From the Rector

The six banners made for St Andrew’s Church to mark the 750th anniversary are very impressive. They depict scenes from the life of the parish over many years and have been carefully and skilfully made by different people in the parish, including children from Bere Alston Primary School. The first banner has the words ‘a continuing journey…’ and that is very much what it is, for me, you and the church. I hope Christmas has gone well for you and the New Year sees you safely arrived, but what now? How will your life continue? Do you have hopes and dreams; have you got plans; are you holding on hoping to ride out the troubles; or is it more of the same? Holy Trinity and St Andrew’s will be looking to establish their vision for the next five years, setting down what we hope to achieve, how we are going to achieve it and, perhaps most importantly, why. We must start the New Year with ‘why’. What is important to us, what is at the heart of all that we do? When that marker is in place and acknowledged, everything else can be judged from it and by it. It needs to be a little more specific than ‘love Jesus’ or ‘serve God’ but not so detailed that it stops us exploring all the new things we will encounter in the next few years. It needs to be widely accepted so that we take people with us, but not so bland that there is no challenge. We need to be able to say, in one sentence, what our vision is for our churches as the journey continues. 2009 will be different. The world is a different place to 2008. The credit crunch will have a greater effect; people will lose their jobs; a reassessing of what is important will take place in many families and communities. The church needs a vision that will speak in to the world as it is, not as it was or as we might want it to be. Why – because that is where God is, that is what the incarnation, Christmas and Epiphany rolled into one, is all about: God’s continuing self revelation to each new generation, in each New Year, in each new set of circumstances. The Church (with a capital ‘C’) has been entrusted with the task of proclaiming the good news. Different churches will do it in different ways, and so long as it is good news, that is fine. My task as Rector is to ensure that the full gospel is available to be heard and received by all; with opportunities for responding to its benefits and challenges, for growing in discipleship, for continuing in service. We begin our continuing journey on 4th January as we celebrate communion together and renew our baptismal vows in each of the services that day, so that, fed and renewed by God, we can become part of the answer to that most famous prayer, ‘Thy Kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’ Nick Law

From Rev David Rogers, BAUC

Everything God has belongs to you
I trust you have had a wonderful Christmas and weren’t disappointed with any of your presents. I would like you to think, in your hopeful, more quiet moments now the Christmas celebrations are almost over for another year, about the subject of our heading. Picture yourself as a slave. You have few, if any, rights. Your master makes the rules and can change them at any time, according to his mood or whim. When your master dies, you have no right to anything he owned. After all, you yourself are really only a possession. You can be given away or passed down as easily as the family china. Now picture yourself as a child. Cherished. Nurtured. Perhaps even pampered. Not a possession, but a person. Part of a family whose ties extends forward and backward through generations. In most cases, when your parents die, what they own will be passed on to you. It will legally become yours. At one time, you were a slave to sin. You had a master who was truly your enemy. He didn’t care about you. He simply wanted to rule over you. To take all you had for his very own. Once you became part of God’s family, your ties with that cruel master were severed. Oh, he may come around every now and then trying to convince you that he’s still in charge. But the truth is, you’ve been adopted into a new family. You have traded a relationship with a deceitful slave owner for that of a loving Father. Now you are truly cherished, nurtured and deeply loved. What’s more, you have received the rights that befit a beloved child. You share in what your Father owns. The cattle on a thousand hills. The sun, the moon, and every celestial creation. Priceless riches of the heart. Eternal life. You are a privileged child. Why not take a moment right now and thank your Father for who He is, for all He’s done, and for all He wants to share with you through time without end. YOU ARE NO LONGER A SLAVE BUT GOD’S OWN CHILD. AND SINCE YOU ARE HIS CHILD, EVERYTHING HE HAS BELONGS TO YOU. GALATIANS 4: 7. David Rogers

Things I Don't Need in the New Year
I’m going to start this new year by listing some needs that, with God’s help, will be eliminated from my life. I’ll ask the Father to take away: My need to be appreciated. I don’t need praise from those around me. My God is the only one I want to impress. It is His approval that counts. John 12:43 My need to ‘fit in’. Romans 12:2 and 1 Peter 1:14 tells me that I am not to conform to the pattern of the world around me but I must be transformed by the renewing of my mind. My need to appear smart. I don’t need to be a great speaker to share the good news of Jesus Christ. The power is in the message of the gospel, not in my words. 1 Corinthians 1:17-21 My need to be physically attractive. Other people look at physical appearance, but they don’t see what the Lord sees. He sees my heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 My need to be first. Paul writes that I shouldn’t look for what is good for me, but I should be concerned with what is good for others. 1 Corinthians 10:24 My need to be wealthy. Luke 16:13 tells me that God and money cannot both have first place in my life. Luke 16:19-26 tells a story that warns against putting too much value on possessions. I’ll put God first and leave the rest to Him. My need to be strong. My own strength is never enough but the Bible tells me that God’s power can be displayed best when I am weak. 2 Corinthians 12:9&10 My need to be ‘good enough.’ I always try to be good and do what is right, but no matter how hard I work at it, I always fail. I will always fall short of God’s glory. The amazing thing is that by His grace and through the work of Jesus Christ. I can rest in the fact that I am good enough. Romans 4:25 and Romans 6:18-19

 

Nature Watch

A WINTER LANDSCAPE
Up bright and early this Sunday morning. After what seems like weeks of grey dank climate an exhilarating white winter landscape appears outside. For once I leave the bike behind and set out on foot. A day to see the neighbourhood from a different angle rather than aiming to cover a greater distance! First up, a heron sitting near the top of our aspen tree, a roost normally occupied by our local buzzard. In both cases the birds appear to be too large and the twig too thin to support their weight. In practice even these birds only weigh a few hundred grams (most of the apparent bulk is due to their thick layer of feather insulation). A short time later the buzzard launched itself gently from another tree to drift effortlessly over the white landscape, soon to be followed by a sparrow-hawk at top speed skimming along the recently cleared railway track in the direction of Tavistock. By this time nearly all broad-leaved trees have lost their leaves, and in the clear winter's light these details become more visible. Structures of human origin stand out: hedgerows that come up to the edge of the embankment and reappear following the same direction on the other side. These field boundaries were in existence long before Brunel engineered the way across the landscape. In a similar manner, abandoned lanes become visible where easier access drives have been built to connect farms to the more recently constructed highways. Animal highways are nearly as prominent. The paths followed by roe deer run down the sides of the embankment, over the bank and disappear through a hole on the opposite side of the road. Most fences can be cleared in a single leap by these animals. Foxes and badgers make broad passageways through the undergrowth at the base of the hedge. Over the years I have remembered where these animals disappear from the glare of the cars headlights at night. The well-worn nature of these paths indicate how much animal traffic passes by. I am sure that 'security' lights in our neighbourhood are often triggered by the same large mammals! Eventually I reach some higher ground where the rays of the early morning sun have removed the layer of frost to expose the fresh green grass below. A small flock of redwings fly down from their vantage point in a nearby ash tree. Like all thrushes, their diet is mixed: fruits, seeds, worms and other small invertebrates, though what they manage to find this early in the day, I am not sure! They leave behind the damp bunches of ash 'keys'- the large hard winged seeds of the tree. It takes the large seed-crunching beak of birds such as the bull-finch to tackle these! Judging by the number of young saplings in the undergrowth, they are not very effective in the process. Spread before me in the landscape are several of the large farmhouses that dot the landscape. Many of these were established over 400 years ago, when I guess the owners could have the pick of the prime sites in terms of winter sunshine and outlook. The tenements for the workers on larger estates were usually tucked in somewhere out of sight! Back home for a late breakfast, I contemplate on what I have just seen: it reminds me that what we think of as a 'natural' landscape is in fact very much man made. At least nature can blur the rough edges of what we create! And outside - yes, the sun does not reach us in midwinter so the garden is still frozen! Pete Mayston

Mobile Library

With the Credit Crunch in full swing, we all appreciate that companies are now looking to reduce their costs or services, or both. We are fortunate on the peninsula in having a mobile library, which is a tremendous benefit to many people, especially the elderly and those not favoured by a suitable bus service to go to the main library in Tavistock. Once again, the dreaded phrase ‘Use it or lose it’ springs to mind and one could easily see that this important service could be removed if a cost-cutting exercise is required by Devon County Council, who run the service. The mobile library visits Bere Alston every Tuesday. Bere Ferrers is visited fortnightly on Wednesdays, starting at the War Memorial at 9.45am, the Social Club at 10.20am and Station Road at 10.45am. Please use this service if you can and show Devon County Council that it is appreciated and well-used. It’s too late to complain once it’s gone! Bere Alston, every Tuesday. Alexander Road 9.15-9.30am; 108 Broad Park Road 9.35-9.50am; Parish Hall car park 10-10.30am; West View Road 10.40-10.55am. Bere Ferrers and Weir Quay fortnightly on Wednesdays. War Memorial 9.45-10.15am; Social Club 10.20-10.40am; Station Road 10.45-11am; Weir Quay 11.10-11.30am.

Garden Birdwatch 2009

If you love wild birds, here is your chance to join the RSPB's 30th Big Garden Birdwatch, which will be held on 24th and 25th of January. The RSPB is hoping to make it the biggest Garden Birdwatch yet. Taking part is very simple - simply spend an hour that weekend counting the birds that you see in your garden or in a local park. Record the highest number of each species seen (not flying over) at any one time. It's important you don't count all the birds you see because some birds will return to your garden many times in the hour. For example, seeing the same blue tit come back ten times does not make for ten blue tits! The RSPB provide a downloadable counting sheet, and offer an online form to help you send in your results easily. Please visit: www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/2009/index.asp for details.

 

Parish Council

November and December Meetings
Police Report: PC Callender reported that there had been an increase in crime in Bere Alston around the Halloween period and minor damage had been caused to fences, cars, etc. At the recent Bere Alston Residents’ Association meeting, PC Callender was asked about a bicycle park and it was suggested that somewhere near the toilets might be suitable. There are young villagers who are riding bikes without rear lights. This is not only dangerous but is illegal. PC Callender is arranging a car wash in the village in January to raise money to buy rear lamps. Householders were also reminded to secure doors and windows to prevent thieving.
Waste Management Proposals: The proposals for a waste management plant for south-west Devon were discussed at November’s Finance & General Purposes Committee and it was agreed to keep a close watch on the situation.
Parish Hall Regeneration: Now that the Regeneration Group has been promised a £250,000 grant from Devon County Council, it was agreed that Council’s solicitors should complete the new lease. Tamar Valley AONB Management Plan 2009-2014: The plan was reviewed recently by a group of councillors and Council approved a reply to the AONB to various aspects of the Plan.
Boundary Committee Review of Devon: A letter from West Devon Borough Council said that evidence shows that of 5,500 responses to the Unitary proposals, 68% of individual responses on the Committee’s website were opposed to the proposals. 195 Parish and Town Councils have registered opposition, with only 38 expressing support.
Tamar Valley Line Concessionary Fares: Across England, 46% of the population live in a Local Authority area where local rail is in the local scheme and over-60s enjoy concessionary rail travel. Mr Ray Bentley has been campaigning for this concession to be applied to our railway, particularly because of the extremely poor bus service from Bere Ferrers. Discussions have been held with Councillors and Borough Councillor Robin Musgrave to obtain a decision from WDBC.
Council Meetings: Parishioners are always welcome at Council meetings and there is a question time at the end of meetings for any enquiries from parishioners. Fixed meetings are: Finance and General Purposes: the penultimate Tuesday in the month, usually at 7.30pm. Full Council: the last Tuesday of the month at 7.30pm, unless there is a guest speaker, when the meeting starts at 7pm. For full details of these and other meetings, please see the parish notice boards. Bev Slaughter

 

GROUPS

Bere Alston Carnival Committee

 

Royal British Legion, Bere Alston Branch

Once again we would like to say a big thank you to all the wonderful people that have supported us with this year’s Poppy Appeal. So far we have raised £1,553.61 and the money is still continuing to come in! There is one sad side. We do need more support in the branch. Membership is down. If we do not get more members in the branch, there is a likelihood that the branch could cease to exist within four years. Membership is open to men and women over the age of 18 and it is no longer necessary to have served in the armed forces. Please come along and join us. You will be made very welcome. Peter York

Bowling Club

Bere Alston Gardening Club

 

Bere Ferrers WI

 

Chatterbox

Bere Peninsula Residents Association

Our next meeting is taking place on Wednesday 28th January at 7pm in Hope Cottage, Bere Alston. Subjects to be discussed are the possible placement of a bicycle rack in Bere Alston and traffic problems on the peninsula. A representative of Devon Highways has been invited to attend this meeting. Please come and join the discussion, all views are welcomed.

St Andrew's Singers

We have been very busy in the latter part of 2008, taking part in a number of services at St Andrew’s Church (including the visit of the Bishop of Exeter and the All Souls service) and also the 750th anniversary concert in September, and we have now grown to an impressive 21 members! (We are outgrowing the Lady Chapel, where we hold our practices each week!) As I write we are preparing carols for the carol service on the 21st December. We are looking forward to the new year and would welcome anyone interested in joining us to experience the joy of making music together and adding to services and taking part in occasional other events. You do not have to be an experienced singer or have sung in a group before. (Most of our members hadn’t.) We would particularly welcome a few more men and altos: at present we only have three basses and two tenors among our 21 members, and three altos. We have members from Bere Ferrers, Bere Alston and Weir Quay, so you don’t have to live in Bere Ferrers to join. Our repertoire covers a wide range of religious music, from Iona, Taize and modern to traditional, gospel.... Always open to suggestions! If you would like to know more, just pop along to a practice in St Andrew’s church on a Friday evening from 7.30pm to approximately 8.45pm or give me a ring on 840609. Weekly practices will resume on the 16th January, as we are having a social evening on the 2nd and a week off on the 9th! Members do not have to come every week, although as we approach one of our ‘dates’ it does become more important to do so if at all possible. My thanks to all the members of the group, who have made this time together since we started in April so enjoyable. Ann Parsons

Tavistock Area Children's Centre

Tel: 01752 696523 Happy New Year to you all! With the New Year come lots of activities for you and your family to join. The new Community Clinic will now be running where you can come along to have baby weighed (without needing an appointment) and see the Health Visitor and Children’s Centre for any support or advice as well as meeting up with other mums & dads. Treasure Baskets will restart for those of you who missed it last time (or those whose baby was a bit young), this activity helps babies develop their attention & concentration & refine their hand/eye coordination through discovering natural objects , textures & colours, using all their senses – it’s also good fun! Our Play Bus and Bounce and Rhyme sessions are ongoing and new faces are always welcome so please tell your friends! We look forward to seeing you and your children soon! Current Activities & Courses Bere Alston: Community Clinic: The opportunity to have baby weighed, see the Health Visitor & meet other mums. Commencing Wed 14th Jan (on every 2nd & 4th Weds) 2pm – 4pm at Hope cottage. Treasure Baskets - for babies up to 9 mths: Help your babies develop their senses by discovering natural objects, textures & colours. Commencing Mon 12th Jan 1.30 - 2.30pm at Hope Cottage, Bere Alston (6 week course– booking required) Playbus (ongoing) - all ages up to 5yrs Bringing toys, games, books & songs to you & your child. Commencing Thur 8th Jan 1.30 - 3pm. Bere Alston Parish Hall. Bounce & Rhyme (ongoing) 9mth - 2yrs. Come and join in with songs & rhymes for plenty of fun. Commencing Tues 13th Jan 1.30 - 2.15pm. Hope Cottage Paediatric First Aid Course for parents/carers Commencing Fri 9th Jan 09 1pm - 3pm at Hope Cottage Via ‘Chatterbox’ - Booking required Bere Ferrers: Playbus (ongoing) - all ages up to 5yrs Every THIRD Thursday commenced 27th Nov 1.30 - 3pm. Bere Ferrers Church Hall.

 

 

 

Local Walks

Thorn Point to Tuckham Bridge Starting from Thorn Point end, follow the field edge, with views of the Tamar on your left, until you come to a stile. This stile is one of the V-shaped ones. Once past it you are in a marshy area but with a clear path through. Soon you are on a wooden walkway; one section gated to stop the cattle getting on to it. This area was always a problem: special matting was tried, which didn’t work because the cattle soon trod it down under the mud! Since the walkway has been installed the wild flowers have flourished in the summer. Keep going along the bottom of the fenced fields and you will go through a metal gate and then come to another one at Liphill. There is a steep, permissive path going up on your right, but we are keeping to the Public Right of Way. Carry on with the buildings on your right; you are down on the marsh. The route is very clearly marked and again there is a walkway through the muddiest section. You leave the marsh by following the signs to the right. Go across the yard to a gate and on the other side, immediately on your left there is a smaller gate to go through. Carry on along the bottom of the fields, and over three stiles to a final ladder stile at Tuckham Bridge. Doris Chapman

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Your recent article about President Harry S Truman. Readers may be interested to learn that President Truman visited nearby Yelverton Air Field on 2nd of August 1945. This all came about at the RAF  Gatow Airbase in West Berlin when heads of state (Prime Minister Atlee, Russian leader Stalin and President Truman) were attending the world shaping conference and were on their way home. Recently appointed President Truman was routed from RAF Gatow to RAF St Mawgan, which was at the time the principal transit base for all UK-US flights. His aircraft was a DC4 called The Sacred Cow. It departed shortly after an aircraft carrying Secretary of State James Byrnes had left. The remainder of the delegates were following in a third DC4. Fog took a hand in the proceedings, resulting in the closure of RAF St Mawgan and subsequently the party of VIPs were diverted to Yelverton. All the top brass were at St Mawgan waiting for Mr Truman and it was left to the poor duty officer to turn out the guard and greet the 33rd President of the United States. John Snell, Local Historian.

Victorian Shopping Experience

In December, Bere Alston’s Carnival Committee turned back the clock once more to recreate a Victorian shopping trip down memory lane. From 6pm the main street, closed to traffic, was thronged with people, picturesque stalls, excited chatter, a fair merry-go-round, and local hand bell ringers. The queue to visit Santa’s grotto, courtesy of the local estate agents Mansbridge and Balment, snaked down Fore Street, meeting Mel and the pony ride brigade. Tutti Voci sang carols for the crowds, and Mr Maltby, a teacher at the primary school, was seen in a very different role, entertaining with a magical fire juggling act. Free sausages, mince pies and mulled wine were very popular, as were bacon baps organised by the carnival committee; but firm children’s favourites were toffee apples, a chocolate fountain by the Chatterbox parents group and Tiddleywinks toddler group, balloon popping, bran tub and a miniature steam railway engine railway rides. Christmas treasures were for sale in a wonderful atmospheric venue – the old forge. The village street was ablaze with lights erected by the Bere Alston section of Devon Fire and Rescue and decorated Christmas trees were a worthy rival to Tavistock’s festive offering. Meanwhile the Twilight Bazaar held in the Parish Hall was packed; it was an ideal opportunity for local organisations to raise funds. Among those taking part were the Beavers, Cubs, the Bere Ferrers Community Project, the Bowling Club and Hearing Dogs for the Deaf. There were presents to suit all pockets, books, trinkets, toys, jewellery, handcrafted items, edible gifts with Cameron’s Victorian Emporium producing finger licking yummy popcorn; even the birdlife was not forgotten - one entrepreneur specialised in a wide variety of bird food! Christmas Worldwide was the theme for this year, giving plenty of scope for window dressing, with imaginative outfits being worn by children and adults alike. Prizes were awarded to those judged best in each class. There were only two hiccups during the festive evening – it was so cold that the chocolate fountain froze and had to receive first aid and Father Christmas ran out of presents (his trainee elf helper got the blame) but he has promised it won’t happen on Christmas Eve. Once again the whole community pulled out all the stops to make this a truly memorable event, thankfully goodwill flourishes in the Bere Peninsula, long may it continue. Betty Endean

Songs of the Sea

A huge thank you to all who came to the concert by members of the Glyndebourne Chorus at St Andrew’s Church on 4th December. The church was full and the grand sum of £900 was donated to the RNLI as a result, as well as a small donation to the church and singers. Thanks to everyone who helped make it such a success.

Transport provision for Bere Ferrers residents to the Bere Alston Surgery

With the closure of the weekly doctor’s surgery at Bere Ferrers, there will be occasions when village residents may need transport to get to the Bere Alston surgery. There is already a good practice where many villagers are providing transport for such occasions but to ensure that nobody is left out of these arrangements we are publishing a list of people who are willing to offer transport when there is such a need. If you do require transport from Bere Ferrers to the Bere Alston Surgery please feel free to contact anyone on the list below. It would be helpful if you avoid always phoning the people at the top of the list so that we can all share the driving. We would welcome anyone who is able to provide such transport and to participate in the scheme to contact Robin Musgrave (841064), and an updated list of volunteer drivers will be published on a quarterly basis. Caroline Clark – (841481) Marcel Kelly – (840448) Robin Musgrave – (841064) Irene Sheaf – (840249)

West Devon Connect

If you need any help with council or public service enquiries, a West Devon Borough Council Customer Services Advisor will be at the Bere Ferrers Community Shop and Café on Saturday 31st January between 10am and 12 noon. An advisor from the NHS health improvement service will also be available to help and guide you with the stop smoking service and general health improvement. Your local police officer will also be available to talk over your local issues and concerns. If your unable to pop in on the 31st, West Devon Borough Council Connect Service hold a regular outreach surgery in Hope Cottage Café, Bere Alston on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month between 10 am and 12 noon. For further information on this service please contact West Devon Borough Council, Customer Service on 01822 813600 or e mail services@westdevon.gov.uk We look forward to seeing you.

A message from Marion Gray (Former Sub- Postmaster)

I have been overwhelmed with the volume of well wishes, letters and gifts received from the people of the Bere Peninsula . It has been my pleasure and honour to serve this community at the Bere Alston Post office. I started work at this office over 25 years ago working then for the former postmaster Mr Briggs. The past 13 years my husband Peter and myself have owned the business with myself as Sub Postmaster. During this time I have come to know many of you as friends and looked forward to your visits. We have all known some cheery characters over the years many of whom are no longer with us but will be remembered with fond memories. After all the years and memories I feel the time is now right to hand over the safe keeping of the Post Office to Annabelle assisted by Yvonne and Georgie, whom I know will still  continue with this vital service to our community.   I would like to take this opportunity to thank Yvonne and Georgie for their service over the years, the Royal mail staff I have worked with during this time and past counter assistants in keeping your local Post Office the centre of the community. Once again a special thank you to the people of the Bere Peninsula without whom we would not still have a thriving Post Office today. My personal thank you for the words and gift from Hope Cottage, the customers who have given me such lovely cards and gifts and last but not least our Counter Assistants and Royal Mail staff for their gifts and the surprise party Yvonne and Georgie arranged bringing together so many colleagues both past and present.

 

Bere Community Village Shop and Cafe

 

 

TAVY & TAMAR APPLE GROUP APPLE WINTER PRUNING DAY

SUNDAY 1st FEBRUARY 2009 10am-4pm 
Located at Orchards on the Bere Peninsula  Cost £16.00  Learn to prune - a hands-on course with tutor, Charles Staniland. This mainly practical day will give you the confidence to tackle your tree or trees and will cover the pruning of neglected trees, formative pruning of younger trees and routine requirements.  Outdoor clothing, strong boots, gloves and a packed lunch will be necessary. Bring any useful pruning tools, secateurs, saws, etc. No climbing required.  Please contact Brian Lamb, 01822 841309 (e-mail briankay1@tiscali.co.uk) to book a place

Bere Local History Society

The November talk, entitled Tamar Valley Railways, was given by John Snell, former Tamar Valley railwayman and the group’s treasurer. John gave details of the Devon Great Consol Mine railway, which started in November 1859. The mine was the richest copper mine in Europe, 736.000 tonnes of copper being mined and later 72,000 tonnes of arsenic being produced. The railway was of standard gauge and ran from Wheal Maria to Morwellham and was four and a half miles long. The next railway to work in the valley was the East Cornwall Mineral Railway, which opened on the 7th May 1872. It was 3ft 6in gauge. Halts were at Kelly Bray, Monk’s Cross, Cox Park, Drakewalls and Butts. Steam engines worked six ton wagons to Butts and then an incline lowered and raised wagons to and from the Calstock riverside. Large horses were used to move all wagons on the riverside. The area was highly industrialised, many local industries relying on it and connected to the line: Kit Hill Quarry, the Phoenix Brickworks, Hingston Down Quarry, Chilsworthy Brickworks, Greenhill Chemical Works, Plymouth Fire Clay Brickworks, Pearson’s Quarry and Messrs Cocking and Sons Brickworks to mention just a few. John explained that granite from Pearson’s Quarry in Gunnislake had been sent to help build Dover harbour and that his grandfather had worked at the quarry. Today it has become a huge lake, being nearly half a mile wide and 120ft deep and is unknown and unseen by the many people who pass through Gunnislake. The building of the line from Bere Alston to Callington was described and how the lovely Calstock Viaduct was built by Charles Lang of Liskeard. The 11,128 concrete blocks used were all made at Ferry Farm in Bere Alston. A 117ft wagon hoist was erected at the Calstock end of the viaduct, but in 1938 the hoist, which had been taken down, was sold to Germany as scrap. John said he started on the railway in April 1949 aged 15 years as a junior clerk at Calstock station. He completed 46 years of rail service but had to serve two years in the British Army from 1951-1953. Pre-war and in the late 1940s and 1950s, flower and fruit growing was a large industry. On average, 400,000 packages were despatched from the Tamar Valley by train. The line was also well used by passengers. Early in the last century, Gunnislake station was a scene of many a tearful farewell to loved ones as men left the valley in large numbers, seeking mining work abroad. John described how five men left Gunnislake in early April 1912: Harry and Shadrick Gale from Harrowbarrow, George Green, William Ware and Frederick Pengelly from Gunnislake travelled to Southampton, where they joined the ill-fated Titanic, all loosing their lives when the liner hit an iceberg. Frederick Pengelly was first cousin to John’s father. John praised the Bere Local History Group and Bere Ferrers Parish Council for all their hard work during the Centenary celebrations on the 2nd March 2008. On that day plaques had been unveiled at Bere Alston by Geoffrey Cox, MP, at Calstock by Colin Breed, MP and at Gunnislake John had the honour of unveiling the plaque. Trevor Bond gave the vote of thanks for an interesting talk. Refreshments were served by Jean Kerswill and Jean Sharman. Betty Endean

January Diary