1 Surgery News - Snooker Club Leavers, Retirements and Newcomers Award It has been a momentous time at She remembers with horror, one the Surgery in recent months. Mike Christmas Eve night, leaving a very Boyle has seen his last patient; we large aminophylline suppository on are all very sad to see him go and a Spanish lady’s bedside table wish him all the best for the future. saying she would come back. On returning, the lady gesticulated that We had lined up two doctors to take she had swallowed the whole thing. over from him (surely one doctor The next morning, shaking with fear, could not have replaced Mike!) but she confessed to Matron, who burst unfortunately one of the two has into fits of laughter and told her to pulled out as she realised that the go off and enjoy her Christmas time was not right for her to be Wargrave and District Snooker Club holiday. joining us, along with her other has been awarded CAMRA’s Club commitments. Therefore we will be After finishing her training, she of the Year 2015, for the ninth time rather busy until Dan Alton joins us emigrated to Australia as a £10.00 in ten years. The award was in February. However we are very Pom and worked in a large public presented by local Wargrave grateful that Jackie Moncur is going hospital in Melbourne, and more resident John Robinson to Graham to be covering more sessions, and excitingly for the Air Ambulance (Bar Manager), Steve Sears another well-known doctor in the service. In 1972 she travelled back (Chairman) and Mel (mentor and ex village, Helen Casey, (Dr Crawley) to England overland, on the ‘Hippie Bar Manager). has generously decided to see what Trail’. She was able to pass through Shortly after the presentation, the practice is like to the north of the remote parts of Nepal, Afghanistan, Timothy Taylor Boltmaker ran out, A4, by helping out for a few Iran and other places which are and to celebrate the special sessions when we are really sadly no longer open to tourists. occasion, we were treated to some pushed. Brakspear Special - which Graham As well as Mike, we have also said had collected personally from The farewell to Maria Allen, who worked Bell Street Brewery in Henley. in the surgery in a number of roles - Steve Sears said ‘The Campaign for as practice manager, administrator Real Ale make the award for the and receptionist - since 1985, with quality of the club and the beer, the only a short break while employed friendliness of the bar staff and the in a hospital. She started working general ambience. It is a nice, for the surgery on the same day as friendly club.’ Julia Thurston thirty tears ago. Darren Stock We have lost two nurses too - (Press and Publicity for CAMRA Sherri Gregory, who has left us Reading and Mid Berks Branch and because of a family move to the Area Organiser for Berkshire) Midlands, and Judith Stephenson- 07808 802086 Hodges, who is well known throughout the village. However, Photo of Judith Nicola Oatley has joined us and is Stephenson- settling in well. Overall our nursing Hodges by Tim hours have increased. Hodges Judith She worked again at UCH, raised her children, and took various part- Judith went to Jamaica aged four time jobs until asking Sandra Swan and was educated there until, as a in 1992 if she had any jobs. So, 23 teenager, she moved back to live in happy years later, having seen Purley, Surrey. After A levels, she many changes and enjoying started her nursing training at At time of writing there are still a few meeting the lovely Wargrave University College Hospital in 1963. tickets available for the Twyford patients, she has decided to retire, if Singers’ Christmas Concert on She remembers that in those days that is what you can call a life full of Saturday 12 December. glass syringes and needles were running, kayaking, dongling and sterilized by boiling and re-used skiing. Our thoughts go out to her It is at St Mary’s Church in Twyford many times. The glass became husband, Tim, as he tries to keep and begins at 7.30pm. Tickets are opaque with calcium deposits, the up! £10 ‘on the door’ (£5 for under 16s) measurements were difficult to read or check availability by ringing in and the needles impossibly blunt! Drs Thurston, Puddy and Kennedy advance - 901 6175. 2 Contacts Goodbye to Wargrave Editors: Dear Editors, [email protected] Through the Wargrave News, I would like to say goodbye. After living in Sue Ferguson 940 3032 my home for 47 years and working at the surgery for 30 years, I have got to know many people and sadly cannot get around to say goodbye to Sue Chamberlain 940 3648 everyone. Cath Forsaith 940 1895 I have so many happy memories with my wonderful husband, Rob, and Sharon Hewitt 940 2909 my two lovely sons, which will be with me for ever. Cynthia Coombes 940 2937 I will only be living an hour away and hope to visit often. Alex Limia Dieguez 940 4216 Best wishes to you all Pat Butler Website: Cath Forsaith 940 1895 Residents of Elizabeth Court proudly Advertising: introduce the new Guy in town Sue Ferguson 940 3032 18 Ridgeway, Wargrave [email protected] Noticeboard: Cath Forsaith 940 1895 Printed by: Greenhouse Graphics 01256 880770 Published by: Wargrave News, Wargrave Treasurer: Graham Jones 940 6613 20 Ridgeway, Wargrave Secretary: Sue Ferguson 940 3032 Distribution: John Coombes 940 2937 Mervyn Hardiman 07747 714847 The Editors would Front cover photo: courtesy of Sharon Hewitt like to take this Copy Dates The Wargrave News is not opportunity to wish published in January. The copy deadline for the February issue all our contributors, is Friday 29 January at 6.00pm. Please send articles and letters advertisers, to [email protected] distributors and readers a very Contents Merry Christmas Pages 4 to 7 Wargrave News 400th Issue and a Happy New Pages 9, 11 Church Services Year. Page 23 Panto Page 43, 44 The Piggott in China Page 47 Pizzas at The Greyhound 3 Wargrave News Celebrates its 400th Issue Peter Delaney writes:- For the first edition in 1978 After Roger Free resigned as editor in August 1982, Rosemary and Chris A Village Shop Promotion there were articles from the The Wargrave News was begun by continued as joint editors. The John Weatherlake in October 1978, Youth Club, Wargrave January 1983 issue, however, lists a in part as a way to promote his High Theatre Workshop, Hunter team of four as editors - Sue Griffiths and Mike Hopewell had joined Street Store. Douglas Goddard, Trials, Residents’ writing in 2008, commented that John Rosemary and Chris. A note in the had taken over the shop in an Association, Cricket Club, following month’s issue reported that 'attempt to breathe some life back Wine Circle, Wargrave the Wargrave News Management Committee had discussed a request into the High Street’. To publicise it Flower and Produce Show he hit on the idea of a newsletter from a local political party to use the which he arranged to have delivered and Badminton Club in the Wargrave News to distribute their to all Wargrave households - the Woodclyffe Hall. newssheet. Although the Wargrave Wargrave News was born. He and News would benefit from the income, they did not wish to 'be identified with Julie Lovegrove were named as the A stack of all 400 issues, with editors, and Leone Colgan dealt with the very first on the top! any one political party, for whatever advertising. Although the very first disclaimers we made this is what will page says ‘High Street Stores is happen'. backing the venture’, issues 1 - 30 A Whole Village Venture were officially published by the East The Wargrave News was entered Berks Boat Co. The first two issues into the Berkshire Village Venture were to be free, and then subscribers Competition in 1983, when it was would pay 5p for their copy, but by noted that although the team had issue 5 it was being freely distributed taken over editorial responsibility in to every household in the village. April 1981, they only took over full Also in issue 5, the editor wrote that financial responsibility in January 'it should really be run by a group of 1982. The paper reached the final people who represent the whole round of judging, and received £30 village, rather than just three as a consolation prize. individuals tied to one business concern'. * The editorial team remained the A Village Newsletter same, under ‘Rosemary Gray’s guiding hand'. John Weatherlake A Wargrave News Committee took retired from the management over at issue 31. The Management committee in November 1985. He Committee was named as Chairman said he had wanted it to 'keep people Douglas Goddard, Vice Chairman in touch with what was going on in John Ratings, Treasurer Bobby the village', but added that it 'didn’t Bramall and Parish Council stop him from using it now and then Representative Bob Gray; John to stir up a hornet’s nest or two'! Weatherlake also kept an involvement in the running of the More Pages, More Topics paper. The editorial committee had In September 1989 Barry Coward, Roger Free, one time headteacher at historian and lecturer at Birkbeck the Piggott Junior School, as editor, College, took a sabbatical to write a with Rosemary Gray and Chris Scott book; during that year he joined the as assistant editors, Tony Searby as editorial team, and set out his ideas sports editor, Ann Nono in charge of for the Wargrave News on the front advertising, Eve Goddard doing the page of the November issue - to try typesetting (computer generated and make the content reflect a wider articles being most unusual at that range of village topics, to include the time), and Pam Nash overseeing the ‘light hearted’ as well as the ‘more distribution.