Page 28 - Phonebox Magazine January 2011

PROVISIONAL OLNEY & DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PROGRAMME FOR 2011
Meetings are held at 7.30pm on the third Wednesday of each month in Room 4 of the Olney Centre, High Street, Olney, Bucks
Wednesday, 19th January
Station End - Turvey
Alan Richardson – Local Historian
(& Annual General Meeting)
Wednesday, 16th February
The History of Pinewood Studios
Mike Payne
Wednesday, 16th March
The History of Blue Badge Guides
Helen Jones
Wednesday, 20th April
The British School & the Legacy of Joseph Lancaster
Terry Ransom
Wednesday, 18th May
Sir Frank Markham – ‘Part Two’
Elizabeth Thomson – Daughter of Sir Frank Markham
Wednesday, 15th June
The Militia Living History Group workshop ‘The Battle at Olney Bridge’
Andy Smith
Wednesday, 20th July
On and Off the Footplate
Bill Davis
August
Summer Outing - To be advised
ODHS Summer Outing
Wednesday, 21st September
Olney Bridge
Edward Ellis – Local Historian
Wednesday, 19th October
My Little Evacuee
Gordon Abbott
Wednesday, 16th November
The History of Salcey Forest
Andy Patmore
December
Christmas Social Event - To be advised
ODHS Annual Event
Oh Ye Poets
WE’VE A FirMlY fixed belief in the office that the good folk of the Poets Estate must surely be a singularly well versed clan. But when we asked a man from Carroll Close what the name meant for him the response was “well nothing at the drop of a hat”. Score, one cruel black mark. We had not made an encouraging start.
Now let’s be frank about this. Those are jolly nice homes which look the sort of places where families will be pleased to read something of the works which have wonderfully embellished our native tongue for centuries. We plan to carry our survey further. Wherever you live there is a risk of a knock at your door and we will be asking what does your home mean for you. it will be an easy test for some; consider Wordsworth, Shakespeare or Kipling, but others among you will be sternly tested. We will publish the score from time to time, we do not want you to fail so please get browsing.
One possible excuse might just be acceptable, you might have an original offering of your own to offer. For the most part we will not be naming our victims but good originals will be properly acknowledged.
Geoff Bacchus
The Bookshelf Club
Our special goose is getting fat.
The Bookshelf Club ends the year on a high. Some of us now have the immense pleasure of pouring over completed or almost finished work and relishing the realisation that the New Year is set to turn things physical. Just a few months ago we met together with half spoken hopes and half thought through ideas. The memory of that first meeting still runs fresh, but now those hopes have matured into manuscripts. A new wave of hope will now centre back in the office, it is no small job to develop a manuscript in preparation for printing and binding but the next few months will see a growing selection ready to be taken out to selected points of sale.
New members find this situation most encouraging, why shouldn’t they indeed for this is now a winning team. But we are a team ever open to any number of new faces.
New to writing? Don’t be fearful, it may not make you rich as to money though we surely have our dreams. The newcomer will certainly widen your circle of friends – sensible people who all live with decent English. You will be given plenty of help and encouragement. We have no awkward rules and command no fees. No one is after your money - apart from the bar. We are quite simply a group of friends who cultivate the pleasant habit of getting together on the second Saturday each month to share our hopes and encourage one another.
Some people think to write full length novels and others may settle for short stories. One member is
developing a damned interesting essay in family tree research.... it is amazing what we stand to find when we plough back a few
generations even if we don’t find famous roots. Our secretary freely admits to having a few ‘nasties’ in the chain. Another member has some delightful tales for people of innocent early years.
Many commentaries of the ‘how we were’ type are brief comparisons of home life now as compared to forty or fifty years ago; whole villages have been greatly altered and you may well have interesting things to say about those changes. Please let the secretary know of this, if sufficient material is gathered together it may add up to a serious over-view and a good read besides.
Your short story may never grow long enough to justify publication by itself but it might find an excellent place within a compendium.
Whatever you may write don’t be shy about it, just get along to any meeting and meet others in the same boat. Bookshelf Club meetings are held on the second Saturday of each month; thus January 8th and February 12th . Our venue is the cabin bar at the rear of Olney’s Two Brewers. 2 to 5 pm. Want to know more? Contact the secretary: Geoff.bacchus@btinternet.com
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28 Phonebox Magazine