January - St Mary`s Church Merton

Parish Magazine
James and Katie bring their baking to the Christmas Fair
January
2013
50p
This month
Bell-ringing in the 1960s
Parish Profile: Doreen Gamble
Musical events in 2013
Christmas Fair outcome
Scallywags
Military Whist Drive
Mon 14 Jan
Parents & Toddler Group
Tuesdays 10am-11.45am
in the Church Hall
toys & crafts
for children up to 0-3 years
£2 per session
including refreshments
Come & make new friends
For more information
call 8542 3427
7.30pm
Visitors Welcome
Editorial
We begin 2013 with our new front cover, which is part of the redesign of all Church publicity undertaken by the PCC. One of the
changes is that we will now be featuring a photo on the front
cover every month—so please send us any interesting shots of
parish life. The new design is not a whim on the part of your
Editor—as Catherine Myatt of the PCC communications group
explains: St Mary's has been working on a small project to help
our local and wider community easily identify with St Mary’s
Merton through a recognised style in our communication and
marketing of events. We are often confused with St Mary's
Wimbledon. We are also keen to ensure that any communication
for the wide variety of events and opportunities we offer is
instantly connected with St Mary's Merton. The new logo is
purposely designed to be clear on which St Marys we are and
provide an easy way of incorporating our identity into different
methods we use to communicate and market events.
We look forward to sharing some fascinating photos on our front
pages in the next twelve months...
Chris Abbott
Copy date for next issue: 10th January
Editor: Chris Abbott 8286 8099 chris.abbott@kcl.ac.uk
Prayer Calendar: Brenda Richards 8540 4769 eric.brenda@therichards.home.net
Printing: Margaret Plastow 8542 2904 Proof Editor: Joyce Clay
Advertising Manager: Doris Dean 8542 3972
The Parish Magazine is published monthly by St Mary’s Church Merton,
Church Path, SW19 3HJ
Communications Coordinator:
Parish Office 8542 1760
Opening hours (enquiries, weddings and banns): Mon to Fri 8 to 12.
Outside these hours by appointment
Email: office@stmarysmerton.org.uk Web: www.stmarysmerton.org.uk
CartoonChurch.com cartoons by Dave Walker originally appeared in Church Times.
3
Vicar’s letter
People look East
The verses of the anthem sung by the Choir, People look East,
look forward to the gift of Christmas and orientate our expectant
gaze towards the East, from where the star did arise and from
where the Magi travelled afar. The fourth verse reads:
Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim
One more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather,
Bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the star, is on the way.
Being one of the four cardinal compass points by which we
navigate the earth, East has a special importance in the Christian
faith, not least in two of the three great Christian festivals,
Christmas and Easter. Not only the direction toward which the
earth rotates on its axis, East derives from a word meaning
toward the sunrise or dawn, and is an orientation which begins
the moment when the candle was lit on the day of our baptism: a
light divided but not undimmed, taken from the Easter candle,
itself the pre-eminent liturgical symbol of the resurrection. It is
as if our orientation has shifted – the northward point of the
compass which dominates the natural magnetic field has yielded
its place to the East.
This month on 6th January, we celebrate Epiphany, an
illuminating feast which has always been traditionally associated
with enlightenment, signified by the event of the Epiphany when
the Magi from the East were guided by the star to the stable in
Bethlehem. But that star came and went, while the sun is always
4
shining somewhere; and the Easter light of the resurrection is
like an eternal dawn breaking in on the world, intended to
transform us by its piercing rays and ultimately to conquer
darkness.
To better appreciate the importance of light and illumination, we
might recall that in Jesus’s day, massive candelabra (called
menorahs), 75 feet high, graced the outer courtyard of the
Temple; illuminating not only the temple but virtually the entire
city. Imagine seeing these massive menorahs giving a
tremendous amount of light and then hearing Jesus announce in
the Temple courtyard: ’I am the light of the world’. Moreover, he
sought not just to impress us with claims about his own person
but went on to encourage us by teaching in the Sermon on the
Mount ‘let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works and glorify your heavenly Father who is in heaven’.
The new lighting scheme at St Mary’s begins to be installed this
month and should be completed in time for Easter. Its installation
will span the time between these two wonderful feasts of
Epiphany and Easter. It will, I hope, enable us to use the gift of
artificial light more creatively, fusing with the natural light that
enters the Church through its stained glass windows,
transforming our worship and reminding us of the enlightening
nature of the Christian faith which has the capacity to illuminate
our heart, our mind and soul.
As the Epiphany hymn expresses, with such poetic beauty:
Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
Dawn on our darkness, and lend us thine aid;
Star of the east, the horizon adorning,
Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.
from John
5
Confirmation
It was very pleasing to present the following candidates on
Sunday 25th November to the Bishop for Confirmation.
HELENA GWENDOLINE WILLIAMS EVERETT
LUCY GEORGINA PERRY SKINNER
FIONA JANE SEELEY
EMMA VICTORIA HAINES
WENDY DIANE HAMILTON
PATRICK EDWARD HAMILTON
SUZANNE MICHELLE HARPER
JENNIFER CAERYS MERIEL HAY
CLAIRE LOUISE FREWER
TERESA MARY McMAHON
Our candidates joined 25 others at a memorable ceremony at St
John the Divine Church, High Path, Merton conducted by the Rt
Revd David Atkinson (formerly Bishop of Thetford and now
assistant bishop in our diocese). So many candidates from local
churches were ready for Confirmation that another Confirmation
service was needed to accommodate all the people and took
place on the same evening and at the same time in Wimbledon.
May the newly confirmed draw much spiritual strength now and
in the years to come from being communicant members of the
Church. By baptism we are made members of the Church and in
the sacrament of Holy Communion we are fed with Christ’s true
sacramental presence. As St Augustine reminds us, when we
receive the body and blood of Christ at the altar, the mystery of
ourselves (as members of the body of Christ - the Church) we
also receive.
John
6
Honey Honeysett RIP
Churchwarden from 2011
It is announced with much sadness that our valiant friend Honey died on Friday
14th December at St George’s Hospital. She had shown the utmost courage in a
long fight against cancer, and the end came suddenly and peacefully, shortly after
requesting the chaplain to her bedside. She was a true servant of this Church and
loved and cared for St Mary’s with all her heart. The church is open to you for
your private prayers. May we who loved her now pray for the repose of her soul.
Remember Honey, worshipper, Churchwarden, colleague and friend and give
thanks, as she did, for all those who gladly cared for her. May the serenity and
sanctity of this Church and churchyard ever remind us of our Maker and
Redeemer and all those, who down the ages, have served Him in this place.
Rest eternal, grant unto Honey, O Lord
And let light perpetual shine upon her.
May she rest in peace and rise in glory. Amen
We have lost a wonderful friend.
Penny Clarke (Churchwarden)
John Hayward (Vicar)
from the Registers
Baptisms
Weddings
Deaths
Graham Hawkes
Vivien Black
Honey Honeysett
7
All Our Yesterdays
50 years ago
From the Vicar:
I think we should all remember continually, with great thankfulness,
the solution of the difficulties in Cuba. Should the church have given
a definite lead one way or the other? It should be remembered that
the World Council of Churches did give a lead. They condemned
roundly the American action. Many of us, myself included, are very
thankful that the Americans acted as they did. We should not
expect sincere Christians always to agree on political problems. To
do so is to expect the impossible.
S.H.H.R.
(Parish Magazine, Jan 1963)
100 years ago
On Wednesday evening at the YMCA Hall, Worple Road, the
Reverend J. E. Jagger, Vicar of Merton, gave an interesting account
of a “Visit to the Holy Land,” the lecture being the sixth of a series
arranged for the winter months. There was only a fair attendance,
doubtless owing to the inclement weather. Mr A. N. Disney,
Headmaster of Rutlish School, presided, and in introducing the
lecturer, spoke of the perils of travelling in the Holy Land, which,
he said, was a journey which should only be undertaken by the
young, strong and healthy, the dangers of bandits as well as
extremes of climate combining to make it a matter of peril and
difficulty.
(Wimbledon Borough News, 25th Jan 1913)
8
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10
St Mary’s Christmas Fair 2012
On the first day of December the Church Hall was transformed
with balloons, red and silver garlands, stalls covered with
attractive goods and cheerful helpers ready to greet the local
community. It was the day of the Fair announcing the beginning
of the Christmas season. The event is now generating its own St
Mary’s traditions with trains on the stage, carols on the piano,
hand-cut fresh wreaths, homemade produce, and the chance of a
prize overlaid with the aroma of mulled wine. The Fair is an
important date in the calendar, not just because of the season
but because it helps to secure our payments to the nominated
charities we support. It was an outstanding success, due to the
immense hard work and generous donations of money, goods,
time and energy. I am particularly grateful for the often
overlooked gifts of flour, sugar, spices, labels, face paints, bread,
eggs, smoked salmon, holly, glue, paper, card, wax, soil, Oasis,
wool, brandy, railway tracks, icing sugar, ribbons, thread,
printing ink, gingerbread men, washing, ironing and endless good
will. Thanks must also go to those who helped with publicising
the event, dropping leaflets, printing posters, and on cold foggy
nights attaching them to gates, fence and notice boards. We
were fortunate in the support from local businesses who gave
handsome prizes. One Grand Draw winner is having a haircut,
style and highlights by Michael of Michael Wray Hairdressing in
Merton Hall Road. The Raffle prizes included a plant from
Bonfleur, a large gift box from Lush in Wimbledon, vouchers from
Raka Restaurant, Kingston Road, and wine and candles from
Finch. Pizza Euforia’s donation gave the organisers food for
thought with their promise of a Christmas menu for four. A new
guessing game was invented: “Find the Magic Olive”! The lucky
winner was able to invite three friends for a meal courtesy of the
manager. The weather was kind to us, a sunny, crisp cold day
encouraging many to linger over hot soup, sandwiches, coffee
and cake to catch up with old friends. It was a friendly, happy
event, full of good cheer giving us a final profit of £4,922.98.
Thank you.
Hazel Abbott
11
Magical, romantic...
On Saturday 19 January the rising young opera star Louise Alder
(of Merton Park) will perform in a concert at St Mary’s,
accompanied by John Paul Ekins (see page 14). Grenville
Williams interviewed Louise.
Louise, last summer you sang Susanna in The Marriage of
Figaro. One reviewer wrote that your accomplished
performance showed you to be “a born actress and a
fluent and expressive singer…exquisitely charged with the
love Susanna feels for Figaro”. How did you prepare for
such a role?
I began with the text, and translated it for myself (my Italian is
pretty good, having spent a gap year in Italy). I start from the
words because you have to find the character in yourself to make
the emotions come from a real place. Then you need vocal
stamina. The opera is long, almost four hours, and Susanna is on
stage virtually all the time.
Your next opera role was very different, Bradamante in
Agostini Steffani’s Orlando Generoso, the first British
performance of a work premiered in 1691.
The character of Bradamante is about as far removed from
Susanna as it is possible to be. She’s a warrior, so I was in full
body armour. I had a sword fight, chopped off the heads of five
guards, and sang eight arias, all of them packed with notes.
Opera magazine said the cast was outstanding, “above all,
the feisty, coloratura-spitting Bradamante of Louise
Alder”.
That’s nice. I hadn’t seen that review. Bradamante is the first
character on stage and I felt that I had to establish this unknown
opera from the start for the audience. So I went for it.
12
What are you going to sing for us in your St Mary’s
concert?
I’m sharing the concert with Celia Milner, who is a violinist with
the BBC Symphony Orchestra (and also from Merton Park). So I
wanted to programme some pieces which have violin solos. That
led me to an aria called L'amero costante, from Mozart’s early
opera Il Re Pastore. Then we’ll do Musetta’s aria from Puccini’s La
Boheme. To change the mood and the language, I’ll sing five
songs by Richard Strauss, including Morgen, which also has a
violin solo.
Is programming song recitals pretty straightforward?
Not at all! You usually have to include pieces which the promoter
or the festival wants. So, on the 7th of January, I’m doing a
recital for the Park Lane Group in the Purcell Room. I’m singing
pieces by Oliver Knussen and Colin Matthews, both great current
composers, and the early twentieth century eccentric, Lord
Berners. This is the first of thirteen recitals I’m booked for in
2013!
You were recently awarded the
prestigious Maggie Teyte prize. Has she
been an inspiration to you?
In her day, she was supreme in the French
repertoire. I really admire her soulfulness,
the expression, and the way she fills out the
line of the melody.
Many years ago, Maggie Teyte’s singing
was commended as being “magical,
romantic”. Louise Alder is well on the
way to demonstrating the same
qualities.
13
14
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15
We have enjoyed two seasonal meetings this month which
were both thought-provoking and uplifting.
Thank you to the Vicar for entertaining us as guests in the
Vicarage on Tuesday 4th December. Our prayers reflected on
the military serving overseas in Afghanistan and their families.
We also prayed for peace in countries suffering conflict. Nearer to
home, our thoughts were with those in the serving and caring
community, including many who are volunteers. We appreciated
listening to music planned and played by Barbara Moreland which
included pieces sung by the Military Wives, Handel and other
composers. Afternoon tea completed the afternoon when mince
pies and chocolates were served. Thanks go to Sheila Tucker and
Eileen McKean for organising tea and to Barbara Moreland for the
music.
On Friday evening 7th December, we had a most enjoyable
evening at the home of Barbara Moreland. It was a friendly
gathering of both members and guests. Izzy Rickards was the
speaker and she shared her Christian life's experiences with
children. Her talk helped and encouraged us on how to deal with
some of the tricky issues faced when bringing up children.
Thanks were expressed by Barbara Moreland. There were
excellent refreshments and we take this opportunity of thanking
her for her generous hospitality.
We will have no meeting on 1st January, as it is as Bank
Holiday, therefore the next meeting will be at 2.00 pm on
Tuesday 5 February 2013. This will be our AGM. I invite all
members to bring their £20 annual subscription fee. This remains
unchanged from 2012. New members and visitors are always
welcome.
Joyce Rickards
16
17
Prayer Calendar
Please pray:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
THE NAMING AND CIRCUMCISION OF JESUS
In our Lord’s love make us messengers of hope
For the people of Northern Ireland after renewed troubles
For the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
For all professional sportsmen
For the residents of Aylward Road
THE EPIPHANY Bless all who go out to take the gospel to far off lands
For those working on the electrics, lighting etc. in the church starting
today
For the work of the Royal British Legion
For all who will benefit from the proceeds of Children in Need
For Merton Crossroads service for carers
For the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital
For victims of oppression and injustice
THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST
For the church, that we might live up to our calling as your children
For the residents of Baker’s End
For the Church Missionary Society
For the work of the Woodland Trust
For auxiliary staff in hospitals
For newspaper editors, journalists and reporters
For the Gala Concert in church tonight in aid of the restoration appeal
THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EPIPHANY
For Churches Together in Merton Park
For young couples preparing for marriage
For the London Ambulance Service
For all that Traidcraft stands for and those whose needs it meets
For those suffering from eating disorders and their families
THE CONVERSION OF PAUL Thanking God for the gospel he preached
For the work of the Wimbledon Guild including its Rosemary Lodge home
THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EPIPHANY
For those people in society whose lives are empty
For the PCC, meeting tonight
For Macmillan Cancer Support
For the residents of Cannon Hill Lane
For all who exercise pastoral ministry in the church
18
A church mouse squeaks
Next to the heating pipes
Under Pew 81
North Aisle
Dear fellow churchgoers,
As we begin a new year, many of us will be making resolutions. I,
for one, plan to have another go at learning a second language. I
was reminded of how important this is by my memory of what
happened to one of my sisters. She was once scuttling through the
churchyard with one of her young offspring when, all of a sudden,
a cat appeared and attacked them. Quick as a flash, my sister
shouted “BARK!” and the cat ran away. “You see?” she said to her
little one, “now you know why it’s important to learn a foreign
language.”
Cats are strange creatures I think: I once found a discarded list of
feline New Year resolutions outside the church. Included on the list
was:

I will not use the bathtub to store mice for late night snacks

I will not play Thundering Wildebeest Stampeding Across the
Plains of the Serengeti over any humans asleep in bed at
night

When it rains, it will be raining on all sides of the house

When my human is typing at the computer, their forearms are
not a hammock

TV screens do not exist to backlight my lovely tail

I will not perch on my human’s chest in the middle of the
night and stare until they wake up
Words fail me… I will never understand the
working of a cat’s mind!
Greetings,
Musculus
19
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20
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21
CHURCH DIARY
JANUARY 2013
3
10.30am Holy Eucharist
6
The Epiphany
8am Parish Eucharist Eph. 3: 1-12 Matt 2: 1-12
10am Parish Eucharist Matt 2: 1-12
6.30pm Evensong Ps 98 Isa 60: 1-9 John 2: 1-11
8
9
10
9am Holy Eucharist
4pm Silent Prayer
10.30am Holy Eucharist, William Laud, Archbishop of
Canterbury, 1645
13
Baptism of Christ
8am Parish Eucharist Acts 8: 14-17, Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22
9.30am Parish Eucharist Acts 8: 14-17, Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22
11.15am Occasional Singers
6.30pm Evensong Ps 46, Isa 55: 1-11, Rom 6: 1-11
14
4pm Pastoral visitors meet at Brenda Richard’s house,
73 Sandbourne Avenue, Merton Park
8pm Finance Sub-committee, the Vicarage
9am Holy Eucharist
10.30am Building and Works Sub-committee, the Vicarage
4pm Silent Prayer
10.30am Holy Eucharist, Anthony of Egypt, Hermit, Abbot
5pm Hall Committee, the Vicarage
1pm Wedding of Kate Semmens and Mark Trolley
7.30pm Gala Concert, St Mary’s
15
16
17
19
22
20
The Third Sunday after Epiphany
8am Parish Eucharist 1 Cor 12: 1-11, John 2: 1-11
9.30am Parish Eucharist 1 Cor 12: 1-11, John 2: 1-11
6.30pm Ecumenical Service at Martin Way Methodist Church
(no Evensong at St Mary’s)
21
22
8pm Faith and Worship Sub-committee, the Vicarage
9am Holy Eucharist, Vincent of Saragossa, Deacon, First
Martyr of Spain
4pm Silent Prayer
10.30am Holy Eucharist, Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva
23
24
27
Fourth Sunday of Epiphany
8am Parish Eucharist 1Cor 12: 12-31a, Luke 4: 14-21
9.30am Parish Eucharist 1Cor 12: 12-31a, Luke 4: 14-21
6.30pm Evensong Ps 33, Num 9: 15-end, Mark1: 21-28
28
29
30
31
8pm PCC Meeting, small hall
9am Holy Eucharist
4pm Silent Prayer
10.30am Holy Eucharist, John Bosco, Priest, Founder of the
Salesian Teaching Order
FEBRUARY 2013
3
The Second Sunday before Lent
The Presentation of Christ in the Temple –
Candlemas
8am Parish Eucharist Heb 2: 14-end , Luke2: 22-40
10am Parish Eucharist Heb 2: 14-end , Luke2: 22-40
6.30pm Evensong Ps 132, Hag 2: 1-9, John 2: 18-22
5
6
7
9am Holy Eucharist
4pm Silent Prayer
10.30pm Holy Eucharist
23
14 January: St Felix of Nola (died 260)
What do you do when you find a large spider web in your
house? If you ever feel some sympathy for the spider who went
to all that trouble, then Felix is a good patron saint for you. He
was saved by such a spider, spinning such a web.
Felix had been born to a Syrian soldier who had retired to Nola,
near Naples in Italy. When his father died, Felix gave his
property and money away, and was ordained by St Maximus of
Nola. Felix went to work with him, ministering to the people of
Nola.
Then Decius, the Roman Emperor, began another persecution of
the Christians. Maximus escaped to the mountains, but Felix
was arrested and badly beaten. Legend has it that he was
rescued – and freed from captivity - by an angel. In any case,
Felix followed Maximus and found him sick and in need. Felix hid
him in an empty building, and prayed for God’s protection. The
soldiers were out looking for the two men, but then a spider
arrived at the door of the building where they were hiding. The
spider spun such a magnificent web across the door that it
fooled the imperial soldiers into thinking the building was long
abandoned. The spider saved Maximus and Felix that day, and
the two men stayed on the run until Decius’ death in 251.
After that, the people of Nola wanted Felix as their bishop. But
Felix refused, and returned to farming his lands; giving the
poor most of the food that he managed to grow. Though Felix
went on to die naturally, he was still thought of as a martyr, or
‘witness’ because he had suffered torture,
imprisonment and privations in the
persecution. Felix did not mind: he served
a King who was not of this world, and he
looked forward to a better future life with
that King in a new heaven and a new
earth.
24
Pride and prejudice
This year brings a number of special anniversaries, including two
hundred years since the first publication of Jane Austen’s great
novel Pride and Prejudice in 1813. The famous story of Elizabeth
Bennet and Mr Darcy was based on the prejudice that existed
between the classes in the 19th century, and the pride which
could keep lovers apart. It is also about the search for self, but
that goes back further than two hundred years. Jesus himself
focused on our search for identity in the parable of the prodigal
son (Luke 15). In Jesus’ story we can see that pride is
represented by the younger son and prejudice by the older
brother. One son was caught up with me, while the other was
hung up on them. When we get caught up with these, it’s easy to
miss the real joy of knowing God’s love and life. The younger son
only found true joy when he swallowed his pride and left the life
he thought would bring him satisfaction. It was pride that made
him want to go his own way and do his own thing. Pride often
hinders faith in Christ: what must I give up? What will others
think of me? When the younger son came to his senses, he
decided to go home to his father, just like us when we run out of
options! His father rejoiced in the return of his son, accepting him
and throwing a party for him. On the other hand, the other
brother lost his joy because of prejudice. When his brother
returned, he was indignant. Yet just as this man forgot the mercy
shown to him by his father, so we too can forget God’s mercy
towards us, in our dealings with others. Jane Austen wrote at the
time of the Napoleonic Wars. The story is told of a mother who
approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor
replied that the young man had repeated a certain offence and
justice demanded death. ‘I don’t ask for justice, but plead for
mercy,’ the mother explained. ‘But your son does not deserve
mercy,’ Napoleon replied. ‘Sir,’ the woman cried, ‘it would not be
mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for.’ At this the
emperor spared the woman’s son. As we consider our lives at the
beginning of 2013, what do we risk forfeiting, through our pride
or prejudice?
25
A Spring Concert for your Diary
Happy New Royal Year! But haven’t we just had two royal years?
First the Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in
2011, then the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. So what’s up
for 2013? Only the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation.
Ah! More English music? Yes, but only that ceremonial stuff,
pomp and circumflex, as a Frenchman once called it – you
know...
Well actually, I don’t know. Much more British music is played
and heard these days, even in the Proms. The 50th anniversary of
John Ireland’s death was celebrated last year in a splendid
Summer festival of his music in Chelsea. However his magnificent
Vexilla Regis (The Royal Banners), set for choir, brass and organ,
was omitted. The augmented Occasional Singers of St. Mary’s will
be performing it in a concert in St. Mary’s on Saturday 27th April.
Vexilla Regis was written in 1898, when Ireland was 19, and
much admired by Charles Stanford, whose pupil he was at the
Royal College of Music.
Of the rarer composers featured in our concert, Cyril Rootham
and Haldane Campbell Stewart were choir directors in Cambridge
and Oxford respectively. Our organist will be Alexander Binns,
who has often played at St. Mary’s. The brass contingent will be
the youthful and highly acclaimed Inner City Brass Ensemble,
mostly graduates of the Royal Academy of Music. Watch this
space next month for news of the Parry, Elgar and Vaughan
Williams items in the programme. So there’s pomp after all?
Await the other Elgar – great music but without the pomp.
Meanwhile please note the date in your new diary!
Richard Halsey
26
The Occasional Singers of St. Mary's
The Occasional Singers, who sing at Services when our robed
choir are on holiday, are giving a concert in St. Mary's on
Saturday 27th April at 7.30pm. It will include works by Elgar,
Ireland and others, and will end with Parry's Blest Pair of Sirens.
We shall be accompanied by organ and a professional brass
ensemble. If you would like to
sing with the Occasional Singers,
or would like to know more about
us, please contact Richard
Halsey.
07841 514696
RichardKBHalsey@aol.com
27
Bell ringing 50 years ago
It was the evening of Monday 1st October 1962 when three
teenage lads - Richard Eve, Mick Newton and Frank Seabright met at St Mary’s Church with Mr Ken Eve, the Captain of the
Ringers, to be taught the noble art of bell ringing. In those days
there was no glass screen, and no constant level of heat, only the
residual heat from Sunday’s Evensong, but we were told “a bit of
ringing and you’ll soon warm up.” Back then there were only five
bells and they were rung in an anticlockwise circle: the 1st
(treble) rope coming down where the 6th is now and the old 5th
bell rope coming down where the treble bell rope falls today. This
is the bell used as the Sanctus Bell. The bells were hung in a very
old wooden frame which twisted and moved within the spire.
There were no rope guides and the 3rd rope came down from the
apex of the roof, which gave plenty of opportunity for a slack and
snaking rope.
We all progressed quite quickly and I
remember being invited to the Ringers’
Christmas Party at Ken Eve’s house which
was held traditionally prior to ringing for
Christmas Midnight Service: one of my early
introductions to the delights of a glass of
beer. For those with memories that go this far
back, the regular members of the band in
those days included Ken Eve, Graham
Hawkes, Mrs Arnold, Patrick Taylor, and Peter Inward. Over the
next few years there were many people who tried their hand at
ringing including Phil Passenger, Janet Gout (nee Newton),
Maggi Chick (nee Newton), Annie Poyner (nee Burt), Kathleen
and Moyra Seabright, Jeanie Taylor (nee Parkin), Mr H. Ronald
Dennis (recently of BBC series Who do you think you are?),
Michael and Chris Stanley. (apologies to those I have missed)
In the late 1960s, Graham Hawkes, Patrick Taylor and I spent
many hours in the bell chamber, keeping the bells turning, the
frame together and preventing the tower from being knocked to
28
pieces. The frame at times would move back and forwards up to
six inches in an east/west direction. Eventually a scheme was
devised to replace the frame, rehang the bells, and add a new
treble, to make a peal of six bells. At the insistence of the
architect, we had to incorporate the installation of very expensive
stainless steel tie rods to strengthen the steeple. The work was
carried out in 1970, and the new treble was donated by Mr Cyril
Marsh in memory of his wife Ellen Victoria Marsh. The captaincy
of the band moved from Ken Eve to Graham Hawkes and then to
myself before I handed over to Stuart Flockton when I moved to
Herefordshire in 1977. I have continued to ring in and around
Ledbury in Herefordshire, my home tower being Bosbury, a
magnificent detached stone tower with a glorious heavy peal of
six bells.
We are now fifty years on from that first evening, and I returned
(not for the first time) to ring again where I had learnt. The
present Captain, Andrew Robinson, kindly agreed to attempt a
quarter peal in recognition of this anniversary and prior to
Evensong on Sunday 30th September we rang:
1260 changes of St Clements and Plain Bob Minor
in 42 minutes
Maggi Chick
Andrew Robinson
Tony Bishop
Treble
2
3
Deborah Bishop
Frank Seabright
Chris Stanley
4
5
Tenor
conducted by Chris Stanley
The band was composed of ringers I have taught: Maggi and
Chris; those who were involved in teaching me: Tony and
Deborah; and Andrew who has inherited the position of Captain.
Thank you for the opportunity to come back and ring. I offer my
best wishes to the Church and the band for its continued success
over the next 50 years.
Frank Seabright
29
Putting on Panto to pay for the Pinter
Henry Marshall pantomimes at Salisbury Playhouse 1955 to 1985
by Chris Abbott (with a Foreword by Stephanie Cole)
Contains many interviews with actors, and a complete transcription of Henry
Marshall's gag book containing panto
routines. The repertory theatre
pantomimes produced by Oliver
Gordon were written by Henry
Marshall, from 1955 to 1985. This
book includes the story of these
shows and a full transcription of the
gag book, as well as the memories of
some of the many actors appearing in
the pantomimes, including Ronald
Harwood, Timothy West, Stephanie
Cole, Christopher Biggins, and
Josephine Tewson.
Hobnob Press 2012 £14.95
Available on Amazon or from your
local bookseller, but also at a special
price of £10 from the author:
Chris Abbott
(020 8286 8099 or
chris.abbott@kcl.ac.uk)
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS
LOST—FOUND—WANTED—FOR SALE
ACCOMMODATION WANTED for mature Christian lady.
Ideally a flat or bedsit, or a large room with access to cooking and
washing facilities and preferably with Internet, TV and phone.
Please phone Primi on 020 8544 0537 if you can help.
Members of the congregation may send classified advertisements to
the Editor for inclusion here (£5 per issue).
30
31
VICAR
Rev John Hayward
Merton Vicarage
Church Path SW19 3HJ
8543 6192
vicar@
stmarysmerton.org.uk
CURATE
Rev Kat Campion-Spall
Kat is on Maternity Leave until
October 2013
HON.READER
Barbara Moreland
23 Melrose Road
SW19 3HF
8542 3427
bmoreland43@gmail.com
SOUTHWARK PASTORAL
AUXILIARIES
Brenda Richards
73 Sandbourne Avenue
SW19 3EH
8540 4769
eric.brenda@
therichardshome.net
Hilary Yates
11 Manor Gardens SW20 9AB
8405 3464
hmoore1485@gmail.com
Penny Clarke
10 Kingswood Road
London SW19 3NG
8542 9321
pennyclarke@
btinternet.com
Pat Honeysett
29 Bournemouth Road
London SW19 3AR
8540 2529
honeyhoneysett@
btinternet.com
SUNDAY CLUB LEADER
Kate Circuit
50 Keswick Ave SW19 3JE
8542 0639
kate_circuit@hotmail.co.uk
8-11s CO-ORDINATOR
Clare Rice
2 Heyford Ave, SW20 9JT
3561 3140/07860 885145
clare@iricey.com
DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
Helen Smee
07791 681 490
helensmee@gmail.com
ELECTORAL ROLL OFFICER
Barbara Moreland
address above
SECRETARY TO THE PCC
Desé Child
5A Sheridan Road, SW19 3HW
8540 3087
desechild@hotmail.com
PAROCHIAL TREASURER
Mark Hackforth-Jones
1 Church Lane SW19 3NY
8543 6184
PROMISED
OFFERINGS
Andrew Mills
36 Cranleigh Road
SW19 3LU
8543 8302
CHURCH
WARDENS
32
CHOIR
Fridays 7.00-8.30pm Church
Men Fridays from 8.00pm Church
OCCASIONAL SINGERS
Richard Halsey
07841 514696
RichardKBHalsey@aol.com
BELL RINGERS
Practice on Monday from 7.45pm
For Services on Sundays from 8.50am & 5.50pm
Tower Captain Andrew Robinson
15 Aylward Road SW20 9AJ
8545 0558
SACRISTAN/ALTAR SERVERS
Anita Simpson
14 Tybenham Road SW19 3LA
8543 3764
SIDESPERSONS
Derek Cox
49 Tybenham Road SW19
8542 2174
MINUTES SECRETARY TO THE PCC
Olivia Tripp
54 Dorset Road, SW19 3HB
8542 6304 olivia@tripp.org.uk
HALL CARETAKER
Mr & Mrs E Martin 13 Church Path SW19 3HJ
8540 2479
HALL BOOKINGS SECRETARY
Krysia Williams
21 Church Lane SW19 3PD
8542 8687
krysia.willams@btopenworld.com
PARISH HALL MANAGER
Liz Circuit
50 Keswick Ave SW19 3JE
0787 0578 733
WHIST DRIVE 2nd Monday of Month 7.30pm
Joyce Clay
137 Poplar Road South SW19 3JZ
8540 6578
CHURCH FLOWERS
Sheila Martin
7 Church Path SW19 3HJ
8542 8979
CHURCHYARD ARCHIVIST
BIBLE READING FELLOWSHIP
Neville Squires
20 Kenley Road, SW19 8JQ
8542 5381 nevillejsqu@yahoo.co.uk
MOTHERS’ UNION
Mothers’ Union 1st Tuesday in the month 2.00pm
Joyce Rickards 07860 358865
nannyjoyce@btinternet.com
Barbara Moreland 8542 3427
PARISH SAFEGUARDING OFFICER
John Combs
23 Bournemouth Road SW19 3AR
8540 5230
john.combs@talk21.com
LEAFLET DISTRIBUTION
Graham Clark & Diana.Cairns
62 Mostyn Road SW19 3LN
8542 9101
ST MARY’S BADMINTON CLUB Thursdays 8.00pm
John Gout
57 Cranleigh Road SW19 3LX
8542 7573 jgout@ukgateway.net
PARISH PLAYERS Tuesdays 7.45pm
Secretary Clare Quinn
19 Shaldon Drive Morden SM4 4BE
8542 5045 clare.quinn@blueyonder.co.uk
PARISH LEGACIES CO-ORDINATOR
Ian Aldridge
259 Cannon Hill Lane SW20 9DB
8540 5836
i97aldridge@btinternet.com
THE CHILDREN’S SOCIETY
Graham Clark
62 Mostyn Road SW19 3LN
8542 9101
33
Parish Profile: Doreen
Gamble
When did you first come to St Mary’s and what roles have
you played here?
My parents and I moved to Windermere Avenue in 1928, where
one could still see cows grazing in the field that is now Grasmere
Avenue! I went to St Mary’s Sunday afternoon service for
children in the late 1930s. I have been a Sunday School teacher,
Sidesperson and a lesson reader.
What is your favourite hymn or church music?
Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius and the seasonal hymn O Come all ye
Faithful.
What is your most unforgettable memory of St Mary’s?
When the Rev. Heaton-Renshaw one Sunday matins service
called for any who could “Sing, Sew or Saw” the congregation
rose to the challenge and in January 1957 we produced our first
panto - The Sleeping Beauty - and so Parish Players was born.
What might the congregation not know about you?
Because of the war I trained as a draughtswoman at Phillips and
studied Electrical Engineering on day release. I met Graham
there, before he went to King’s College London to graduate in
Electrical Engineering. Later, we married and returned to Merton
Park. We were confirmed together at St Mary’s by the Bishop of
Kingston on November 24th 1954.
34
Uniformed organisations
GUIDE COMPANY
Merton Division Commissioner
Sally Holmes 19 Fairway Carshalton
Beeches SM5 4HR
sallyholmes1@hotmail.com
SCOUT GROUP 1st Merton Park
Group Scout Leader Vicky Tullett
116 Brighton Road, Burgh Heath,
Tadworth KT20 6AQ
01737 354130
RAINBOWS
1st Merton Park Weds 5.30-6.30
Martin Way Methodist Church Hall
Mrs Geraldine Ellis
22 Northway Morden SM4 4HF
8542 4758
BEAVERS Mon 6-7.15pm
Leader Ray Donovan-Hill
31 Sandringham Ave SW20 8JY
8540 5867
BROWNIES
1st Merton Park Tues 6pm
Allison Lister
64 Sandbourne Avenue SW19
8540 1620
CUBS Nelson Pack Thurs 6.15-7.45
Leader Mrs J.Clark
5 Riverside Drive, Mitcham, CR4 4BR
8648 5043
BROWNIES
2nd Merton Park - Thurs 6-7.30
Martin Way Methodist Church Hall
Kate Avery
121 Shaldon Drive Morden SM4 4BQ
8542 2540
SCOUTS Weds 7.15-8.45
Leader Simon Hill
21 Tybenham Road SW19 3LB
8542 4846
GUIDES
2nd Merton Park - Weds 7.30-9pm
Martin Way Methodist Church Hall
Kate Cusack
24 Bramshaw Rise New Malden KT3 5JU
kate7c@hotmail.com
EXPLORER SCOUTS
Weds 7.30-9.30
Leader Andrew Nowak
41 Parkview Court
Broomhill Road Wandsworth SW18 4JG
07890 659 034
35
STUDENT GRANTS
The Rutlish Foundation provides grants to assist young people at Universities
or other places of higher education. To be eligible, students must:

be ordinarily resident or born within the boundaries of the Ancient Parish
of Merton
[The ancient parish of Merton is about a quarter of the area of the London Borough of
Merton comprised of the present day parishes of St Mary the Virgin, Merton; St Saviour’s,
Raynes Park; St James’s, Merton; St John the Divine, Merton and Holy Cross, Motspur Park.]

or have attended Rutlish School for at least 3 years.
Applications should be submitted by 30th October for the academic year
concerned.
Application forms and further information from:
Graham Mills (grahamw.mills@btinternet.com)
Clerk to the Trustees, The Rutlish Foundation,
c/o Rutlish School, Watery Lane,
Merton Park, London SW20 9AD
St. Mary’s Church Hall
The perfect venue for
Weddings • Receptions • Dances • Birthdays
Anniversary Celebrations • Children's Parties
Nurseries • Playgroups • Film Shows
Whist Drives • Stage Productions
St. Mary's offers you a large hall with a stage and a second smaller hall, both with
access to kitchen, cloakrooms. tables, chairs etc. Plus disabled facilities and parking.
Marquees in St Mary's Merton Glebe
We have a beautiful Glebe Field next to the Church of St Mary's, so if you would like a
truly rural setting for your wedding reception, but still want to be married in London,
then look at St Mary's Glebe Field.
For more information: Krysia Williams, Hall Booking Secretary
020 8542 8687
krysia.williams@btopenworld.com
www.stmarysmerton.org.uk/hall.htm