We had a lovely email from Bernice Richards (nee Williams) as follows:
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My name is
Bernice Richards (nee Williams) and I live in Sans Souci, New South Wales,
Australia. I have just spent a lovely afternoon after accidently finding your
website about the history of Wateringbury. I am currently writing some memories
down for one of my daughters and as I was answering her question, I needed information
about where we lived, so I googled Wateringbury and your website came up.
My family
moved into Redhouse Gardens, Old Road when the houses in that estate were first
built, we were number 1, my father gave the house a name, Amore, but I think
that would be long forgotten now. He was the Doctor in the village, Dr David
Howard Hiley (he was my stepfather) and my mum, Dorothy, was a nursing sister
in Maidstone. I had forgotten who his partner was in Wateringbury, but your
website reminded me. The surgery would have been in Claremont House and the
other doctor would have been Dr Miln. I remember getting off the bus from
school in the afternoons and going for a swim in their pool! I read that you
rented the flat in the house in 1973, but by that time, we had migrated to
Australia - I think we left in about 1969.
I have had
no contact with anyone I knew when we were living there - my school friends
kept in touch for a while (I went to Maidstone Grammar), but I was only 13 when
we left there and it is hard to keep up friendships at that age and across such
a huge distance. My best friend in the village was a girl named Vanessa Powney,
but I know she passed away in her forties and I never spoke to her after we
left England. She lived in the houses we used to call the cowsheds - I don't
know if you would remember them, very unusual buildings for that era!!
There were
a few names that I remembered from your entries who were also my friends and I
think you went to school with some of these people - they were a bit older than
me. I used to go down to the Old Mill on Friday nights and play table tennis
with Robin Pearson and Ian Seamark, there was another boy too, but I can't
remember his name. I do know they fished my sister out of the mill pond once
and saved her from drowning!! The surname McKirdy also rings a bell. Are they
all still living in the village? The Benhams owned the pottery at that time I
think.
I have
been back to visit Wateringbury once since we came to Australia and would love
to do so again but I wanted to say thank you for putting all this information
together, it is a wonderful resource and a great memory jogger for people like
me.
I don't
think I have many photos left from when we lived there, but will certainly look
and will ask my sister Davina if she has any.
Kind
regards,
Bernice
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If the
above jogs any memories of Bernice and or her family please share it with
us. If you remember Bernice and would like to get in touch please send me a
private email and I will pass it to her.
1 comment:
I remember your mother and stepfather well. They were very friendly with my parents when we lived at The Roses in Bow Road in the late 60's. I was also good friends with your sister Davina, and we made brief contact a few years ago.
Jerry Cook
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