The Chairman's Report
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The chairman’s report TED PEACHMENT HELLO AGAIN to all our readers and welcome to Number 52 of The Merry Mawkin – another bumper edition from the talented hands of our editor, Ashley Gray. The rear cover depicts our vice-chairman, Tina Chamberlain, and her beloved husband David, and, on behalf of us all, I wanted to say that although, through illness, they have been out of sight they are definitely NOT out of mind and our continued thoughts and prayers are with them both. Sea-thrift on the cliff top, looking towards Blakeney Point. In my reports in the last two Mawkins, and at length at the AGM, I have tried to focus your attention on the very real situation threatening our Society, namely, the urgent IN THIS ISSUE requirement for more – and younger – committee members, together with a more inclusive involvement from the general 2 The chairman’s report membership. Up till now, we have not exactly been 4 Still a topic for debate? overwhelmed by a wave of enthusiasm, so please, please, 5 Canon Peter think about it. At the risk of being accused of negativity, let 6 Dorn’t git a minnit ter breathe me say that I am prepared to state the true facts, rather than 7 Wordsearch: Wells-next-the-Sea trot out the usual gratuitous platitudes, which have no real 8 Knees up! value, apart from making the chairman’s job much easier. I was gratified to receive Keith Skipper’s endorsement of my 9 FOND AGM 2013 AGM comments in his EDP column. 10 That hully hossed orf! Before I leave this subject, I will give you a painful 11 Interference in place names? example of what can and is happening. It had been our 11 Boy Colin’s Norfolk quiz intention to run an event celebrating the Norfolk Dialect, 12 Mardler’s Mustard embodying a dialect-reading competition in which all 13 FOND cuts the mustard participants would receive a certificate for taking part, as well 14 Aladdin – the FOND panto as competing for an audience-voted trophy – kindly donated 18 Thass spring agin! by our founder chairman, Keith Skipper. When first mooted, 19 Membership matters in July 2013, there was no shortage of volunteer helpers, but 20 On the verge when the event reached the final planning stage we suddenly 21 Hare in the yeast found that we no longer had sufficient full-time helpers to run such an event and, to the consternation of the hard-core few, 22 The last shift the whole thing has had to be cancelled with a view to 24 Our own tongue possibly restoring it next year. 25 Wordsearch solution Since my last report, there have been further changes in 25 Norfolk quiz answers your committee: Pam Goldsmith stood down as treasurer at 26 FOND officers and committee the AGM, but remains a committee member, and Janet Spauls 27 Membership application form has had to give up the job of membership secretary for 27 FOND AGM at Yaxham personal reasons. Although both were only in the posts for a 28 Bluebell Woods short time we offer thanks for their tenure of these offices. 2 THE MERRY MAWKIN SPRING 2014 We are delighted to welcome to the committee Toni and THE MERRY Ann Reeve: Toni taking over as treasurer, with Ann already MAWKIN showing multi-tasking talents, which augur well! Meanwhile our super-multi-tasking secretary, Rosemary Cooper, is presently handling membership matters. EDITOR/DESIGNER Reports on the various events appear elsewhere within Ashley Gray these pages, including a typically professional and comprehensive one on the pantomime by Robin Limmer, the EDITORIAL OFFICE requirement for which was thrust upon him at the last minute Ailsha 37 Ashleigh Gardens and without prior notice. So thank-you Robin. As usual, the Wymondham panto – written and produced by Colin Burleigh – was a Norfolk resounding success with audience members from a packed NR18 0EY Lincoln Hall, in Hingham, saying: “The best ever !” Tel: 01953 607161 For some unaccountable reason, I have found myself Email: [email protected] ‘involved in mustard’ recently. Firstly, we were requested by PLEASE NOTE Colman’s Mustard Shop to participate in the launch of their The editor reserves the right to new Mardler’s Mustard at the moorings of wherries Albion amend or reject any item which has and Maud, and then, a few weeks ago, I ploughed a solo been submitted for publication in furrow when I was filmed by Mustard TV in a feature on the The Merry Mawkin. Norfolk Dialect, during which I tried to teach the very young It is the responsibility of all presenter how to ‘speak proper’. Mustard TV is a commercial contributors to ensure any material station associated with Archant and although already on line they submit, written or they will not go on air till a bit later this year. So watch this photographic, is copyright-free. space; you wouldn’t want to miss it! The opinions expressed by The Trosher competition continues to thrive and again, this contributors in The Merry Mawkin may not necessarily be held by the year, the entries were of such a high standard that our judges Friends of Norfolk Dialect had a tough job selecting the final three, which I hope you will (FOND), its officers or its enjoy reading in this Mawkin (pages 20 to 23). committee members. I understand that our education officer, Norman Hart, is No part of this publication may be having a few difficulties with the Junior Trosher version but reproduced, in any form, without hopefully his many years in teaching and his personal the prior permission of the Friends persistency will help him of Norfolk Dialect (FOND). to succeed. © 2014 FOND Meanwhile, our avidly- PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS keen secretary, Rosemary, Colin Burleigh: page 6 is busily booking me up David Chamberlain: page 28 for talks well into the Jill Clarke: page 10 autumn, but my contract Alan Cooper: pages 2, 12–17, 27 has to include the Ashley Gray: pages 1, 4, 7, 8, 23, 24 Sharon Ingle: pages 18, 19 proviso: ‘if he’s spared’! Canon Peter Nicholson: page 8 So my bewties, sincere Maggie Risby: page 24 thanks to everyone who Alison Williams: page 3 has contributed to another PRINTED BY successful year for FOND Harlequin Colour Print and belatedly wishing 6 Swan Drive, Gressenhall you all a Happy 2014. Dereham, Norfolk Don’t forget that in the NR20 4SW Mardler’s Mustard – page 12 end “Thass orl up to us!” Tel: 07941 513 683 SPRING 2014 THE MERRY MAWKIN 3 Still a topic for debate? ASHLEY GRAY THE FIRST SATURDAY in Only the other day, I ‘followed FOND’ on January I sat reading Twitter and discovered several ‘tweets’ my newspaper – the suggesting the ‘correct’ pronunciation of Cley. EDP of course – “Pronunciation of place names is always a and, with a cup of great topic of debate,” tweeted one, whilst coffee for company, another added, “Having asked a few more began catching up on ‘expert’ people, it should be ‘Clay’ but this is all the local news becoming less common.” before laying it to one Another agreed, commenting: “I think side and picking up the there’s an old dialect variant that’s ‘Clay’, but Weekend magazine. it’s not in common usage.” ‘Flooded but unbowed’ read the main Someone else was equally adamant: “It’s headline, pointing a literal finger towards an Cly!” A view backed up by a native of account of the recent December tidal surge and Wells-next-the-Sea who said: “I say it like the effect it had on Cley Marshes. ‘Cly’ – all the locals said it like that.” I then recalled – in my second Mawkin as All of them? I’m not quite so sure. editor, in the 2007 winter edition – how I’d “Apparently,” tweeted another, “Cockley stuck my dialectual neck out with regard to the Cley is pronounced ‘Cly’ – but Cley is ‘Clay’!” pronunciation of a certain little village in north Another twitterer disagreed: “It’s much more Norfolk suggesting it should always be handy for me if it rhymes with pie, so I’ll barge referred to as ‘Cly’. In the 2008 spring on through with Cly.” newsletter our president, Peter Trudgill, had “I don’t think people would complain if pie something to say about that, of course! is involved,” said another, “rhyming also the In an interesting article, he explained that the same for ‘CleySpy’.” With a mouthful of pie? village was given the name of ‘Clæg’ (meaning It certainly was a great topic and I explored ‘clay’), 1,500 years ago, because it stood on the ‘tweets’ to discover more. clayey soil. Besides that, he continued, his “The seniors in our village,” tweeted granny had lived there and she always someone else, with a change of location, “say pronounced it as ‘Clay’! ‘Hilderstun’...” That’s near Melting Constable! Turning my attention back to the EDP’s “I found living in Wymondham too much!” Weekend magazine I began reading the cover confessed another, “I had to get away to Diss to story about Cley Marshes and the nature make life easier.” reserve. Very soon I found myself counting the The place name debate will continue, no number of times ‘Cley’ had been used in the doubt, which brings me back to Cley. article. Totalling up the amount – including As a young art student, in the summer of cover and contents page – I arrived at fifty-two 1957, I spent a pleasant hour or so sketching on instances, an apt reminder to me that, in future, Cley marshes, having cycled there from I should always pronounce it as ‘Clay’! Sheringham, and it still seems like yesterday: A few weeks later, local man Bernard When sketchin’ one fine summer’s day Bishop, the Norfolk Wildlife Trust warden on I cycled a bit far away; the Cley Marshes, appeared on television and At that partic’lar juncture, declared he’d lived in the area all his life and, My bike had a punsher, unless my ears deceived me, referred to the An’ I hed a long walk home frum Clay.