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vaughans posts of memories of thorpe and the broads.


jillR

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  • 2 months later...

Oooh .. little bit excited now. Well, actually a lot excited!

Vaughan passed on the aforementioned cine films of Hearts Cruisers in the 1950s which Keiron at Video Impact in Loddon kindly transferred in double quick time for me. They are fabulous! We met up with Vaughan again today and recorded some descriptive commentary and memories of the yard to accompany the films and I think the end result is going to be something very special. As we are moving into summer, I get a lot less time to spend on website matters, but the editing of the films and commentary will be my summer project and I am really looking forward to it. It's so important to preserve the old photographs, the films, and the memories of our local history and this is such a lovely way to do that, and will hopefully produce something that engages others in the history of the area as well as bringing back happy memories for residents and long standing visitors alike.

Many. many thanks Vaughan for allowing me to share these films with others and for taking the time to record your memories and add so much information to accompany them. Having checked through them this evening they are sounding good and will give me plenty to work with. :-)

 

Carol

 

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You wait till you see me at about 8 years old, walking to school at Langley in the snow, in my shorts!

We had a lovely afternoon and thank you very much for taking the time Carol.

I also gave her a short cine film of Leslie Landamore, ice yachting on Wroxham Broad in 1963. I reckon you will like that one as well!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've finished editing the first of Vaughan's cine films with the commentary and memories which he very kindly did for me. I'm really pleased with how this has come out - Vaughan's memories really bring the film to life and this is such a wonderful record of boating on the Broads in the post war era. This film was put together by Vaughan's mother to represent a typical turnaround day at Hearts Cruisers in 1955. I'll get working on the second film next month. :)

Many thanks to Vaughan and also to Video Impact at Loddon for getting this transferred for me in double quick time!

 

 

Carol

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If I may, I would like to thank my mother. It was pretty rare to make colour cine film in those days but she always knew that one day, these would be cherished memories. How she got that final shot of the full moon in the sunset, with a little clockwork camera, I don't know.

I only wish she could still be here to see what a great job Carol has made of the film. But who did she get to play me? I don't sound like that, do I? That is Norfolk, with quite a lot of Norwich thrown in. Too much time in the Buck, I think. No wonder they say I speak French with a Norfolk accent!

I am delighted to be able to share these lovely memories with you, only made possible by Carol's expertise.

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  • 2 months later...

What an absolutely fascinating, absorbing and brilliant thread and the films & commentary just sublime.

Thanks everyone for a very entertaining hour, it was like going back 30 plus years and reminded me of listening to tales from the newsons yard foreman, a very colourful character indeed. And semi rotary pumps, wish i had a tenner for every one of those i have stripped cos it wouldnt prime!

Thanks again, i love living history.

Trev

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  • 2 weeks later...

We have been talking elsewhere of the days when Blakes had the lease of Malthouse Broad and the moorings at the Maltsters, until sometime in the 80s.

Does anyone remember John Lane, who ran the information centre and the moorings, in the late 70s and early 80s?

He looked just like Cap'n Birdseye, with a white rollneck sweater over his stomach, a jovial smile behind a thick white beard, a pipe and an old yachting cap with a Blakes badge on it. 

He had been a merchant marine engineer, on convoys in the War, and had come to Norfolk in his retirement. He helped me out part time for the first couple of years on my yard at Womack, where he did all the mechanics until he had taught me enough that I could start doing it myself.

I had found this little yard for sale in a very run-down state and had bought some boats and delivered them to the yard. They were all I could afford and they all needed a great deal of work. I remember the first day John came down to the yard, ostensibly just for an interview, but I already knew I would take him on if he wanted it. We stood there on the quay on that November morning and looked around us at all that had to be done. There was also a riverside shop, to be re-fitted and re-stocked and it all had to happen by Easter.

I think he realised that I was standing there thinking "My God, what have I taken on?" as he simply said "Well, the only way we are going to get all this done is to make a start somewhere". With that he put his pipe back in his mouth, picked up his toolbox, walked onto the nearest boat and got on with it! There have been several times, later in my life, when I have been starting a new project, or a new boat base and I have always done well to remember that advice from John - don't  stand there thinking of all the insurmountable problems : just make a start.

It is a privilege to have known and worked with a man like John. To have had his help and his friendship.

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