Viewpoint a Quarterly Newsletter May 2011
Viewpoint A Quarterly Newsletter May 2011
Barnet Borough Sight Impaired (BBSI)
Telephone/Answerphone: 020 8359 3767
E-mail:
Website:
Registered Charity No: 1058045
Hello, welcome to Viewpoint!This edition has topics ranging from handy hints to poetry, and how to spend your free time. You could also get involved in protecting your welfare by marching on Parliament later on this month. Our Campaign for new members has been successful and we have been able to reach the hundreds of partially sighted people living in Barnet. We also are making contact with the young (and not so young) who like to keep in touch with their surroundings by using Facebook.
General Meeting Reports
February:On Tuesday 1st February BBSI had a real treat, with a performance by Mae and Diana from "Live Music Now". Mae is Swedish and Diana is German. They met while studying at the Guildhall School of Music and they make a good team. What made their performance special was the audience participation.Mae at once grasped that something had to change in their presentation to involve a visually impaired (VI) group. In the beginning we were warmed up, by humming and feeling the resulting vibration in the neck. Mae went from table to table encouraging and informing. She then sang to us, in a beautiful contralto, some songs by Brahms, Bizet and Grieg among others. Diana accompanied her on the piano, and later played her own solos.
After this we had our own programme of general singing including "A Spoonful of Sugar", "Moon River" and "Danny Boy". These were sung with great enthusiasm and with most of the words, and even the men joined in. After theshow,both young ladies joined us for tea and chat.
March: BBSI held its Annual General Meeting on the 1st March. This year our meeting was chaired by Nigel Vandyk, the husband of our secretary, Lis. The affairs of the General Meeting were carried out with great aplomb and were finished in 15-20 minutes. The previous year’s committee was re-elected unanimously. The meeting was attended by members, visitors and several helpers plus Councillor Hart who came along to lend his support.
This was followed by an interesting talk by Jacqueline Morris whose subject was the history of fans. She had brought along many samples which we were allowed to handle. These included a fan which doubles as a hat, a fan made out of two postcards by an aeroplane passenger during a flight plus many others, both beautiful and strange. We were shown some very old examples which came from places such as various Pacific islands, China and Japan. They were made of natural products such as raffia, parchment, grass and some were very delicate indeed. The meeting closed after tea and delicious snacks served by our willing helpers.
March 26th: Twenty members and helpers attended a matinee performance at the Wyllyots Theatre in Potters Bar to see a production of ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie.’ Set in the 1920s, it is about the adventures of Millie who arrives in New York, from a small town in Kansas, determined to experience everything that is new and become ‘thoroughly modern’. Her idea is to marry only for money, not love.
This story started as a film with Julie Andrews, James Fox and Mary Tyler Moore in 1967. In 2000, it was adapted as a stage musical on Broadway before arriving in the West End of London and although a bit noisy it was fun.
April: A super turnout heardlocal member Helen Rance talk about her experiences during the latter half of the war. After enlisting with the WRNS and two weeks of basic training and square bashing, she was spirited away in a blacked out coach to an unknown destination. There, she had to sign the Official Secrets Act then start training to help with what turned out to be one of the most significant tasks in the war: breaking the German message codes and thus saving the lives of many of our forces by preventing their attack by the German navy etc. The machines used to do this were very heavy drums with the letters of the alphabet on one side and electrical contacts on the back. Alan Thurin was responsible for the science behind these ‘bombes’ and there are many books available on the subject if you wish to have more detail.
From Helen’s point of view, she had a safe although hard job to do, working eight-hour shifts including nights. The rations were meagre so meeting up for a holiday with GIs who seemed to have access to more luxurious food such as chicken, was definitely a perk of the job! The GIs picked them up in jeeps and took the girls of to dances and concerts. There was the possibility of playing tennis too!
There were more serious events such as the period prior to D-day on 6th June 1944. Before that there was a travel ban and the WRNS couldn’t tell their families why, although usually they could visit the site at Bletchley Park or Gayhurst Manor but they were no longer allowed to do so. Helen was on duty on D-day itself, an exciting day. One of the messages that got through was about the Italian fleet which was preparing to sink British ships!Admiral Cumming soon sorted them out! The Americans didn’t believe the Enigma message breaking capability and suffered a disastrous loss of over 300 small craft when the Germans attacked the east coast of the USA.
Helen finished with a poem which she sent to her family suggesting how secret the whole operation was:
We thought we’d joined the navy
We thought we’d see the sea
We thought we’d wear bell-bottoms
And have admirals for tea.
We thought we’d splice the main-brace
And have tots and tots of rum
We thought we’d raise the halyard
And sail to Kingdom Come.
We thought we’d go out sailing
In those dinky harbour craft
With our lovely curls a-blowing
And sailors for' and aft.
But actually, my dears,
You know that’s too good to be true
I know you’re dying to know
Just what we do
Well, we really walk three miles to see a film four years old
We really go on night-watch in the icy winter cold
We really go out walking in the fields of County Bucks
And all we see are flocks of shivering, hungry ducks.
And I still I hear you asking, with faces nearly blue
Yes, my dear, that’s very nice, but what do you really do?
Well, we love it in the navy
We haven’t got a grouse
We’re doing writers’ duties
In a dear old country house!
Helen then answered questions from her attentive audience who enjoyed her talk very much.
Sorry, please say that again…
Come to free information events from the RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People) to find out about:
- Caring for and getting used to your hearing aids
- The different services that can help you
- Fitting new batteries and new tubing
These events are free. Home visits are available for those who have difficulties accessing Audiology departments or drop-in clinics.
Times: 12pm – 3pmVenue: Hearing Connect
Address: Julius Newman House, Woodside Park Road, (off
High Street, North Finchley, N12
Contact name: Gil Vamben Telephone: 020 8369 5325
Contact e-mail:
Contact website:
Time for a Smile
The wife of a newly elected politician was asked if, in her wildest dreams, she had ever expected to see him win a seat in the Government. She replied, ‘Quite frankly, my husband is never in my wildest dreams!’
Interview: Florence Wright
I visited a lovely lady who has a Glaswegian accent but her mother and grandparents came from Camden! Her name is Florence Wright andshe was born the eldest of five, as Florence Jolly. A more fitting name, I can’t imagine as she is always smiling and ready to help others. Her mum was in the WRACS and met her father in Glasgow while doing her training. In her turn, Florence also met her husband Harry, in Glasgow when she was doing her training for the WRNS. After a tour of duty, Harry returned after he was injured in Italy.
Being the eldest Florencehadto leave school at 14 years old to help the family finances. She received ten shillings a week gilding books and she gave this to her family. However, her parents wanted her to finish her education so she attended night school twice a week. During WWII she was based in Dunoon, dealing with supplies for the ships of all nationalities which came into port.
Her son, Derek has married twice and now Florence is a great-great grandmother and at the same time she has teenage grand-children. The family is close and she often visits her son in Norfolk and is in contact with her son’s first wife and family in Australia. When Harry was alive, she travelled to Spain, Italy and Yugoslavia, as well as to various parts of the UK.
Florence has Macular Degeneration and she is registered blind. As well as that she has a cataract but fears an operation may leave her completely blind. While an operation was being undertaken on her other eye, the surgeon found scarring which had happened when she was hit by a sling shot when she was a child though she had not thought anything of it at the time.
When she was working in Dunoon for the WRNS, they were occasionally invited on board the various ships which involved going to the ship by launch then climbing a rope ladder to the deck. Well, as there were many young red-blooded sailors below them watching them climb the ladder, they were obliged to wear the ‘black outs’ – heavy navy bloomers (maybe they were called ‘passion killers’ in those days!)
She loves to be active and goes out to art galleries and many other London attractions when possible. When she lived in Maida Vale with her family, she would often take her son Derek to interesting places such as the Houses of Parliament.
Now, Florence lives on her own on the second floor (32 steps, no lift!) of a block of flats near a tube station and she gets out and about to the BBSI meetings, helps out for MAB (Middlesex Association for the Blind) and generally has an active social life.
Florence was married to Harry for 40 years and has been fortunate to have had a hard but very happy life. Long may it continue!
Disabled People’s March against Cuts.
Contributed by Derek Mileman
RNIB, along with 40 other organisations and groups of disabled people are organising a march, lobby of Parliament and a rally on Wednesday 11th May from Embankment at 11.30am to Dean Stanley St at about 1.30pm. Then a lobby is to take place in Westminster Hall from 2.30-5.30pm. Thousands of disabled people as well as
family and friends will be marching to express solidarity and anger at the cuts threatening our benefits, services, jobs and rights. After the march, many will lobby their MPs as the Welfare Reform Bill reaches a critical stage in the House of Commons. The point is to make the Parliamentarians understand the impact of the cuts on our lives and futures. Crucially, we will be challenging MPs to vote against policies that will push us further into poverty and isolation.
To find out more and register, please contact the Campaigns Hotline on 020 7391 2123 and register via the UK Disabled People’s Council website
Information is also available from RNIB
Fund raising Collections and BBSI stalls
Geranium Day: May 10th (To offer help, please contact Sandra on 020 8346 7641)
Brent Cross: July 23rd (To offer help, please contact Lis)
Woodland Festival, Coppetts Wood: May 22nd( for information or to offer help, please contact Ollie on 8361 2496)
Summer Outing
This year we are heading out of town to Bletchley Park, the
Homeof the Enigma machine, which was so important for the security of the UK during WW2. It is situated about one hour north of London and we will be travelling by coach from a pick up point at St Mary’s Church Hall at 9.30am on Thursday August 11th. A guided tour by trained guides will be organized and we will have time for lunch about 1pm. Further details are to be arranged. If you are interested in attending, please call Lis on 020 8349 4705
Tips for easier livingcontributed by Irene White
- Rubber bands: These are useful for identifying similar objects such as your shampoo and conditioner, the salt and pepper, sauce bottles, pens etc. Simply put a band around one of them (after making sure you know which one it is.)
- Always put things in the same place so that you automatically knowwhere they are.
- Have several telephones if possible
- Become a creature of habit and do things at the same time so that you don’t forget/mislay items such as keys, coats, purses etc.
Art through Words – The National Gallery
Sessions for Blind and Partially Sighted Visitors.
Saturday 28th May.
William Hogarth: Marriage a-la-mode 1. The Marriage Settlement
Saturday 25thJune Pierre-Auguste Renoir: The Umbrellas.
Each session begins with a description of the painting and ends with a visit to the galleries. Please meet at the Sainsbury Wing information desk at 11.30am. All sessions, which are free of charge, end at 12.45pm.Please call 020 7747 5820 to guarantee a place.
Future Programme 2011
Tuesday 3rd May: Talk by Trevor Picton: Air travel in Africa
Sunday 22nd May: Woodland Festival, Coppetts Wood.
Tuesday 7th June: Live Music Now.
Tuesday 5th July: St Mary’s Primary School pupils’ choir.
Thursday 11th August: Outing to Bletchley Park, Bucks
A meeting is held every first Tuesday of the month at St Mary’s Hall, 30-32Hendon Lane, N3 from 1.30-3.30pm.
The views expressed in this Newsletter are not necessarily those of BBSI.
Editor: Sandra Roeder, 15 Wickliffe Avenue, N3 3EL
Tel: 020 8346 7641 Email:
Items for inclusion in the next issue should be submitted no later than:11th July 2011
We would like to thank all of our contributorsand also say thank you to all of our listeners/readers.
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