33 readers have not yet paid their subscriptions for the new quarter (£3, due by 11 April). Their copies are again marked "to pay". If they wish to continue, would they please get in touch with the Editor by the weekend, as we shall not photocopy next week for people not paid up by 25 April!
For some time now "interested bodies" (in every sense) have been asking that ramps should be provided at street crossings in Rye so that wheelchair users could more easily go up and down curbs. Recently a procession went round the centre of the town escorting Mr. Olesen, the Divisional Highways Engineer from Bexhill. There were two wheelchair pushers, and representatives of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, the East Sussex Association for the Disabled, the Ratepayers' Association, and the Warden of Devonport House. Mr. Olesen saw the problems, and said he would do what he could in conjunction with ordinary road repairs; the project might not look all that elegant, but it would not cost ratepayers a lot of money either.
With commendable speed, the results appeared last week. At the time of writing, the work was not quite completed, but it will cover Cinque Ports Street and the High Street, which are, after all, the main shopping areas. All that is involved is a tarmac infill to the angle of the curb, with a white indicator line painted on the edge of the pavement. The difference is astonishing, as the Editor, wheeling 4 grossly overloaded trolley from the launderette, can testify personally; and of course, the benefit is to trolley pushers generally and mothers with prams and pushchairs, as well as the wheelchair users for whom it is basically intended. Thank you very much, Mr. Olesen, for a quick and sympathetic response.
First, of course, congratulations to Chris Ashbee, who was among the first 500 (final placings are not yet announced) in the London Marathon with a time of just over 2 hours 36 minutes - well up on his own estimate of 2 hours 49 minutes. He had, he said, trained specially hard for this one, and will not necessarily be trying to beat this shorter time at his next attempt, in three weeks' time at Worthing. (He even made good time driving up on Sunday, leaving Rye at 5.25 am and reaching London at 6.45.) Bob Bowler says it is not yet possible to estimate how much money Chris "carried" for the Poppy Day Appeal, since sponsorship was widely spread over British Legion branches in the area, but he will let us know the total in due course.
Quite by chance we heard that another Rye man, now 28 and an ex-pupil of Thomas Peacocke, is also a marathon runner. Gregory Adamiw, whose parents live in Market Street, is a civil engineer, at present working in South Africa. He enjoyed cross-country at school and used to run ten miles a day; but that is a far cry from a recent Comrades double marathon in South Africa, over a course going up and down hills for a steady 54 miles! He finished that one but was defeated towards the end of an appalling race in February, which called for 19 miles canoeing followed by 65 miles cycling topped off with a 26-mile road race. Greg first ran in the New York Marathon in October 1980, with a time of 2 hours 54 minutes, followed by the London Marathon the following May, completed in much the same time; in the heat and altitude of South Africa it takes longer. He is not married, and his mother says that running is his main interest out of working hours; he usually runs for his own pleasure and is not often sponsored.
Ideally Chris and Greg might lead a revival of an old Rye custom, the Rye Marathon! Seriously, this used to be run in the years before WWI, and Jo Kirkham came across a reference to the 1912 race, when the girls' and infants' schools were let out early to see the finish - at 3.15 pm on 1 October to be exact. Does anyone know if this was a full Marathon course of over 26 miles, and if so where it went? Surely one of our readers will remember a father, or perhaps an uncle, who used to compete.
2.
... To Glenn Hollands (15) of New Winchelsea Road, whose Raleigh Medale cycle was stolen from outside his home early last Wednesday morning. It has a silver frame, drop handlebars with red rubber grips, and all the usual bits and pieces including a speedometer, and is particularly noticeable because of the amount of trim which Glenn has recently spent time adding. If anyone knows where it is, the police would be very interested to hear, and Glenn would be extremely grateful. (Another theft, rather improbably from Freda Gardham School, is a Pacebrake compressor (no. 250 2173 577) and hydraulic gun (243 5777).)
... To Andrea Wickenden of Marley Road, who should have spent the Easter holidays on the Sail Training Cruise awarded to her by the John Williams Memorial Trust. Unfortunately this particular cruise had to be cancelled, as the ship was not ready in time, and Andrea will now be going at the end of September - at least the weather may be better then.
For several years now Mrs. Linda Popple of Winchelsea Beach has had a stall at the Dairy Market, and last week she went up-market and opened "Pedlar's Pitch" further along the road at 7 Cinque Ports Street, the shop recently vacated by Fagins. She modestly describes it as a bric-a-brac rather than an antique shop; but in any case, she will have a lot more room for her varied stock - and indeed, more room for her customers. However, family comes first, and the door will sometimes stay closed, but she promises there will always be a notice on it to say when she will next be open.
Business of another kind - we would like to congratulate the 17 members of the Rye Young Enterprise group, who recently (and voluntarily) took the scheme's Achievers Examination: all 17 passed, one with a credit. We hope to report on the firm's winding-up meeting next month, when the scheme has to end for the year.
The latest planning list includes an application from Rye Town Council to erect a portacabin as accommodation for the New Road playing field recently bought from ESCC. Mrs. Kirkham says that they plan to site it just beyond the last New Road house, so as not to spoil the view across the fields. It is, she assures us, quite a pleasant looking structure (which they are buying second-hand) at present painted blue and cream; a suggestion at the Town Council meeting that perhaps green and cream would be suitable raised smiles from followers of the Apps saga.
Durrant House wishes to repaint its woodwork in white as at present, with the cement rendering in magnolia; and 56 Fishmarket Road would like to be painted in white, with the beams re-stained in dark oak. There is an application for 60 Church Square (The Old Custom House) to enlarge an existing dormer and to change part of the rear wall material from weatherboarding to tile hanging.
Claude Auberson of the Swiss Patisserie is applying to open a cafe and patisserie at 50 Cinque Ports Street (at present a greengrocer's); the arrangements would be the same as at his present shop further along the road, but the cafe would be downstairs at the back of the shop instead of above it.
An interesting application comes from a Lincolnshire woman wanting change of use for the old Colebrooke's building on the Strand; she would like to use it as a studio workshop for glass-blowing and crystal cutting, with a small shop for "seconds".
There has been some sadness at the depressing appearance of the garden at the back of the Rye Art Gallery. Major surgery took place here during the winter on the instructions of the Gallery's Trustees, who felt that its overgrown condition needed attention; but whatever plans were then made for landscaping it have been deferred in view of the proposal for a sculpture garden in memory of the late Derek Bridgwater. A scheme for this will be drawn up by Mr. Bridgwater's former partner Professor Sir Peter Shepheard, and this will involve major plantings of plants and shrubs; but unfortunately the spring planting season is past, and Mr. Sidney Horniblow, new Chairman of the Trustees, tells us that nothing much can be done now until the autumn. The cleared site is fortunately not visible from the road; but some people are not a bit happy about its present appearance, let alone the possibility that it is likely to remain like that throughout the summer.
THE RYE GAZETTE, 20.4.83 - page 3
In response to a lot of local complaints, we asked the Returning Officer's office at Rother why the count on 6 May was being held at Thomas Peacocke School instead of at the Town Hall, which has been the traditional place and where the result will anyway be posted on the Friday (as well as in the Ferry Road offices).
Mr. Lee said it was a question of space. Although there is no election for Rye Town Council, there will be counts for four Rother Council wards (Rye, Beckley, Peasmarsh, Winchelsea and Guestling/Pett), and also for eight Parish Council elections. In order to speed things along, Rother intends to have 30 or 40 staff on duty, and in addition any or all of the candidates and their spouses are invited to be present, plus various other people. In view of this, Rother felt that the school could offer better facilities (including presumably parking). We pointed out that in previous years anyway Freda Gardham had been big enough; Mr. Lee said that this was when there was an election for the ward which included East Guldeford, which has no hall of its own so they had to use the school as a polling station and therefore held the count there as well - but this time the East Guldeford seat is uncontested and therefore they were not justified in asking the school to close. One recent count was held in the studio room at the FE Centre; but this was apparently due to a misunderstanding and not what they had expected, and anyway it was just one by-election. As to the money, there is no charge for the hire of the school hall for this purpose. (And the school is not closing on that day, so don't let your children tell you different!)
Condolences to Jack Taylor at the Union Inn; his nomination for Rye Town Council was posted for the Friday morning post, first class, but instead of reaching Bexhill on Saturday morning it did not arrive until Monday, too late for inclusion. He heard this unofficially and was therefore very puzzled to get a letter dated on the Monday - as did the other 16 nominees - saying he would be elected uncontested. The Town Clerk sorted this out for him; but he has still not had anything official from Rother saying that his nomination arrived too late.
Statements from the six Rye candidates for Rother Council appear below. (In order not to complicate things, we are leaving until next week the details of those who will make up the new Rye Town Council.) The statements are in alphabetical order.
MR. JOHN CAWDRON moved to the Rye area with his parents in 1958 and was educated at
Rye Grammar School. He then took a course in engineering at Hastings College of Further Education, working at the Rother Ironworks during vacations. Following this he joined Battle RDC, studying part-time at Brighton Polytechnic which enabled him to qualify as a Chartered Engineer, he is a member of both the Institution of Municipal Engineers and the Institution of Highway Engineers, and has held posts with both the former Bexhill Borough Council and Rother District Council.
He is a keen sea angler and until recently owned an angling boat at Rye Harbour and was a member of the Rye Boat Owners Association and Rye Sea Angling Club. He is also a member of Rye Museum Association and a server at St. Mary's Church. Recently he has been busy restoring his house in the High Street, built about 1600. Having been a member of the Conservative Party for many years, and a member of the Rye Branch for the past four years, he considers it a privilege to have been adopted by them as a candidate.
MR. FRANK CHEESE is married with four children; he lived at Winchelsea from 1955 to 1968, and now lives at Staplecross. His wife Jenifer, prior to 1968, lived in Cinque Ports Street. He has worked in Rye from 1960 to 1981 as manager of the TV rental showroom in the High Street, since then his company joined the rental company in Cinque Ports Street.
Local Government experience:
Icklesham Parish Councillor 1964-68 (Chairman 1966-68)
Battle Rural District Councillor 1966-73
Rother District Councillor 1973-83 (representing Udimore/Icklesham, a ward now merged with others in a recent reorganisation); has been Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Housing Committee 1974-79 and is at present Chairman of Transport Committee. Council-nominated member of SE Electricity Board Consultative Council, and until recently a Governor of Thomas Peacocke School. His main interests are housing and local transport.
(continued)
THE RYE GAZETTE, 20.4.83 - page 4
MISS ANN HAMILTON has lived in Rye for about eight years. She had a University training as an archaeologist, and has dug at Jericho, Crete, one of the smaller Greek islands Chios, and in Malta, as well as in this country. She has also worked in business and in government service.
A special concern is to keep the balance between the needs of Rye residents and the needs of those coming here as visitors. She is also interested in the provision of work and leisure facilities in and near the town, and in the quality of care for those most in need in any way; if elected, she would hope to contribute by serving on planning or health committees.
She was secretary of the Rye and District Council of Churches for three years and is at present one of the part-time staff at Rye Museum. She is a Friend of the Rye Art Gallery and a life member of the Conservation Society. She stands as an SDP/Liberal Alliance candidate.
MR. GEORGE SHACKLETON was employed by Boots the Chemists in Maidstone and Deal, then in 1951 sent to Rye, where he found accommodation with a very fine couple, "old Ryers" who instilled in him an affection for the town and its people. In time he married a local girl and made his home in the town. His early interests included dog breeding and showing. He also developed an interest in local affairs and from time to time attended meetings of the old Borough Council. He then joined the Ratepayers Association, and this led to his being co-opted to the new Town Council. Along with other Ratepayers committee members he attended the first meeting of Rother District Council. They also attended through the years many meetings in Bexhill and Battle whenever Rye matters were discussed, so he acquired knowledge of the Council's work and knew what to expect when elected to the District Council. It was after his election to Rother that he ceased to be a member of the Museum Association, the Conservation Society and the Natural History Society, as he wished to be free to talk and vote in their interest should the occasion arise. But as an active member of Rye Town Council and the Ratepayers Association he has acquired valuable information which has helped him to do what he believes to be a good job of work for Rye, the most important item being the reduction in the rates.
MRS. PAULINE TOMICH worked as an analytical chemist, before her marriage, at the British Drug Houses in London; and after her son (who is a professional musician) and her daughter (now married and a proud mother since Christmas) started school, she worked with British Red Cross at Harrow Hospital. She also became the first Chairman of the St. Joseph's Hospice Association Branch at Harrow/Wembley, based at Liverpool, and served on their Parish Council. Ten years ago she moved to a little house with a preservation order on it in Watchbell St., whose environment like all Rye delighted her and at the end of which is her RC Church. She lives now in Playden because she loves gardening, and when she heard that Wittersham needed a Pre-School Playgroup Supervisor she applied and was accepted by Kent CC.
Over 20 years ago she joined the Conservative Party and currently serves on the Committee, and then joined the Women's Advisory Committee and the European Union of Women. Her interests are current events, preservation of our national heritage and the environment (she has been a member of the National Trust for many years), music, art and people.
MRS. SHEILA UNGAR lives at 32 North Salts. She grew up in Glasgow, served in the WAAF during the war, and after the war married a Pole who left Poland in 1940 to join the Allied Forces. Widowed in her thirties, she took up teaching to support two young children. She taught English in London until 1972 and since then in Rye as a part-time or supply teacher.
In local affairs she has probably been most active in the cause of footpaths. In collaboration with two others, she founded Rye Ramblers, an organisation which is growing nicely and giving a lot of pleasure to walkers. East Sussex County Council does not give much help or encouragement to its rambling groups and let Rye down very badly over the Rye-Camber footpath. Our footpaths are a wonderful heritage and deserve more help than they get from the County Council.
Prior to accepting the invitation to run as Labour candidate, Sheila Ungar had arranged to holiday with old friends in Canada in May, altering arrangements has proved difficult, so regretfully she will be absent from Rye on Polling Day.
5
(The GAZETTE is not taking sides over this, but since we used the Nature Reserve's handout last week, it seems fair to put Mr. Gould's case this time. Rother tells us that the application is not coming up until the May Committee.)
Mr. Peter Gould, of Hastings, is the agent for the company making the application for the Nook Beach area, and one of its directors. He tells us that his company, and indeed his family, has owned the land concerned since before the war. It has been used for agriculture, and for gravel extraction, and also for wildfowling; these uses are still current, and the present application would be extra to and not instead of them. He says that although there has not been much gravel extracted from the site recently, it would always be open to the company to continue working it if they wished, and they do intend to continue working a different site nearby.
As for wildfowling, Mr. Gould says that the land has been shot over for many years, and they have been breeding duck for that purpose; the company would like to increase the breeding scheme, and to include it in a wider range of "biological and botanical studies", since there has always been interest on an individual basis in this still comparatively unspoilt area.
They also propose facilities for boating and fishing. He says that both these would be by advance booking only - boating at the rate of 1 boat to nearly 2 acres of water, and the boats would be trailed or roof-racked to the water and not parked permanently on the site. There would be no power-boats, but windsurfing would be allowed. He proposes a total of about 200 fishing stands, but they would not all be in use at once - the booking system would allow the management to "rest" sections of the water which showed signs of over-fishing.
We asked about jobs - the answer is that since they are not looking for a Pontins-style development, there will equally not be many jobs created, though obviously there will be a water-bailiff to carry out the tight management which the company intends for the water and the area generally: dogs on leads, and any fisherman disobeying the rules and leaving litter, tackle or weights to harm the wildlife would be banned for five years!
Access would be along the existing track, and the company does not at present propose to make this up with a tarmac or concrete surface. One thing which puzzled us was the question of toilet accommodation. Mr. Gould says that there are no proposals for the erection of buildings on the site, and that those using it would, as he puts it, "do what they do at present - use the public loos at Rye Harbour". He feels that this would be adequate. Mr. Gould adds that he would hope to work alongside the Nature Reserve members, particularly in a study of the effects of modern agriculture on wildlife - the company still has a considerable amount of farmland in the area, and he himself was brought up on a farm there. He feels that there is a way for modern agriculture, recreation and conservation to live together.
Still some time away, maybe, but Friday 9 December will be an exciting night for one ticket-buyer in the new-style Rye Town Lottery to be launched shortly. That is when the draw will be made, in public, for the £1,000 prize from among the ten "special" £25-winning tickets which will be on sale. More than ten people will win £25 in the course of the previous months, but only the ten "specials" (or as many of them as have been sold) will go into the Top Prize Draw. The winner will be handed £1000 in cash that evening - and of course all ten will have had their £25 at the time of buying the ticket. There are also prizes of £250 and £100, with a total distribution of £4,120; in response to local demand, the new tickets will have four games instead of the present single one, though still with a one-in-nine chance of winning. The Town Clerk is still looking for a distributor for lottery tickets (see GAZETTE no.29) and will be glad to hear from those interested in the job on a commission basis.
Lottery funds have offered £100 towards the cost of a wrought-iron gate at the end of Ockman's Lane (Rye Art Gallery) but reluctantly had to refuse a grant to the Friends of the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve as being outside the old Rye Borough area.
6.
Thursday, 21st Red Cross Thrift Shop, 10.30 to 4 (also Friday and Saturday)
Rye Players, "Something Old, Something New", Playden WI Hall, 7.45
Friday, 22nd Rye Players, ditto
Saturday, 23rd British Legion St. George's Day coffee morning, Town Hall, 10 to 1
Catholic Church Jumble Sale, FEC, 2.30
Rye Firemen, Jumble Sale, Fire Station, 1.30
AGM, Sussex Trust for Nature Conservation (Rye, Battle and Hastings Group), Community Centre, 7.30
Sunday, 24th Civic Service for St. George's Day, St. Mary's, 10.30
Monday, 25th WRVS Lunch Club, Community Centre
Tuesday Painters talk, FEC, 2.15 (see below)
Women’s British Legion meeting, Red Cross, 7.30
Tuesday, 26th St. Mary's Tuesday Club, 2 East Street, 7.30
Wednesday, 27th Red Cross Over-60s Club, Dolphin House, 1.45
• Would anyone be interested in sharing a taxi to Playden for the Rye Players' production tomorrow or Friday? Ring Rye 222303.
• The Tuesday Painters have a pleasant afternoon planned for 25 April, when John Seabrook will be talking to Club members (only) about his own work and watercolour painting in general; Mr. Seabrook, who is the Club's second guest artist-speaker this year, is Director of Studies for a series of extension courses in art, in this country and abroad.
• Thomas Peacocke School holds its Open Evening next Thursday, 28th; events will include the final of the Quiz, and the concert, both postponed from February.
• Heartiest congratulations to the Friends of the Rye Art Gallery, who called their jumble sale on Saturday a "posh" one and were justified by takings of around £400!
• Ryesingers entertained Rye WI members at their April meeting with a delightful and varied programme; items from the Group craft show were on view, and arrangements were made for four forthcoming outings.
• Rye Lions have decided to postpone their sponsored walk (GAZETTE no.27) until September, actual date to be announced later; they feel that the ground is still too wet at present to hold it on 24 April as planned.
• Congratulations to Arnie and Quilly Sanyal on the arrival of their daughter Joti, 7 lbs 8 ozs, on Sunday 10 April - a first grandchild for Mr. and Mrs. Jenkinson of Graham's in the High Street.
• If anyone needs an industrial sewing-machine, second-hand, Mr. and Mrs. Henderson have a Singer RU 20 which they no longer require: call at Pollyanna, Market Road.
• Rye and District Lions plan to hold a Boot Sale on Sunday, 29 May, from 10 to 4. The site will be the field at the end of the New Rd. houses where the Country Fair is held, and all those interested in renting a pitch for their car (boot bulging) should ring Mr. Trevor Humphreys (Rye 223285) or Mr. Doug Luck (Hastings 752159).
• Many thanks to the anonymous reader who sent us information about the Leasam Farm Oast, which we are passing on to Mrs. Jones (GAZETTE no.30).
• Brede Players present "Too Soon for Daisies" in Brede Village Hall on 6 May at 7.30, and on 7 May at 2.30 and 7.30 - tickets from Mrs. Butler, Brede 822700.
THE RYE GAZETTE is registered as a newspaper with the Post Office. It is published by Mrs. Mary Owen at 94 Udimore Road, Rye (222303), who is always glad of news items for inclusion - deadline Monday afternoon, 9 am on Tuesday for dire emergencies. The GAZETTE costs 25p weekly and is delivered to subscribers and pick-up points on Wednesday morning.
Photocopied by Sussex Secretarial Services, 10 Cambridge Road, Hastings (0424 422633).
THE RYE GAZETTE, 20.4.85 – EXTRA
On Saturday (16th) at about 5.20 pm a man dressed like a policeman called at the East Street home of Mr. and Mrs. Terry, proprietors of "A Pocketful of Rye" on Strand Quay. When Mrs. Terry opened the door, he and another man bundled her inside, tied her up, gagged and blindfolded her and then, joined by a third man, waited for Mr. Terry to come home about an hour later. They then tied him up too, took "a quantity" (not specified, but we gather it was a lot) of cash and jewellery from the house, and departed. We would like to offer Mr. and Mrs. Terry our most sincere sympathy over this dreadful experience.
The Police would like to hear from anyone who was in East Street between 5 and 6.45 pm on Saturday,who might have seen any part of this - or the men concerned, and/or a possible getaway vehicle. The descriptions are as follows: first man, aged about 40, 5'8", slim build, short fair hair and fresh complexion, wearing dark trousers and shoes and a beige soft leather zip-up bomber jacket, over which he had on a dark police-type raincoat, and a police-type flat cap with black-and-white diced band.
The second man was the same age, 5'6" and stocky in build, with a full face and dark hair, wearing a dark suit and white shirt. The third man (no age given) was 5'8", broad build, wearing dark clothing - pullover, trousers and shoes.
Were you doing last-minute shopping on Saturday evening? Clearing up after the FRAG jumble sale? Leaving the Museum or Library? Going round to the Union Pub?
Please think very hard if you might have seen anything at all, and if so contact the police - Rye 222112.
The Royal Humane Society announces awards to the two Rye Harbour men who rescued a drowning man from the River Rother back in January (GAZETTE no.19). Tom Kelleher, landlord of the Inkerman Arms, will get the Society's testimonial on parchment and Peter Caister of Tram Road a certificate of commendation. There will be a presentation ceremony in due course; in the meantime, congratulations to both men.