THE MERRY MAWKIN THE FRIENDS OF NORFOLK DIALECT NEWSLETTER Number 68 Summer to Autumn 2019 £1.50 www.norfolkdialect.com Summer Autumn 2019 THE MERRY MAWKIN 1 Chairman’s report ello, I hope you Hare all keeping well. Since writing to you in the previous Merry Mawkin, FOND has been out and about and spreading the Front cover: Wells Harbour. word of the Norfolk dialect and also paying a sad Back: Cromer from West farewell to two of our truly valued members. Keith Runton beach. will be paying his tributes to both the Gal Liza Photos: Bob Farndon and the Boy Stewart later on in the Merry Mawkin IN THIS ISSUE but I wanted to add my own condolences here. 2 Chairman’s report It was the Gal Liza who first introduced me to the 4 Secretary’s Squit Friends of Norfolk Dialect, when FOND was in 5 Notes from the Treasurer its infancy. She spotted me, aged 10, participating in a public speaking contest where she was the 6 More of Queen Bess in Norridge judge. She then nudged me to go and perform at the Cromer Festival and eventually I ended up 9 Chicken Squit getting more and more involved. Thank you Liza, 10 Dew moanin’ wi’ old earge? for this introduction into an area which I find 11 Boy Colin’s Quiz truly fascinating, you made me feel proud to be 12 Wordsearch from Norfolk. 13 Tribute to Gal Liza I will always remember the boy Stewart in his 14 Tribute to Stuart Orr acting roles for our annual pantomimes but he 16 Trosher Competition 2019 was also so much more to FOND than this. He 18 Thass on the sosh was the driving force behind FOND recordings and 20 Notes from the Treasurer quietly supported FOND in many ways. He was 21 Accounts always a joy to visit, even near the end of his life he Colin’s Quiz Answer kept on smiling and I am so pleased to have worked 22 Bishybarneybee alongside this lovely gentleman and friend. 23 Tandum Tantrums So what has FOND been up to? We had a good 24 Recipe Corner turnout for our May dew in Cromer. There may Wordsearch answers not have been many FOND members present but there was lots of general public who all enjoyed 25 AGM Agenda the entertainment. My thanks go to those who 26 Anniversary Celebrations performed particularly our stalwart members Pat Nearney and Sheliah Olley, who certainly 2 THE MERRY MAWKIN Summer Autumn 2019 both got the audience THE MERRY laughing. MAWKIN I had a FOND stand at this year’s Starting EDITOR Handle Club Summer Diana Rackham Fayre. This was DESIGNER brilliant because as you Bob Farndon can imagine I came EDITORIAL OFFICE across lots of different Tel: 01692 584809 people’s stories and Email: many Norfolk dialect [email protected] speakers. We had some PLEASE NOTE good old mardles about The editor reserves the right various words we use and I must say they were to amend or reject any item certainly the best group of people I’ve come submitted for publication across for answering my picture matching quiz. considered unsuitable or not in the best interests of the Friends FOND was also represented at this year’s Catfield of Norfolk Dialect (FOND). Church Flower Festival where the theme was Editorial decisions are final. anniversaries. I put together a very simple stand It is the responsibility of all with some flowers to get the message of FOND contributors to ensure any out there (Couldn’t miss the opportunity to material submitted – written or celebrate our twenty years!). However, I did have photographic – is copyright-free another eight arrangements to do, so not my best or use has been cleared with the flower arranging! copyright holder. This BIG news of this year sees FOND celebrate The opinions expressed by contributors in The Merry its 20th anniversary. Twenty years since Keith Mawkin may not necessarily be Skipper started it at Yaxham Village Hall. held by the officers or committee Some of you may even remember this time and members of the Friends of others of you may have joined along the way, Norfolk Dialect (FOND). but my thanks to all for your support over the No part of this publication may years. We would like to celebrate all that FOND be reproduced, in any form, has achieved over the past twenty years with an without the prior permission of evening of entertainment, which you are warmly the Friends of Norfolk Dialect invited to attend. You will find more information (FOND). © 2019 FOND later on in the Merry Mawkin. It would be lovely to see lots of people there helping us to celebrate. Keep you a troshing, PRINTED BY Harlequin Colour Print Diana 6 Swan Drive, Gressenhall PS My mother she say; “Twenty years is suffun to Dereham, NorfolkNR20 4SW celebrate, dew you get along to the dew!” Tel: 07941 513 683 Summer Autumn 2019 THE MERRY MAWKIN 3 FOND Officers and Committee CONTACT DETAILS PRESIDENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS Professor Peter Trudgill, 6 Amelia House, Owen Church, The Post Office, Ormesby Road, Colegate, Norwich NR3 1DD Hemsby NR29 4AA Tel: 01493 730210 Tel: 01603 618036 Norman Hart (education officer), Avonside, CHAIRMAN 42 London Road, Harleston IP20 9BW Diana Rackham, 41 Neville Road, Tel: 01379 852677 Sutton NR12 9RP Tel: 01692 584809 David Raby 44 Bishop Brisge Road VICE-CHAIRMAN Norwich NR1 4ET Tel: 01603 61052 Stanley Jones, 133 Gertrude Road, Toni Reeve, 6 School Road, Norwich NR3 4SE Mobile: 07899 056567 Martham NR29 4PX Tel: 01493 740674 SECRETARY NON-COMMITTEE MEMBERS Ann Reeve, 6 School Road, Zena Tinsley, Martham NR29 4PX Tel: 01493 740674 Orchard Bungalow, Norwich Road, TREASURER & MEMBERSHIP Dickleburgh, Norfolk, IP21 4NS SECRETARY Tel: Richard Reid, Fern Cottage, The Green, Stalham, NR12 9PU To contact any officer or committee member Tel: 01692 582978 please email: [email protected] Secretary’s Squit ANN REEVE here`s nothing much to say because Treasurer to TDiana`s been doing all the work be appointed. this year. I can`t stress Please note that this year`s AGM how important will be at 2.30pm on Sunday 24th this is. November at Yaxham as usual. We have Stanley Jones will be taking over the provisionally booked the “Bellfolk” Chairmanship from Diana and I am hand bell ringers to entertain us after quite prepared to continue as secretary the AGM so it would be nice to have a if that is the wish of the membership good turn out for this meeting. but I have absolutely no intention of combining two jobs. We must have a Sorry to nag (Toni is used to it!) but treasurer. we do need a Vice Chairman and 4 THE MERRY MAWKIN Summer Autumn 2019 FOND call to arms along the anniversary trail By founder-chairman Keith Skipper s we wait for strains of the Anniversary Waltz Ato send us into a lather of joyous celebration and proud reminiscing, let me be a party pooper – and call for a spell of serious reflection about our future. It will be FOND’s 20th birthday in October. We have much to cheer since first facing the challenge of putting our dialect fight on an official footing. We have overcome many obstacles with typical Norfolk fortitude and humour. As founder-chairman elected at that determined gathering in Yaxham Village Hall in 1999, I wrote in my diary: “A day for celebration. A day I hope future generations will salute with gratitude”. Well, now it’s time for a fresh crop of enthusiasts to step forward and help keep the FOND flame burning brightly. As members of the old guard stand down after loyal and valuable service, it is so important to find willing and worthy successors. Yes, there’s a lot of bread-and-butter work to go with cream-bun treats like treading the panto boards, spreading dialect dew delights across the area and heading for wireless and television studios to preach the true Norfolk gospel. Committee work can be tedious, sorting out material for the Merry Mawkin an exercise in sheer persistence, sending out reminders of when and where to meet just a prelude to lining up seats and tables and then stacking them away. Even so, old-fashioned voluntary spirit is an essential part of The FOND success story so far. And it will be just as important in years to come. All kinds of people are needed to do all sorts of jobs wrapped in a team crusade to preserve and promote a vital strand of our cultural heritage. In paying tribute to those who have tackled FOND roles over two highly eventful decades, I appeal to the “fringe brigade” to step out of the shadows and to get more involved. Vacant posts will need filling at the annual meeting in November. Find out more if you’d like to be part of a bold future. Right, that’s my boring bit over. Now, take your partners for the Anniversary Waltz. Best feet forward for FOND! Summer Autumn 2019 THE MERRY MAWKIN 5 More of Queen Bess in Norridge RALPH WOODS ou will recall that 441 years ago in August of 1578, she did indeed visit our Fine YCity. She was not an enthusiastic traveller but had come up through Essex and Suffook for the one visit she made to Nawfook and Norridge. Reports of the time tell us that while in Suffook there were “such sumptuous feastings and banquets as seldom in any part of the world have been seen before”.