NEWS
This page was last updated on 11 December 2011
BORDER HISTORY FAIR 2012
Holiday Planner: the annual Border History Fair held by local and family history societies in North Staffs and South Cheshire will be on Saturday October 13th 2012 at Swan Bank Methodist Church in Burslem
BORDER HISTORY FAIR - BIDDULPH 2011
This year’s Fair was a split location at Biddulph Town Hall and the Victoria Centre. The Audley stall was at the Latter of the two venues. A good turnout of Society members ensured that the stall was well manned all day and despite the poor weather there was a steady flow of people.
Book sales went well with the new edition of the Journal being hot off the press and selling particularly well. Quite a few people were after specific Journals that they knew had information in of relevance to them and there were many satisfied customers. Local historian Phillip Leese added his collection of his own publications to the Audley Society books to create a truly impressive amount of works for people to buy.
Some people wanted to access our records too and our Research Officer, Christine Huxley had thoughtfully brought a selection along.
The event is a good way to “network” with other Societies in the area and talk to like-minded people from outside our immediate locality. The range of stall-holders was immense and if you are interested in local or family history then check out the Fair next year. I am sure you won’t be disappointed.
Finally a big thank you to all the people who helped out with the stall throughout the day. It would not have happened without you.
COMMITTEE MEETING REPORT - 24 SEPTEMBER 2011
The meeting was well attended by most Committee members and the chance for me to meet the few people I have not come across yet and of course for them to meet me.
We discussed two possible new additions to the Committee…watch this space.
The Hall staff have been notified that Friday research sessions are no longer on but there will still be the Wednesday session as well as a speaker every other month.
The Journal Editor, Ian Bailey, had a draft copy of the latest edition which is up to its usual high standard. We have had to change printers and a big well done to Ian for finding a good replacement to Keele Press.
The Meeting was a chance for people to raise any issues they may have about the Society. The agenda was quite large but it was wonderful to see how positively people have responded to the recent crisis with the Society. A big thank you to everyone involved with the running of the Society for all the hard work they do.
Various ideas were floated about future events. Suggestions of a Family Tree Day, Audley History Day and a Wassailing Evening were just some of the good ideas put forward for the future.
Our main objective for the immediate future is to promote the Society more and make sure anyone who would be interested in our work knows that we exist!
Finally I won’t be at the talk on Nov.4th so Mark Casewell will be deputising for me and I hope you have a good evening in his capable hands.
Stewart Baker.
IN MEMORY OF BILL TOMKINSON
The Society has recently lost one of its much respected older brethren Bill Tomkinson. Bill died in August aged 84 and we miss him acutely.
Bill and his wife Joan were stalwarts of the Society and had been members for many years as well as being long standing members of the Committee. They were ever ready to give support and help; they were the archetypal backbone members of an organisation, without whose input and interest Audley History Society would have been poorer.
Bill was a modest man, never pushed himself to the front but was a reliable source of common sense when called upon to voice an opinion. He loved his time with the Society, but in recent years found it difficult to continue as a Committee member as Joan needed his support more and more due to her own ill health. Then he himself became ill and we saw less and less of him, but we all knew that he was devoting his time to coping with the difficulties that he and Joan faced.
We were all aware that family was very important to Bill. He loved the get togethers and his idea of a perfect occasion was to have his family, (his four sons and their wives and children), around him. He didn’t ask for much, this modest man, just the love of a good family; a local cricket match with a Sunday pint; a run out each week in the car and trips to the caravan that he and Joan loved so much.
Bill, the decorated war veteran, was never one to talk about his exploits but he would appear at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday with his medals for all to see. It made us realise that here was a man who had lived through the hell of war in minesweepers and what tales he could have told --but the horrors of the war were left in the past, Bill shrugged off any questions with his modest demeanour.
With Bill’s death we, at the Society, now turn our thought towards Joan. We hope that with the help of the family and her many dear friends Joan will find the strength to pick up the threads. She will always be welcome to join us whenever she can and I know she still has the interests of the Society at heart and is still promoting the sale of the Historian. All our love Joan and we in the Society remember Bill with great respect and affection.
On behalf of the Audley Family History Society
Anne James.
ADFHS NEWSLETTER
Could the ADFHS members that are not receiving their Newsletter please contact the Society and let us know. There are some Newsletters that are not being delivered to email addresses, as the member has either changed their email address and not notified us, or the email address is no longer used.