Your letters
Royal
British LegionTo the Editor
Many thanks to all the local residents who helped me raise an amazing £35, plus our cheque from the Chapel for £15. Thank you so much for your support.
Jan Moseley
Lee Common
Admiral Howe… again
To the Editor
I had not realised that my letter about poor Admiral Howe in your October Newsletter would cause such a storm on a sea captain.
I had not intended to be critical of the admiral’s renovation and splendid colouring, nor of his excellent shelter. My point was to suggest he would be happier and look better if he could be slightly rotated and mounted at the angle for which he was originally designed.
He could then gaze serenely along the road, be a source of wonder to tourists and protect The Lee against fleets approaching from the East.
Andrew Usborne
Australia
AlcoholicaLEE?
To the Editor
I am driven to write by the pervasive booze culture that seems to have hold of so many of our village events. The question “red or white?” even precedes “hello” at some functions. The annual dinner of this august publication was a perfect example of this. Red, white and sparkling wines, port and beer were all available in unlimited quantities (bottles on each table), but a request for water was shrugged off with a “sorry, we don’t have any jugs”.
This just won’t do. A supply of water on every table must be the bare minimum. Interesting soft drinks (cordials, sparkling pressés etc.) are widely available and cost less than even cheap plonk. A tetra-pack of lukewarm long-life orange juice isn’t good enough.
Now I have by no means taken the pledge, but occasionally I do remember the importance of a little moderation. Others eschew alcohol for medical, ethical or other reasons. Some (though astonishingly not all) drivers don’t drink. We really should cater for all these friends.
Peer pressure to binge-drink isn’t only a teenage phenomenon. Let’s see if we can’t set a better example.
Phil Ogley
The Lee
P.S. Otherwise the dinner was a grand affair!
(Ed: Eau dear! There is clearly no excuse for this lapse in standards. We have appointed a sub-committee to report back in good time for the next dinner.)
In praise of the Parish Hall
To the Editor
The village hall, which now looks so smart, is being used more and more it seems.
There are now two Pilates classes on a Wednesday evening because of the success of the first one. The concert just before Christmas was a very enjoyable evening (see page 10) and showed just how much local musical talent we have.
The most recent function I have been to, held in the hall, was the celebrations on New Year’s Eve (see page 21) and I would like to thank and to congratulate everyone who worked so hard to lay on the festivities. The hall, which before the facelift had looked so tired and uncared for, looked lovely, the tables had been set out and decorated beautifully; the whole evening went off with such a swing. Our table thoroughly enjoyed themselves and are looking forward to next New Year’s Eve.
Pam Garner
The Lee
To the Editor
The New Year’s party, organised by the Parish Hall Marketing Committee, went with a real swing and was a memorable village celebration. Of course, such events take a lot of effort and it is important to thank those who were mainly responsible; so, well done Karel Lewis, Sheila Malloy and Trishia and Barnaby Usborne for a great evening. A repeat next year would make it a ‘must’ on ‘The Lee Calendar of Worthwhile Knees-ups’.
Mike Senior
The Lee
11:00 11/11/1918
To the Editor
Who am I to say, but the undead of both wars will confirm to Jon Swain that he’s mistaken? (Newsletter, December 2007). They went with no expectations for us to live up to; they had other things to think about.
They went off to war because they were told to. In WWI due to the untrammelled vanity of the last of the Hohenzollerns with a chip on his shoulder and a guarantee given to Belgium over the sanctity of her borders. Please! In WWII because of mortal fear of invasion and an obligation given to Poland out of shame of having pretended an earlier undertaking given to Czechoslovakia didn’t exist – not enough Spitfires the real reason.
Jon’s “avaricious, materialistic and utterly selfish state” has been created by succeeding generations of the undead, a class of person the dead must envy. The price of our rights and fundamental liberties is not, as he says, piles of dead heroes but eternal vigilance by the not quite yet dead from the neck up and in this respect the dead are right to be cross with us.
Richard Stewart-Liberty
The Lee