Please note that there will be no GAZETTE next week, 3 August; next issue will be on 10 August, we are not printing on 17 August, and normal weekly service resumes on 24 August.
On Saturday morning, in the small private yard behind the garden of the Globe Inn in Military Road, Sheila was sitting peacefully enjoying a cup of coffee. Luckily her reactions are quick - she moved very fast indeed as she heard a bang forty feet above her head and was just clear in time as a Ford Escort came down the cliff, turning over several times on the way and landing precisely where she had been sitting! Shaken but unhurt, Sheila was very soon making strong coffee all round, since amazingly the two young men in the car were not seriously hurt either; they were wearing their seat-belts and escaped with cuts and bruises. The car, however, was more or less a write-off.
Sheila says that the pub's fence at the top of the cliff has been damaged by vehicles before, but never anything quite as dramatic as this. The gap is a big one, with splintered white palings everywhere. Apparently, the driver skidded on a road newly wet after a long dry period - this is said to have much the same effect as oil on the surface.
Another driver came to grief last week at Banister's Corner, going through the window of the bookmaker's office there. This is the third accident there in recent months, once to each of the three shops on the corner. Again, there were no injuries, but it is not a nice thing to happen. Is there a case for some sort of protection such as posts or even a barrier along the outer edge of the pavement there? A pedestrian on the pavement at the wrong moment would stand little chance at present; and a barrier might also prevent people from crossing Ferry Road on a blind corner, as visitors not knowing the road are apt to do now.
Rye Community Centre Association is looking for a part-time Secretary/Warden to start work towards the end of August. The job is for approximately ten hours a week, by arrangement, and candidates must be able to type. Applications should be sent at once to the Chairman of the Association, Mr. B. Chapman, 106 Udimore Road, Rye (no phone) from whom further information can be obtained.
The Tuesday Painters Club has its usual enjoyable exhibition at the FE Centre this year - it closes on Saturday evening. Almost a hundred full and associate members have work on show, plus another 23 non-members. Since this account is a report rather than a review, we do not presume to attempt artistic criticism, and regular patrons will look for and find admirable examples of the work of regular exhibitors. But among the eye-catchers were Joy Harland's collage pastiche of the barque Chrysalis; Hugh Mollison's extravagantly romantic view of Winchelsea Church by moonlight; Primrose Green's sketches of sheep houses on the March, and Sheila Draffin's sketches of "Yellowbeard"; two cool pictures on a hot day, Greta Walter's shaded pond and Molly Stoker's deep green woods; Kay Diggle's spectacular account of the finding of Moses; Margaret Barnard's swirling rapids, E. Simpson's cheerful study of the High Street, and Phyllis Elwell's geometric view of the house across the street. There were many familiar names among the artists, and many familiar local scenes on the walls, with a particularly attractive selection of flower paintings starting by the door with D. Burton's almost graspable narcissi. The striking poster at the entrance is the work of Margaret Eastwood. The Club has certainly gone from strength to strength since its first exhibition 22 years ago.
2.
• Congratulations to Mrs. Anne Wood, who was surprised and pleased to learn that she was one of a handful of NSPCC supporters elected last month as Honorary Members of the Council of the Society. Honorary membership is in effect a thank-you from the Society to people who have helped it in rather special ways, and Anne says that hers is really a tribute to her very successful committee - but that is not what we hear from the rest of the committee, who know how hard Anne has worked as local branch secretary for the past 15 years or so and who reckon she has indeed deserved this honour.
• A happy tailpiece to our recent story about Jo Spencer being left out of the All-England Schools contest despite her record discus throw in the Sussex Schools Athletics match: Jo is now in the Sussex Senior Women's squad for the Women's AAA Southern Counties meeting on 6 August at Crystal Palace. Peter and Barbara Spencer, of Iden, must be rather proud parents anyway at the moment, since Chris has just got a place on the MSc course (in crop production - farming blood will out!) that he wanted at Bath University. He and Joy Matthews are to be married at Brede in September and have been lucky enough to find a flat in Bath where Joy is doing a teacher-training course.
• Richard Parkes, second son of the late Dr. Trevor Parkes, went into partnership with a friend two years ago and set up a computer business on the Isle of Wight. Now they are doing so well that they have expanded into new premises, still on the Island but at Parkhurst instead of Carisbrooke and opened by the Island's MP Stephen Ross.
• Mrs. Joan Parkes has presented to the Rye Harbour Sailing Club an engraved pewter tankard which will be known as the Trevor Parkes Trophy, to be awarded for whatever purpose the Club chooses. Dr. Parkes's cricketing interests have been commemorated in the presentation of an engraved bell to the Cricket Club, to hang in the pavilion and ring to mark the end of the tea interval.
• Mrs. Beryl Hutchings has presented a putter to the Rye Putting League in memory of her late husband Norman.
• Our request for the original Rye Brownies to come forward has reached Mrs. Adams of Badger Gate; she says what's all this about ladies in their sixties, she is 71! Mrs. Adams remembers the Brownies sharing guard-of-honour duties with real Guardsmen at the wedding of the Warrenders' daughter in Rye Church; alas, her mother's photo of this occasion was destroyed before Mrs. Adams could rescue it, and we wonder if anyone else has a copy?
• Victor and Josephine Wear will be taking delivery of what must be the first of the new A registered cars to appear on our roads, since Skinners of Rye are handing over the new MG Metro at 0.01 am on Monday, 1 August. The Wears need the car for an early start that morning, and delivery the previous evening would have been against the rules - Skinners are obviously keen to fit in with customers' requirements!
• We wonder if Rye is really populated almost entirely by foreign teenagers at the moment, or whether it just seems like it. We hear that there are no fewer than three separate foreign language schools operating here from different centres in the town - not counting the students at Springfield, let alone the Hastings coach-loads. Many local residents have been persuaded to house the visiting children, and we have heard very varied accounts of how such arrangements can work out.
At the end of August, when all the students will presumably have gone home, it would be interesting to publish (without identification) a selection of people's experiences in hostessing these students. We are sure that there are good-news stories as well as bad ones, and such an account might be helpful to those who are thinking about having students to stay next year. All contributions will be gratefully received, and we really do promise not to mention names unless the owners wish. Information about the financial side would also be interesting. And we wonder what the shops think about it all?
3.
Rye Carnival takes place on Saturday, 6 August. Rye and Rother Valley Round Table, who are running it this year for the 11th time, are inviting entries for a new class, decorated bicycles. They found the idea in a programme of a pre-war Carnival and felt it would provide a chance to join in the fun for people who couldn't cope with the work involved in setting up a lorry float. There will be just one bicycle class, for all ages (bike and owner), and the prizes will be the same as for the other floats (£10, £6 and £4). The organisers hope that all the competitors will take part in the procession, though younger entrants will need parental permission for this. The big draw of the procession is, of course, the lorry floats; and there will also be a fancy-dress competition for children. Any grown-ups who want to shed their inhibitions (well, most of them) for the afternoon will be welcome to walk in the procession, and although the theme is "Circus" and the events on the Salts will be linked to this, we understand that as far as the procession is concerned people can make clowns of themselves in whatever gear they fancy: Entry forms for floats are available from Nick Martin at Gun Cottage in the Gungarden; there are commercial and non-commercial classes, with an extra youth organisation award, for the four-wheeled variety.
Competitors in all classes should be at Tilling Green by 12.15 for the judging, and prizes will be presented at 1. Led by Miss Rye Clare Knifton, the procession will move off at 1.30, reaching the Salts around 2; it will include majorette groups and two bands - the Hastings Corps of Drums and the Sandhurst Jubilee Band. Anyone who is willing to shake a tin as they walk round the town should contact the organisers at Tilling Green before the procession starts; Round Table depend very largely on volunteers for this job, since most of their members are on duty already, and all offers will be welcome.
At the Salts, there will be the usual stalls and sideshows, a selection of craft stalls, and of course the Dog Show. Clown Barney and his friends will be entertaining in the course of the afternoon, and the funfair pays its annual visit. Chairman Francis Hadfield says that Rother make no charge to Round Table for the use of the Salts that afternoon, so that the rent paid by the funfair goes into the Carnival takings.
The Round Table's recent generous cheque to the League of Friends of Rye Hospital reflected the success of the 1982 Carnival; we all hope that this year's will do even better, with enthusiastic support from locals and visitors.
(Query for older readers: how old is the Carnival? Obviously, it used to take place before WW2; what about before WW1? Who ran it before the war? When and why did it cease, before Round Table revived it? Any information would make an interesting addition to the report of this year's event in our next issue on 10 August.)
The cricket match between the Old Boys and Thomas Peacocke School ended in a draw - Old Boys 142 for 8 declared, School 137 for 9, with the final issue in doubt until the very last over. Old Boys players came from London, Dartford, Brighton, Sevenoaks and New Malden as well as those locally based. A rather new Old Boy, Mark Markowski of Winchelsea, made 43 (Phil Stone captained), and Nigel Hacking was 62 not out for the school. The Old Scholars won the tennis match, 9-7.
The Association has three events coming up during the autumn, and we are giving long notice now. The Mid-Sussex Reunion takes place at the King's Head, Chailey, on Thursday 29 September from 8 (just turn up). Bob and Babs Huxstep will be the guests at the Annual Dinner at the Mermaid on Saturday, 15 October; numbers here are restricted since it is a sit-down affair, and those wishing to attend should contact Mrs. Sue Moore, 9 Barrack Square, Winchelsea, as soon as possible. The London Evening takes place as usual on the first Monday in November (7th), at the Albert in Victoria Street, and new arrivals in London are particularly welcome.
Will Dunlop (Lunsford Farm, Pett) is now preparing the newsletter, due out early next term; information for it should go to him as soon as possible, please.
4.
Clergy from all denominations in the town, and representatives of village parishes, assembled at the Methodist Church on Thursday to say goodbye and good luck to the Rev. John Pyke and his family, soon to leave for a new parish at Ramsgate after five years in Rye. The Pykes were presented with a coffee service. A welcome guest was Father Edmund, back in Rye on a visit. The Pykes are moving in August (the microlite will, we understand, probably fold its wings and go prosaically by road), and the American minister and his wife who are going to take over the parish for a year will move into New Winchelsea Road soon afterwards.
Sunday events are more frequent now than they used to be, but it would be most unwise of any organisation secretary to fix up anything for the afternoon of 18 September. The Rye and District Branch of the Royal British Legion - which, of course, includes the Women's Section - has a very special church parade that afternoon. There will be delegations from all over the county, and the procession from the Rope Walk car park will be led by the Cranbrook Town Band. Even for those with no military connections at all, the parade should be something worth seeing; it marks the combined laying-up of old standards and the dedication of new ones. There will of course be more details nearer the time - this reference is just a preliminary warning-off!
Rye Community Centre Association has discovered that since Rother recently took over fire precaution arrangements for public halls, they have become a lot more complicated. The Association has therefore arranged a briefing meeting at the Centre on Monday, 12 September, at 7.30, at which a representative of the Fire Brigade will be present to explain the new regulations and advise on fire warning signals, etc. The committee are very anxious that all the organisations which regularly use the Centre shall have a representative at this meeting, so if your usual delegate to the committee can't go, please, they ask, will you arrange for a substitute? Hence the long notice - there will be a reminder nearer the time.
The Open Championship at the weekend sheep-shearing event at Camber was won by David Fagan from New Zealand, who beat last years’ time by shearing 20 sheep in 22 minutes; Robert Bull of Peasmarsh came second, and Mick Cutting of Camber was among the final six. The Intermediate class was won by a lad from Sheffield, with Frank Langrish of Winchelsea Beach third. Out of nine entrants, Jenny Manttan from New Zealand won the ladies' prize, and she and Robert Bull were teamed together to win the "mixed doubles" - fastest time for five sheep between the two of them. Joe Pilcher of East Guldeford won the traditional shearing class. The afternoon also decided the "Shearer of the Year" award, won on points gained at large shows all over the country throughout the season; this was won by a Scot, but Robert Bull came second, also winning the prize for the best local shearer and for the best-shorn pen of sheep.
Clare Mair of Udimore won the wool-winding competition. Lucy, the pet lamb belonging to David Webb of Bilsington, carried off the honours in her class, where judging was not only on ordinary sheep standards but also on general fluffiness and affability (those who have reared sock lambs will know what Mary East, the show's secretary, means by this). The winner of the sheepdog trials - Robert Powell from the Isle of Sheppey, with Whisp - was awarded a cup with a history; given by Tim Brodrick and now known as the Brodrick Challenge Trophy, it had originally been presented to Tim's Jennings great-grandfather for rifle-shooting in Canada!
The organisers are most grateful for the enormous amount of voluntary help of every kind which made this event possible, and particularly to Messrs. A.H. Cooke & Sons on whose land it was held. Perhaps next year the funfair will actually turn up?
5.
Mrs. Monica Oliver, Chairman of Rye Bowls Club, has received a very gratifying letter from a bowls club in Eltham - which has been in existence since 1927, and whose past president aged 93 was among the members who visited Rye for a match recently. The Eltham secretary says how much they all enjoyed themselves, and goes on to congratulate Rother Councillors for their forethought in setting up the bowls green "for the people of Rye and for the visitors like us, who enjoyed a fine game of bowls in a lovely setting, plus the enjoyment of the putting green and the play area for the children; and I can assure you, many more bowls clubs will apply for the chance to play here when the news gets around, for apart from sport you have history, market days and a 1ove1y town to walkaround. We are looking forward to our next visit to Rye."
Isn't that nice!
Thomas Peacocke School has this term produced the first issue of Pavo, a new school magazine which is well able to stand comparison with the lamented Rya of Grammar School days. Goodness knows how Mr. Gil Wright managed to raise enough money to issue free copies all round of this expensive-looking 48-page magazine, and as he won't be accessible till next term we can't ask him; but it is the sort of publication that could well cost 50p a copy to produce.
The credits listed on the front page are really well-earned. Editor Andrew Blackman, sub-editor Julie Hare (how did she cope with this and the Chairmanship of RYE?), and the editorial committee (Vernon Blunt, Lucy Holland, Louise Penfold, Claire Piper and Daniel Brownbill) are indeed to be congratulated. Art Editor was Mr. Stewart, and the magazine was printed by Lithoweb at Rye Harbour.
The contents are a balanced mix of reports on House and school events, poetry and drawings from pupils throughout the school. We are sorry that some of the pictures were not signed, nor occasional pieces of writing (who was it who had "bus trouble" on page 16?), and there is also no credit for the striking cover, with its visual peacock duplicating the title for non-Latinists. Anyway, there is obviously lots of talent about, and we look forward to the next issue.
Rye Sea Cadets and their sweethearts-and-wives were pretty busy over the weekend of 16/17 July. Over 100 boys from half-a-dozen Sea Cadet Units from a wide area were accommodated in the Rock Channel HQ, with appropriate catering, for the Sussex District's Annual Regatta on Castle Water. The Rye unit did very well in the various contests, with five of our boys going through to the Area events in a fortnight's time. Jeremy Gray won the Young Mirror Class; Rye won all 8 of the boys' canoeing events; and the junior pulling crew won their race, while the senior crew only lost by a fraction of a boat's-length. The weekend was so successful that Rye suspects they will be asked to host it not every six years but annually; and they are most grateful to Mr. Norman Jones for allowing the use of Castle Water, such an ideal site for the event.
Two recitals in St. Mary's next month are for an Organ Fund with a difference. Nigel Spooner, who teaches science at Thomas Peacocke School, is keen to have the school's 1925 Wurlitzer cinema organ restored; worn-out parts need replacing, and there is also work to be done on the casing. Total cost will be some hundreds of pounds - and this is before there is any question of replacing the "special effects" parts which seem to have gone missing at some point since the organ arrived in 1958, direct from the Palace Cinema in Tottenham on the back of a Bournes' lorry.
Mr. Spooner, a talented player, will be performing classical organ music in the church at 7.30 pm on Wednesday 10 August and Wednesday 24 August; admission will be £l, proceeds towards the cost of the work on the Wurlitzer.
6.
When we wrote in November about the proposal for a handrail up Conduit Hill, the County Planning Officer had told us in a letter that £300 of the cost had been offered by the East Sussex Association for the Disabled, and the remainder would come from County Council minor road works funds. The various planning permissions were subsequently obtained, and there seemed no reason why work should not go ahead.
However, things are never that simple. Nothing at all happened for some time, and then the Community Centre Association suddenly received a request to pay for "their" section of the rail - and, we understand, not only to pay for its erection but also for its maintenance. It appears that the Planning Officer, letter had been over-optimistic, or perhaps just ill-informed. The County Council is certainly not proposing to pay for the rail entirely, and only if there is local support to the extent of about 50% of the cost will they consider paying even for half.
The Community Centre never has much money, and what it has is pledged for an urgent repairs programme, with anything over going to the provision of a loo for wheelchair users. It does not seem likely that any other organisation is going to offer the sort of money that will be necessary - somewhere between £1,000 and £2,000+, we gather - to make up Rye's half of the cost.
Now, apparently out of the blue, comes an offer from the County Council to pay £2,500 towards the cost of bus shelters to be erected in the station yard. The Town Clerk showed us plans of the type of shelter proposed, and the money would run to three of the inverted-L type or two of the kind with filled-in sides. Neither appeared to have anywhere to sit down. The Town Council discussed the offer, and on a close vote decided to refuse it. (The "noes" argued that glass-sided shelters were an invitation to vandalism, and also that it was a waste of anyone's money to put up shelters in the station yard just at the moment, since the plans which the supermarket developers are expected to produce for the September planning meeting are likely to propose drastic changes to the whole of that area. The "yeses" argued that anything the County Council offered should be accepted gratefully, lest they should construe it as a slap in the face.) It was, however, proposed that the money might be spent on turning the kiosk into a waiting-room once the tourist office vacates it.
Both the handrail and the bus shelters are within the province of the County Engineer's Department. It does seem puzzling that they should go to all the trouble of designing and getting permission for a handrail for which there was in fact no money - and then turn round and say how about some nice bus shelters? If the Town Council had accepted that offer, would they then have been asked to find half the money? And anyway, what we really need along the market fence is benches; after all, it only rains sometimes, but we have hurty feet all the year round!
Mr. Olesen, at the ESCC Highways Office at Bexhill, says that regardless of what happens about the handrail, the bollards shutting off the top of Conduit Hill are definitely due to go up "sooner rather than later"; the finance for these is, he says, assured, the bollards have been ordered, the arrangements about signs agreed and the various permissions cleared (so we should hope, after what happened last time!). He referred to a "package" of highways improvements in the town, and certainly the wheelchair ramps do come into that category (the reason why there is no ramp on the Rye Bookshop side of Market Road is to discourage lorries turning down the hill from going even further up on the pavement than they do now). But we have also been promised parking restrictions in the cobbled streets, as well as the Conduit Hill bollards, let alone the handrail.
We do hope that our "package" will not, so to speak, end up in the dead letter office! Perhaps there may be more to retort on this in a fortnight's time.
No Rye applications this week; and tomorrow's planning meeting is the last until September - they don't meet in August.
7.
• Michael Alford points out the increasing number of foreign yachts visiting Rye this summer; last week he noted boats from France, Belgium, Holland and Germany all at Strand Quay together. The previous weekend there was a group of boats from St. Valery sur Somme, the other side of the estuary from Le Crotoy whose sailing club entertained and was entertained by the Rye Harbour club recently.
A beautiful and distinguished visitor to Strand Quay for the next few weeks is the two-masted schooner "Native Fisherman". Built in 1937, she has been lovingly restored, with new masts and rigging, in Dover over the past two years by a foursome from Colne in Lancashire, and they are now proudly taking her on her first season's cruising. She edged into Strand Quay on the very top of a spring tide - it must have been something well worth seeing!
• Rye Tennis Club holds its annual tournament this weekend, starting at noon on Friday and continuing until the Finals on Monday afternoon. This event has been going since well before the war, and attracts entrants from London as well as local people (the entry list is now closed). It will be followed next weekend by a Junior Tournament. Spectators are welcome, and some very good tennis is expected.
• Some months ago we wrote about a proposal from an E.F. Benson admirer to set up "The Tilling Society" for those who delighted in the Lucia books. We don't know how much support she got; but the project has now been taken over by the Martello Bookshop, who are inviting £2 subscriptions (details from the shop, which also, of course, sells the books). They plan to hold an annual lunch in Rye, and there will be an occasional newsletter - the first, now available, gives biographical details of Benson himself and some very interesting notes about his books. As Cynthia Reavell says, it will be much easier to organise commemoration of the immortal and cynical Mayor of Rye from a Rye base, and we do hope the Society flourishes under the new management.
• Rye Museum Association is arranging an outing to Saltwood Castle, near Hythe (not now normally open to the public) on Tuesday, 23 August, leaving Rye at 2.30 and getting back about 6. The cost will be £6.30, but this includes the £3.05 entrance to the Castle as well as the minibus fare and tea. Members who wish to go should get in touch with the Hon. Secretary, Mrs. Audrey Bartlett, as soon as possible, either by phoning Rye 222316 at about 7.30 or by writing to her at 10 East Street. There may be a few vacancies for non-members, and those interested should let Mrs. Bartlett know.
• Both the lifeboat and the fire engine have been much in demand recently, to judge from the frequency of the maroons and the noise of the siren. Humphrey Lestocq has promised us a report for 10 August on what the lifeboat has been doing lately; as for fires, two stories have come our way about people who were nearly in trouble through no fault of their own.
• Mr. and Mrs. Tarrant just don't know why the hay, drying in the field at the back of their home in West Undercliff, suddenly caught fire on Saturday last week. Luckily, with the help of their neighbours, they were able to contain the blaze, and no harm was done.
Mrs. Judy Brown smelt burning in a room not often used, and investigated - to find paintwork smouldering due, she discovered, to the sun striking a mirror which had been moved from its usual place - and it was just an ordinary mirror, not convex or concave or magnifying!
And one more warning, this time from the Press Book - a positive spate of thefts from parked cars, so do be careful.
• We apologise for the way our new photocopier is apt to miss out occasional words on the far right of some pages. This is apparently due to static electricity in the paper upsetting the pick-up mechanism, and not a fault in the machine. Can anyone suggest a way of dealing with the problem (other than a 2"-wide RH margin, of course)?
8.
Friday 29th Rye Society of Artists Exhibition, private view (invitations); exhibition opens at the Boys Club in Mermaid Street on Saturday until 29August, 10.30 to 5.30 including Sundays, late opening till 7 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Saturday, 30th Last day of Tuesday Painters' Exhibition, FEC
Labour Party Bazaar, FEC, 10.30
Mile of Pennies raffle draw, Town Hall, 12 (tickets will be on sale immediately beforehand, or can still be obtained from 22 Ferry Road)
FRAG putting competition (also Sunday), Putting Green - see below
Wednesday, 3rd Winchelsea Flower Group coffee morning and sale, for RNLI, Red Cross Centre, 10 to 12.
Friday, 5th Vidler & Co's Auction Sale (view Thursday afternoon)
Saturday, 6th Conservative Party coffee morning, St. Anthony's, Church Square, 10.30
Rye Carnival (see page 3 for details and timing)
Wednesday, 10th Organ recital in St. Mary's, 7.30, Nigel Spooner (see page 5)
• Visitors to the Putting Green this weekend have the alternatives of paying the normal 40p for a game, or paying an extra 40p (at the gate) to the Friends of the Rye Art Gallery which enables them to compete in the Friends' competition, with prizes for junior and senior entrants; the Friends hope that visitors as well as locals will compete, and prizes can be sent on. Full details in the Easton Rooms. Sponsorship on the basis of the number of competitors is also invited - as you will probably already be aware if you number a committee member among your acquaintances!
• The Quayside Service Station (the Amoco garage just beyond the Strand) is now open for petrol sales from 7 am to 10 pm Monday to Friday and from 8 am to 10 pm at weekends. The workshop opens on 8 August for servicing, etc. Welcome back!
• Mr. and Mrs. Simpson announce that Millers in the High Street will be open on Tuesdays from 9 to 1 for six weeks starting yesterday - i.e.. the duration of the holiday period.
• Patrons of the Old Forge Restaurant will be glad to know that the Bayntuns have now found a chef, and they will again be open for dinners on Mondays as usual - (6.30 to 10).
• D. Williams & Sons, greengrocers in Cinque Ports Street, have now expanded into selling pot plants and flowers - their bunches of mixed flowers in an attractive wrap are just that bit different for a present.
• The new Social Services Patch Office in the former Davies/Renault premises in Cinque Ports Street opens on Monday, 1 August, and all local social services business will be conducted there from then on. Phone number will be Rye 226922.
• The coffee evening in aid of the Cadborough Jubilee Social Club, held at Mr. and Mrs. Boreham's home in Udimore Road recently, raised £162, for cancer relief work and medical equipment.
• Last Sunday's Cancer Relief Fete, held by the Rye and District Branch at Pett, made a profit of £460.
The RYE GAZE is registered as a. newspaper with the Post Office. It is published by Mrs. Mary Owen at 94 Udimore Road, Rye (222303), and news items for inclusion are always welcome - deadline Monday afternoon, 9 am Tuesday for emergencies. The GAZETTE costs 25p weekly and is delivered to subscribers and pick-up points on Wednesday morning; some spares are available at Squirrels in Cinque Ports Street. (Copyright Mary Owen, 1983)