Recollections of Blaisdon Hall
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Easter 2006, Greetings Everyone, Many thanks for the letters, Emails and phone calls received since our last newsletter, too many to list here. Special thanks to;- John Ward for all his time, efforts and costs on the Blaisdon Web Site set up, Terry for all his records and the Recollections of Past Pupils, Mike O’Brien on his Book of Poems, and to everyone who has made contact. Thanks also to Len Carter, Eric Nutcher, Michael McKenna, Michael Grange, Peter Landsborough, Tony Wadsworth, (get well soon Tony) Ian Murray (Australia) Derry Maher, Danny Hayes, (Spain., hope you are getting better Danny) and ALL who got in touch. A REQUEST to ALL hoping to attend the REUNION BUFFET in Blaisdon Village Hall on Sunday 27th Aug. PLEASE CONTACT Fr Sean or I TO CONFIRM your attendance and any family/guests. This will help us to know correct numbers to make seating / buffet arrangements. Just turning up will not help the situation, these costs are paid for from ‘Blaisdon Old Boy’s’ Association funds, maintained by The Few who contribute to keep it going. The same applies with the Newsletter distribution costs, and as regards this I see no point in sending these out time after time without a reply to say ‘Thank you’ in one way or another, to know that it was received. My Eye operation has again been postponed owing to ongoing problems and I have another appointment Moor fields Hospital with the Specialist in May to discuss the situation. I was in Rome with Fr Sean for a few days break, 5th-8th March. The weather was rather Cold then. I tried to climb to the top of St Peters Dome, but had to give up half way, not so young and fit as I used to be. Can you climb Over 400 steps now?, and you have to go down again.!! Wishing you all a Happy Easter, and hoping to hear from you Charles W Springett. (C.W.S.) ================================================================================================
At the beginning of November, Pat Young decided he wanted to go to Blaisdon and finish the job of putting brass memory Plates on Fr. Hilton’s and Kevin Cummins' benches. Charlie had a meeting in London on Sunday the 27th of November 2005, so a meet-up was arranged for that weekend of 26/27 of November . It was arranged that John Plevey would pick me up in Newport, and that Mike Grange would meet Pat Young in London, and would travel up with Pat to Gloucester, where they would meet up with Charlie, who was travelling down from Stoke on Trent by coach. John Plevey was taken into Hospital the week before, for a few days, so was not allowed to travel. My family came to the rescue and took me to Gloucester by car on the Saturday. If you remember, that was a terrible week, with warning of hard frost and heavy snow and winds that would cause Blizzards throughout the country. Saturday arrived, there was quite a hard frost but no snow that morning and we had a good trip to Blaisdon, and as we drove into the Village Hall car park Pat Young and his helpers were busy putting the brass plates on Kevin’s bench.
Pat Young admiring his handiwork
The Foreman on the left Terry O’Neill Checking the work Most of the morning was spent on the benches, and when the work was finished we adjourned to the Red Hart for a couple of pints. We visited Mrs. Dorothy Bayliss for a short while, she had lost her husband Frank, in a car accident at Hindus Corner a few months earlier. When we were leaving she very kindly presented each of us a bottle of Frank’s home made Wine.
Pat Young with his three Musketeers L to R Barney Grace, Mick Grange & Charlie Springett In the evening we spent an hour or so in the Red Hart Pub for a meal and a drink. The pub was packed so we decided to have a drink at our B & B before retiring to bed. Poor old Pat Young complained of a "dicky tummy, a headache and the sweats", all at the same time. When he got up in the morning he still felt the same. Mike Grange and I went for a walk about 7 o clock in the morning, it was still dark, and we couldn’t see a hand in front of us. There was thick ice on the roads and we had difficulty in keeping our balance as we walked as far as the old railway bridge and then as far as the lodge gates. Remember the old post office with the telephone outside, well as most of you know the post office is no longer there, but the phone box is still in use, but can only be used with a card. The notice inside said "This box does not take coins" so Mike was unable to ring home from there, luckily I had my mobile with me, so we both were able to contact home. After a good breakfast we made a move to make our way home. Pat was still to ill to do any driving, so Charlie took over the driving. I was dropped of in Gloucester, near the Railway station so that my family could pick me up at the station. After an hour or so my family arrived with a warning that the roads were very icy and care would have to be taken. We arrived home safely, and in the evening Charlie phoned to say that he arrived in London safely. Charlie drove all the way to London, with a few stops on the way, for poor Pat to be sick, and for any other thing he had to get rid of. Pat swears that it was a bit of food poisoning, but after a few days he was back to his old self. Gordon Robertson (1956-57) phoned me a few weeks before Christmas to say that he had received the Christmas Newsletter from Fr. Sean, and had enjoyed it’s contents. He said that if any of the old boys who were at Blaisdon during his time at Blaisdon, they are welcome to phone him and have a chat about old times. Fr. Sean took over from Fr. Aidan at St. Mary’s, Newent, for a few days during the New Year break. Because of the bad weather conditions on Friday 30th, Fr. Sean went to Newent on the Saturday. My intention was to visit him over the weekend, but because of family health problems I was unable to go. When Fr. Sean phoned on Saturday night to let me know he had arrived safely, he said that he would come and visit me on Monday 2nd of January. He said Mass in Newent on the Monday, and phoned me later when he was near to Newport to say he was on his way. Fr. Sean has a good memory, because where I live is quite difficult to find, I expected a phone call from him to ask me directions, once he left the motorway, but the next time I heard from Fr. Sean was the ringing of the doorbell. After lunch we had a great time talking of old times, and many, many names were mentioned of the old boys who were at Blaisdon, in the couple of hours we had together with my family. Fr. Sean seemed to enjoy himself, because he mentions so many times on the phone what a great day he had driving through the Gloucestershire countryside to Wales to see me and my family. On the 9th of January I received a small package from Mike O’Brien (1942/44) . It was a book of poems that he has written. Intimations Poems 2002… .2005 by Mike O’Brien. For the old boys of Blaisdon and the Crusade of Rescue this book of poems is a must, and great value at £ 5.00.+ £ 1.00 postage. Although I wasn’t at St. Joseph’s I thought the poem of" ST. Joseph’s a Remembrance" was great. I could imagine how Mike would feel as he put that poem together, remembering those lads of long ago as he mentioned them in the poem. The bit that I was taken with was the bit at the end . The beginning. It was so true to so many of us on our arrival at Blaisdon Halt on that first day. So much is put into such a compact book. The last poem says it all. What our reunions mean to so many of us. the Priests, the Brothers, the ex-staff, the Villagers of Blaisdon, and not forgetting the friends of Blaisdon who have done so much for us. Our meeting at the graveside at the Church on the Hill, St Michael’s, to say a prayer and to remember our brothers and sisters, as Mike said in his book our "Brotherhood". For those who haven’t been to Blaisdon for sometime I thought I would put the engraved names of those who are at rest in Blaisdon. We pray at the graveside each time we visit Blaisdon.
Eric Nutcher sent me a couple of CD ROM's of our reunions, one was for the years 1985 to 1994, and the other one for the Easter and the August Bank Holiday 2005, the ones that you play on a DVD. Thanks very much Eric. It’s great, something to remind us of the good times we have at these reunions. The 1985/ 94 ones were of the time when we were able to stay overnight up at the Hall, those were the days, with a great meal in the main hall, and an evening in the staff room with drinks at the bar, until last orders at Midnight. Things have changed a lot since those days, but I wouldn’t change a thing with the way our reunions are today. Fr. Sean and Charlie do a great job in organising the Easter and Summer reunions at the Blaisdon Village Hall. Thanks to the Villagers and the friends of Blaisdon for all their hard work over the years. We really do appreciate it . Tony Brady (1955-57 ) wrote to me at the beginning of this year, with a Synopsis of his autobiographical trilogy. Tony calls it "SCENES FROM AN EXAMINED LIFE". What great reading this book will be, especially if you were associated with Saint Joseph’s, Enfield, or Blaisdon Hall, Blaisdon. I had left Blaisdon and joined the Army when Tony first went to Blaisdon in 1955, but I met up with him when I was De-mobbed in 1956 and stayed at Blaisdon for a week or so. Tony was to stay at Blaisdon until 1961 as head pig man. When I was collating the " Recollections of Past Pupils" most start their stories with getting off the train, and seeing a Mansion in the distance. Tony is able to draw you into his story by the sounds of the train, the Brother who met them at Gloucester in such a friendly way and chatted with them until they arrived at "Blaisdon Halt" station. Tony will tell you of that never to be forgotten walk up to the Hall, as they make their way through the village towards the lodge. I was going to say what a twelve year old saw for the first time in the country, but this is not my story, it’s Tony’s. I for one will be looking out for the finished article. Good luck Tony. Fr. Sean & Charlie went off to Rome for a few days, from the 5th to the 10th of Feb, but I expect they will write something about their trip in the newsletter Pat Young phoned me on the 13th Feb to find out if my daughter Maria had any results from the hospital about her Lymphoma cancer, but at the moment the tests are on-going. Pat has been driving a coach as a living for many years and is now contemplating retiring in the near future and hopes to spend more time with his wife and have a well earned holiday. Over the last year or so Pat has spent time in getting small individual brass plates made with our names on, to put on the bench that Kevin Martin and Nora made and placed outside the village hall. Pat says that there’s very little space left on the bench but if anyone is interested in putting their names forward let him know, but make sure that it is in writing, and the correct spelling, because in the past of one letter wrong, Pat has had to pay for a new plate out of his own pocket to have it redone. I had a good chat with Maureen, Pat’s wife and she said she would pray for Maria to Padre Pio, who she has recently heard of.. Well Padre Pio is part of our home, there are pictures, and statues throughout the house, because my wife Pat has been so devoted to him for so many years. I had to send Maureen some photo’s and cuttings straight away the following day. Maureen phoned a few days later to say that she had received the package and was most pleased. John Ward sent me a CD of the National Newsletter and phoned early in February to ask me what I thought of the layout, and the pictures he had inserted into his articles, and we got talking about Publishers, and its layout. I explained that I used Microsoft Publisher and that I find it very easy to use. I think that I might have persuaded John to have ago with Publisher, because I mentioned that at the moment there’s an article in the "Computer Active" issue 207/8/9 dealing with PagePlus Desk Top Publisher, which John went out and purchased. Best of luck John I hope you stick with it. By the time this newsletter goes out, through John’s efforts, we should have our own Web Site for Blaisdon Past Pupils, at the moment it is in its infancy with just the front page sorted out. When the Web is up and running, lets hope we have a good response from all the computer buffs. Most important is that the Newsletter is not neglected for all the Past Pupils and Friends of Blaisdon, who haven’t the use of the computer. Please let me know either by phone or letter, so that I can make out a new address register in time for our next Newsletter. At our reunion last August, I left a box of about 30 CD’s on the table in St. Peter’s Social Club, for anyone who might be interested in THE RECOLLECTIONS of PAST PUPILS to help themselves to a copy. They all went, but I’ve only had few replies to say if it was satisfactory. If anyone from the 60’s– 70’s and onwards would like contribute a little part of their past at Blaisdon and would like to contact me by phone, letter or even Email in the next few months I would be only too pleased to add theirs to the Recollections. I’m sorry I can only leave this offer open for a few months because it takes up a lot time to type it up and put it into book form, and these Recollections must come to the end. Look forward to hearing from any last entrants soon. In the last few weeks I’ve been going through the letters I’ve received from old boys over the years as I file them in some sort of order, and it’s surprising how much the memory returns of some of the fantastic times we have had at these reunions. I’m surprised how much correspondence I’ve had in the past. Letter writing seems to be a thing of the past, now that more people use the phone, texts, and Emails. At the time of writing, Charlie was due to go into Moorefield's Eye Hospital, London, on March the 13th for an eye operation, he’s expecting to be in McKella Ward for a few days. The rest will do him good. Best wishes Charlie we’ll all be praying for you. The funeral of Bob Jacket took place at Crynant, Neath, South Wales on the "2nd of March 2006. Fr. Sean and Charlie attended on our behalf. They travelled down to Newent on the Wednesday and stayed overnight with Fr. Aiden, then called into see me on their way to Neath.. Our thoughts are with Donia and family at this sad time,
I was hoping to attend the service with them, but I had a severe dose of the Flu and the runs. Wednesday, the 1st March 2006 was a terrible day, with snow all over the country, with the promise of lots more to come to cause chaos, but Thursday came with a hard frost, but a beautiful sunny day. I expect Charlie or Fr. Sean will give more details on our Easter meet up which will be on Saturday 22nd / Sunday 23rd April 2006, some of us will be there on Friday the 21st so as to make a long weekend of it. The August Bank Holiday reunion this year will be Saturday 26th/ Sunday 27th/ Monday 28th of August 2006 and as the saying goes Book Early. (see the details in our new website www.blaisdonbrotherhood.info) I’ve left very little space for Fr. Sean and Charlie, so I’ll leave it in mid stream for them to finish. Best wishes to all. Terry O'Neill ========================================================================== We wish to bring to your attention the Blaisdon Past Pupils Web Site set up by John Ward, after many days and weeks of hard work, telephone calls and emails, and invite you to look into www.blaisdonbrotherhood.info There is a mine of information for everyone's benefit, and would welcome your items for the News section (anything you would like to share: births, deaths, marriages, etc.). Ideally, photos and a short text should be Emailed to John at j.ward@virgin.net however, if you do not have access to Email, they can be sent by normal mail to John at: 22 Church Close, Uxbridge, Middx, UB8 2XG The Guestbook is there for you to add your own messages, whether trying to make contact with friends, or whatever. You scroll to the bottom of the page to type you message. There is no need to enter anything into the Comments box just type your message into the final box. Congratulations John on a fantastic job well done with thanks from the Blaisdon Old Boy's Association. As the Newsletter facility is now available on the Web, this will enable us to cut down on our high costs of Printing and Postage, therefore in future we will only send the Newsletters by post by those REQUESTING us to do so. May I ask you to contact us if you still require the Newsletter by post. Thank you. ( C.W.S.) =========================================================================== Fr Sean Murray writes:
I am looking forward to meeting you at the Easter Reunion at Blaisdon. I will be on Retreat with the whole Province at Market Harborough from Easter Sunday, 16th April, to Easter Friday, 21st April. This is a really special retreat as it is being preached by Fr Pascual, Chavez; the Rector Major of the Salesians. The wider Salesian Family will have the opportunity of meeting Fr Chavez at Farnborough on Saturday, 22nd April and at Bolton on Sunday, 23rd April. You are welcome to attend if you are in the neighbourhoods; no need to book, just bring your own sandwiches!
Thanks again for your generosity in replying to the annual subscriptions appeal. This has brought in, so far, a grand total of £969, and should cover expenses over the current year, especially as the mailing list has been cut from around 350 to around 200. This revised number includes, not only Old Boys, but all other supporters of the Association. Anyway, from now on all information, including the Newsletters, can be downloaded from the new Blaisdon Brotherhood website: www.blaisdonbrotherhood.info .
“SMILE 2005/2006” Fighting Malaria in Liberia. The Salesian Past Pupils of Great Britain have reached their target of £12,000. Thanks to your generosity and that of our friends and supporters, the Blaisdon Association contributed the handsome sum of £4,619 to the grand total. This was a truly wonderful, generous and very satisfying project.
ANNUAL REUNION AT BLAISDON 26th - 27th August 2006 Saturday 26th August BBQ at Village Hall 7.00pm Sunday 27th August Mass at St Michael’s 12noon Dinner at Village Hall 2.00pm I would ask you to book your places for the Dinner as soon as possible. Don’t leave it until the last minute, as this is unfair to our caterers and helpers. See you soon. Happy Easter. God bless Fr Sean Murray, St James’, Chesnut Grove, Bootle, Merseyside. L20 4LX Phone: 0151 944 1039 Mobile: 0793 236 4098 Email: john seanmurray@tiscali.co.uk |
