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Probus Club Ellesmere Covid-19 Lockdown 2020 Newsletter

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Probus Covid-19 Lockdown Club Ellesmere 2020 Newsletter In issue 25: Issue 25 Nov. 05, 2020 • From The Editor. Paul • From the Crow’s Nest. Jeremy From the Editor • In memory of Ant Astley Dear all, Fred Williams was the lucky winner of the “Spot the wrong photo” in the last issue of the Lockdown newsletter. You may have read an article about the fire at the College in the 1960s, the • Quiz. Editor photo showing the damaged roof of a burnt building captioned 1960s showed in the photo two • Desert Island Discs By Jeremy Transit vans, obviously of a later design. Well the news is not good, we are back in Lockdown, but the schools and universities remain • A tribute to Frank Bough By John open. On the plus side there shouldn't be the panic over PPE and treatment of the first Shone Lockdown. The medical profession have found better treatments for Covid 19 and the PPE • Royal British Legion By John Shone contracts have been shared out among all Domonic and Matt’s mates so some must be getting through. • Extracts from the Memories Series of Booklets. Published by the Ellesmere Society. Submitted by Paul Keep safe Paul • Useful Local Information. Editor • Pastoral Support. Faith groups View from the Crow’s Nest Dear Probus friends, Firstly, as ever, I hope that you, your friends neighbours and family are keeping safe, well and of good humour where possible. Yet another extraordinary fortnight has gone by with a further month’s lockdown in England, foggy sight of Christmas on the horizon, dreadful acts of terrorism on the continent and now a melodrama across ‘The Pond’. It can all feel a bit like a modern Shakespeare- an tragedy. Those troops on the battlefields of recent history, their back-ups and their families must have had an even more intense question of ‘when will all this end?’. It is they who are so much in my mind as I write. Remembrance Sunday will be very different this year but not our personal thoughts. Sadly we are not able to have the traditional Ellesmere street parade to church for the 11.00am service as lock-down prohibits such gatherings. Instead our Probus wreath will be laid at the War Memorial on Sunday 8th November alongside other invited local representatives with roll-call outside and no church service. I feel privileged to do this on behalf of all our Probus members again. Special thanks go to Bob Mcbride on behalf of the British Legion for all he has done again to make this event so special and arranging streaming the un-forgotten names of those on our Ellesmere War Memorial through a large television screen in the window of Barlow’s Electrical. On a different note, just a gentle reminder that our £20.00 annual subscriptions are due and thanks to those who have paid to Michael Judge our valued Treasurer. I hope that you feel able and willing to maintain your membership to keep our Club running through these exceptional times and thank you for doing so. Fellowship takes many forms and I always remain convinced that Probus is a wonderful community. With very best wishes, Jeremy 1 In memory of Ant Astley Personal Ant was born in 1943 near Wolverhampton. He and Mary met in 1968 and married in 1970 at Solihull Registry Office. They have two children, Matthew educated at King Ed- ward’s School and Katherine at Shottery School. He was very fond of camping and the family would camp in Wales whenever possible, having a strong affinity with that country. Ant joined the BBC around 1961 training at Wood Norton and retired on pension in 1993 aged 50 when digitisation first came in to use at the BBC. Initially he had worked at the Audio Unit in Broad Street, Birmingham, moving to the new Pebble Mill in 1971. At that opening ceremony he and Mary met Princess Anne. After he retired he was renowned at home for listening to radio broadcasts and spotting editing ‘slip-ups’, saying “You just can’t get the staff these days”. When Ant retired the family were living at Clavendon, Warwickshire where they lived on a smallholding keeping poultry and sheep. He was Chairman of the Village Show every August for 21 years. They also had a share in a narrow boat often inviting friends along for a cruise on the canal. From an early age he had a side-line repairing radios and running the lighting and sound effects for the local amateur dramatic group. Ant then took a job to keep occupied with a friend in Stratford fitting alarm systems and automatic doors for instance at Stratford Theatre. Richard could trust Ant implicitly and then took his first holiday in eight years since he had start- ed the business. The job was a casual arrangement which suited them both and helped Ant’s family see how the retirement pension worked out. The family moved to Erw Wen in Penybontfawr of the Tanat Valley and stayed there for 11 years and were proud that both their children went to Cambridge University before joining the world of work. They moved again and lived in Ellesmere for 14 years. Ant joined Oswestry Probus where he became President. And was also Parish Councillor for several years. That branch met for lunch and a speaker regularly, having both a men and ladies section. When the Club folded due to declining numbers he moved to the Ellesmere Club where he was also very popular and active. He was also a keen member of Wrexham and Oswestry radio clubs, becoming Secretary at Oswestry. Ant and Frank Bailey of Ellesmere Probus Club regularly travelled together to Wrexham Ham Radio Club as members for a few years. Ant was a licensed radio amateur, still operating from home until a few months prior to his illness. He always had a passion for classical music particularly although did not play an instrument himself. Hancock’s ‘The Radio Ham’ was a favourite also. During retirement Ant and Mary visit- ed older retirees at their homes or pubs etc s friends to see if they needed any help. They enjoyed the BBC Visitors weekends away to keep up to date and socialise with friends. Ant developed ataxia, a progressive physical disa- bility several years ago causing loss of balance and his world got smaller until he was almost house-bound, but he remained true to himself and his character. After many falls without consequence, one in May 2020 broke his an- kle at the site of an old injury. Whilst in hospital at Shrews- bury and Whichurch he caught Covid-19 and sadly passed away on 14th July 2020. He is very much missed by family, friends ex-colleagues and Probus members alike. Cont. page 3 2 BBC history Ant joined the BBC in 1961 in London and was sent for Engineering Training at Wood Norton near Evesham.On completion of the training he arrived at the Midland Broad Street studios in the Control Room as a Technical Oper- ator and worked there until one of the BBC upheavals ‘Broadcasting in the ’70’s’ - resulting in him along with other Radio Studio Managers, Radio and Television Outside Broadcast and studio staff being moved to the new Audio Unit. He spent spare time at Birmingham Hospital Broadcasting Network from Edgbaston cricket ground. Even as a trainee he showed a strong talent for radio technical work. When working at the Broad Street Control Room one day he heard a disturbance out in the street and went out onto the roof to look down to see if anyone needed any help. Whilst on the roof he broke his ankle and struggled back into the building. Ant was always look- ing to see what he could do to help others in need. On another occasion the automatic emergency power supply generator at Broad Street, which was supposed to be checked monthly by control room staff failed. Ant went down to the basement via an awkward spiral stair but couldn’t get it started as the battery was dead. He went back up the staircase, down the main staircase to the street and his car. He removed the car battery then retraced his steps up and down carrying his car battery, coupled it up and started the generator. He got little thanks from the Engineer-in-Charge who was more concerned with chastising the Control Room staff in general. When the new Pebble Mill studios near Edgbaston cricket ground were built he was transferred there. There are thought to have been four stories underground on site. The building was demolished some 30 years later. Ant was the technician for some time on the radio ‘On Your Farm’ one-hour programme which meant him having to be up at 3.30 in the morning to set up the broadcast and would be back home by 7.30a.m. If the pro- gramme wasn’t live from the farm it would have been recorded the day before (Friday) then needing to play the recording from Birmingham the following morning. Mary remembers one day when he brought her a cup of tea in bed one morning and half asleep, asked him why he was still at home. “I have been to work and am back now” he replied. Often he would be invited to have breakfast with the wealthy farmers and landowners interviewed on the programmes. He always preferred radio work to television although was not keen on ‘The Archers’ which he thought was slow, dull and repetitive.
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