29/11/2007

Woking

Letters from November 29 2007

Memories of Marjorie, our  special citizen

EDITOR — Your report of the death of Marjorie Richardson reminded me that as the fifth mayor of Woking, in 1979, I introduced the Eminent Citizen Award scheme.

I consulted the four previous mayors, and we drew up the criteria, which basically were 15 years voluntary unpaid service to the community.

In order to maintain the standard, the mayor would submit his choice to a panel of past mayors, for agreement, and the nominee would be kept secret, until the mayor announced the name at the civic reception.

I invited my four predecessors to prepare lists of their choice, and we agreed that the past mayors in order of seniority, would give us their nomination.

We sat in the mayor’s parlour in the old council offices, and I invited Chris Mitchell, the first mayor, for his nomination. He said: “Mrs Marjorie Richardson”, and immediately the other four of us crossed out her name from our own lists!

That was a measure of the esteem with which she was held in 1979, and I think we all owe her a debt of gratitude for what she did for Woking.

At the same time, I introduced the award of Past Mayor’s Badges, and a supply of both medallions was provided by my employers, Unilever Ltd.

They were fairly modest badges in bronze in those days, and subsequently, were superseded by more elaborate badges by the borough council.
Gordon A Brown
Fifth Mayor of Woking, 1978-9
Pinewood Close
 Woking

EDITOR — Your excellent obituary on Marjorie Richardson failed to mention the fact that she was the first of Woking’s Eminent Citizens.

Your readers will know that it is the very pleasant duty of each mayor, at the end of his or her term of office, to nominate, as eminent citizen, a member of the community in recognition of outstanding and dedicated service to the public, given of course entirely voluntarily.

This very pleasant practice was set up in 1979 by which time four mayors had come and gone in office without taking part in it.

This was rectified at a ceremony held that year, and I had no hesitation in inviting Marjorie to accept the honour, knowing as I did the wonderful work she was doing for the elderly, so well described in your obituary.

Once she left Woking my wife and I would visit her every year at her lovely apartment overlooking the sea at Lee-on-the-Solent. She always received us most generously and we were sorry when she moved to Exeter.

I shall always remember her for her selfless dedication and devotion to the elderly whom she served.
It is a privilege to have known her.
Christopher Mitchell
Mayor of Woking, 1974/75

Clear the ditch to halt flooding

EDITOR — The Rive Ditch flows from Horsell Common under Chertsey Road, under the Basingstoke Canal, under Albert Drive having drained Sheerwater Estate. It surfaces behind Woodlands Avenue, flows eastward, ducking under the Basingstoke Canal and the Wey Navigation, towards the River Wey.

Before it ducks under the canals it flows through a giant sieve, and it is here where there is usually a blockage caused by the collection of twigs and branches.

When Sheerwater Estate was built by the GLC, it realigned the ditch to help the flow. In the 1960s an old man had a shed near Byfleet Station and his job was to keep the ditch clear. Now it is the responsibility Woking Borough Council.

The trouble is that to inspect the sieve the men have to walk a quarter of a mile. Perhaps an intermediate sieve should be installed near Lock 1 on the Basingstoke Canal (easy to get to by vehicles) or a sensor with radio signals at the present sieve.

The cost of installation of either would be peanuts compared to the cost of house repairs. I presume all damage caused by the flood was paid for by Woking council.

I once tried to tell Woking council by mobile phone that the sieve needed clearing, but they would not take a message, I would have to ring their contractors. I said I had paid enough as it was, and said goodbye.
L E Haworth
Woodham Lane
Woking

First printed in: Woking News and Mail