
THE RYE GAZETTE is registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. It is published by Mrs. Mary Owen at 94 Udimore Road, Rye (Rye 2303), who is always glad to receive news items for inclusion. It costs 20p a week and is normally delivered on Wednesdays.
Photocopied by Sussex Secretarial Services, 11 Claremont, Hastings (942 2633).