Osney Island Residents’ Association Newsletter March—April 2016
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Osney Island Residents’ Association Newsletter www.osneyisland.co.uk March—April 2016 COMING UP but whilst she really rather wishes I wasn’t saying as much - behind that smile lurks some prodigious talent. Heads up for the OIRA annual general meeting with Maureen is a member of the Embroiders’ Guild and a refreshments on April 20 @ 7.30 pm WOCA to discuss well-regarded textile artist. your ideas for OIRA 2016 e.g. a street party bringing together royalists and republicans a call for more people to Coming originally from South Africa, she moved to standard for the committee and the elections of officers. Oxford 35 years ago, yet something of that hotter climate permeates her work which is usually intensely colourful Osney Island Boat Club AGM and wild in its combination of patterns and textures. From Simon Stubbings: The 2016 Annual Meeting will Much of the work is abstract rather than figurative be held in the Punter@ 8:00pm on Tuesday 19 April. and at first it is the wealth of colours and stitches that The formal purpose of the meeting is to elect officers, entraps one – only slowly do the scraps of braid, buttons approve accounts, and fix club subscriptions for the and found objects slowly reveal themselves, they are so coming year. The meeting is in addition an opportunity carefully integrated into the overall composition. Don’t for members and prospective members of the Club to be surprised to find scraps of painting or batik worked in get together, enjoy a drink and savour the prospect of too – she’s always experimenting. a scintillating summer on the river. Unfortunately, our Although Maureen’s work is rarely more than 15inches boat shed can only accommodate a limited number of square, her resourceful way of working creates a craft. However, four of these belong to the Club and are fascinating sense of memory and personal resonance. available for use by members, so non-boat owners are None more so than her Traveller’s Companion, a catered for as well. All are welcome. fantastic memento piece created by Maureen during Allotments AGM a round-the-world trip taken shortly after she retired. The AGM of the Osney, St Thomas & New Botley Taking with her small squares of fabric (later all stitched Allotment Association will be held on 4 April at WOCA. together into one hanging), she gathered bits and bobs We’ll start at 7 pm with refreshments and move on to wherever she went and worked them wherever she business at 7.30pm. Look forward to seeing you there. was - stranded in airports, on buses or wherever. As it turned out, not only was this an excellent way of Concerts at St Frideswide’s church capturing memories and occupying time, but a way to Thursday March 31st, 7.30pm, Peter Collins Memorial create conversations and meet people. That open spirit is Recital Local organists perform music by Bach, typical of Maureen. Mendelssohn, Parry, Buxtehude, and Wagner in An active member of various groups, Maureen memory of the late organ builder Peter Collins, who regularly exhibits locally. She currently has work in the restored the St Frideswide organ. Embroiders’ Guild exhibition at Blenheim Palace (until Thursday, April 28th, 7pm, Community Choir 2nd May) which celebrates the 300th anniversary of the Spectacular Performances by local choirs Wox Vox, famous landscape gardener, Capability Brown. But as EOCC Children’s Choir, Blackbird Leys Community ever it’s not her own work that Maureen wants to talk Choir, and Oxford Analyrical, joined by the Hinksey about but that of her granddaughter Ela who at only Hill Farm Quartet. Music will include a massed choir 7 years old is the youngest exhibitor in the show – and performance of Handel’s Zadok the Priest. how very proud Maureen is of her! NEWS AND VIEWS Bee Friendly at St Frideswide’s From Anne James: Some of you may well have joined Art on Osney: in conversation with our Bee Friendly celebration last September. We are Maureen Ergeneli planning another such day later this year, full details will From Bev Lear: The first thing to say is that my subject be available shortly. And we hope that you will be able for this newsletter’s arts interview is a most reluctant to join us for that. In the meantime we are embarking and modest participant. Many islanders will know on a Bee (even more) Friendly planting campaign. Our Maureen Ergeneli (East Street) as one of the ladies aim is to provide as wide a variety of nectar rich plans who serves tea and delicious cakes at Osney events, as possible over the longest possible growing season, in order to meet the needs of the wide range of bees and due to the increased height of the weir pool at the base of other pollinators. If you would like to help with planting the hydro. In total, more than 16,000 kWh was generated or maintaining the roses, cordon apples and other in February, bringing total generation to 73,805kWh by pollinator friendly plants, please do get in touch. the end of the month. If you would like to learn more about the project, or to join us for a guided tour, please Why does Bee(ing) Friendly matter? It matters because contact us via the website www.osneylockhydro.org.uk. the wild flower meadows where bees gathered much of We are an entirely volunteer run organisation so would their nectar and pollen are disappearing at a frightening also be delighted to hear from people who would like to rate: we have lost 97% of them in the past 60 years. And get actively involved in the project. 20 bee species in Britain have already become extinct and a quarter of the remaining bee species are on the St Frideswide with Binsey red list of threatened species. Bees and other pollinators Easter Services at St Frideswide’s church are vital to wildlife, plants and crops. And we know Palm Sunday, 20 March 2016, 10.30am Sung Eucharist that without bees the entire food chain is under threat: 75% of our main food crops are pollinated by bees. Bee Good Friday, 25 March 2016, 1.00pm Walk of witness Friendly urban green spaces, including churchyards, starts at St Frideswide’s church are now recognised as important in the fight to protect Easter Day, 27 March 2016, 10.30am Sung Eucharist our bees. Churchyards contain habitats that are a mix of the manicured and the wild, thus providing suitable Easter Services at Binsey accommodation for the different bee species. They also Easter Sunday, 27 March 2016, 7.00am Easter Vigil and contain plants and trees that provide sources of food. Eucharist Bees fall into three groupings: honey bees, bumblebees Easter Sunday, 27 March 2016, 4.30pm Evensong (BCP) and solitaries. If you would like to use St Fridewide’s church to host There is only one species of honey bee: and they only an activity, you can let us know by sending an email to live where people place them all are bred varieties of [email protected] one kind of bee. There are twenty kinds of bumblebees: some live in mammal holes and will enlarge them using For times of regular services and other information, their jaws to dig them out. Many will live in compost please visit our websites at http://osneybenefice.org.uk/ heaps or decomposing woodland material. By contrast StF and http://osneybenefice.org.uk/StM there are two hundred and fifty kinds of solitary bee: Obituary 75% of which are mining bees, some living in very From Carol Tucker: Osney Island has lost one of its short grass and bare soil, others in different habitats. oldest residents, Olive Cornell, who was my neighbour Do take a look at hollow stems, a quarter of British at 8 West Street for over twenty-five years. She was 92 bees nest in these. Very small bees will use dock, others and only in a nursing home for about two months. She nettles or hogweed, and brambles make a superb habitat was born in Lincolnshire, and was so premature that she providing as they do provide both bed and board (the stayed in the hospital for a year and the doctor named former being the hollow stems and the latter the nectar her Olive. She told me that she never really bonded with and pollen from the flowers). her mother, but liked her father who was in charge of the horses for some Lincolnshire aristocrat on a large estate, where she acquired her love of animals. BITS AND BOBS In many ways Olive would have been a biographer’s Osney Island email service dream. She looked after John Mortimer’s baby by From Robert Lawrence: It’s never too late to sign-up Penelope. Told me that they were always out of money to the Island email service. Join up to read and share and would borrow from her. Later she was the caretaker news and opinion, buy, swap and sell, learn about our for Lady Dorothy Hodgkins and was standing at the social events, and much more!The OIRA (Osney Island door with her when she was presented with the Nobel Residents Association) email service is free, safe to use, Prize. This was her first job in Oxford, and she didn’t carries no commercial advertising, is restricted to use need any further stimulation, because “the world came by its residents only, will never divulge your personal to their house.” She then went on to be the housekeeper details to a third party, and any message sent to the list for the Warden of Keble College, and would practiced her is checked for propriety before distribution.