Meeting Report October 2012
Competition Winner
At the October meeting of Woolavington WI, Vice-President Carolyn Stroud welcomed 28 members including one lady newly- enrolled, and a visitor to the Village Hall.
The speaker of the evening was Peter Tinney, a retired tenant farmer who has lived all his life in the area around Stone- and Chapel Allerton, and his talk was entitled ‘Childhood Memories’. Peter has a great eye for detail, coupled with a mischievous sense of humour, and a store of affectionate memories to recount.
Born the third child and first son to Ned and Winnie Tinney (!), themselves tenant farmers, he claims the record birth weight of 11 lbs. 1 oz. in the now-defunct Axbridge District registry, and also to be the reason why his mother bore no more children after him!
Peter told of how his father lied about his age in order to join in the Great War, and was stationed at HMS Victory in Portsmouth, on the destroyer Wyvern; what a very different world that must have seemed to a young Somerset lad!
Speaking without notes of any kind, he recreated characters and events from his parents’ courtship and his early life with such vivid detail that it seemed we had experienced those things too, and through most of his talk he had us all in gales if not tears of laughter. I am left with the abiding image of the ancient mint dump, retrieved from the depths of his uncle’s pocket in a thick coat of fluff, which if soaked in spittle long enough could be “stripped like a banana”and duly enjoyed to the full!
The competition for a childhood souvenir brought forth some treasured objects which Peter found hard to choose between; in the event a much-loved 83yr-old toy horse given to Shirley S by the lady of the manor won first place, followed by Kris’s beautifully hand-embroidered child’s dress (and a photo of her in it!), and third was Edna’s photograph album full of memories.
Kerry showed members a likely programme of speakers for the coming year which was well received, and Hilary gave everyone a pictorial quiz sheet on ‘Guess the Musical’ which got everyone thinking, and then read a most unusual funny poem.
After reminders for the November meeting, a light-hearted and entertaining evening was brought to a close.
The speaker of the evening was Peter Tinney, a retired tenant farmer who has lived all his life in the area around Stone- and Chapel Allerton, and his talk was entitled ‘Childhood Memories’. Peter has a great eye for detail, coupled with a mischievous sense of humour, and a store of affectionate memories to recount.
Born the third child and first son to Ned and Winnie Tinney (!), themselves tenant farmers, he claims the record birth weight of 11 lbs. 1 oz. in the now-defunct Axbridge District registry, and also to be the reason why his mother bore no more children after him!
Peter told of how his father lied about his age in order to join in the Great War, and was stationed at HMS Victory in Portsmouth, on the destroyer Wyvern; what a very different world that must have seemed to a young Somerset lad!
Speaking without notes of any kind, he recreated characters and events from his parents’ courtship and his early life with such vivid detail that it seemed we had experienced those things too, and through most of his talk he had us all in gales if not tears of laughter. I am left with the abiding image of the ancient mint dump, retrieved from the depths of his uncle’s pocket in a thick coat of fluff, which if soaked in spittle long enough could be “stripped like a banana”and duly enjoyed to the full!
The competition for a childhood souvenir brought forth some treasured objects which Peter found hard to choose between; in the event a much-loved 83yr-old toy horse given to Shirley S by the lady of the manor won first place, followed by Kris’s beautifully hand-embroidered child’s dress (and a photo of her in it!), and third was Edna’s photograph album full of memories.
Kerry showed members a likely programme of speakers for the coming year which was well received, and Hilary gave everyone a pictorial quiz sheet on ‘Guess the Musical’ which got everyone thinking, and then read a most unusual funny poem.
After reminders for the November meeting, a light-hearted and entertaining evening was brought to a close.