Calendar of Events December

Thurs, 6th Communion. Function Room. 11.30am Tues, 11th Seasonal Celebrations Lunch. Cole Court. 1.00pm (CSRF) Thurs, 13th Board Meeting (Draft Budget). 10.30am Sunday, 16th Pre-Christmas Lunch, Dining Room. 12.45pm Wed, 19th St. Mary’s & St Peter’s School, Christmas Songs. 2.00pm

January Thurs, 3rd Communion. Function Room. 11.30am Tues. 22nd Travelogues of Flowers and Events by means of Audio Vision through the Lens. Ray Woods 7.30pm (Soc Comm)

February Thurs, 7th Communion. Function Room. 11.30am Tues. 12th St Valentine’s Day Preview illuminated with music and song. Jennifer Carr 7.30pm (Soc Comm)

Weekly Events Monday evening: Film Night, 7.30pm

Wednesday afternoon: 'Move it or Lose it' exercises, 3.00pm

ANSWERS TO ‘MORE QUOTATIONS’ 1.’looked on as something shocking’ (Anything Goes); 2. ‘give out a different smell’ (Oklahoma); 3. ‘Ding dong the bells are going to chime’ (My Fair Lady); 4. ‘stars in your eyes’ (Call me Madam); 5. ‘washes its walls on the southern side’ (Pied Piper of Hamlin); 6. ‘the good is oft interred with their bones’ (Julius Caesar); 7. ‘Jenny kissed me.’; 8. ‘married him’ (Jane Eyre); 9. ‘bloody likely. I am going in a taxi’ (Pygmalion); 10. John Masefield (On Westminster Bridge); 11. John Milton (On his blindness); 12. Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Sonnets from the Portuguese)’ 13. William Wordsworth (Daffodils); 14. Cardiff City

Online: The current edition, together with earlier editions, is now available on Fullerton Court’s newly designed website –

www.retirementsecurity.co.uk/fullerton-court/download Thank you for your contributions. Please send your stories, comments, thoughts, ideas, wants, etc. to David, no.26, or email: d.pegler26@btinternet.com

Editor: David Pegler; Assistant Editors: John Blackwell and Kathleen Plumtree. Printing and circulation: Lin Sutcliffe

RESIDENTS VOICE FULLERTON COURT

DECEMBER 2018 44

THE

CHAIRMAN REPORTS John Blackwell Gardening Committee: Regretfully, the donation from an Owner and the planting plan for the Front Courtyard Garden didn’t materialise. The Committee has decided that any improvements will have to be gradual, facilitated by Greene Gardens, our own effort and funded from the budgeted Gardening Account. Improvements have already been made by removing three of the Buxus Balls and the planting of five white Ground Cover Roses, funded by a donation from an Owner. Replanting of the pots outside the Front Door should be carried out shortly. Udney Park Playing Fields: Work is still going on quietly by ‘The Friends’ raising money and developing a viable plan whereby the Playing Fields would be used solely for sporting and recreational activities. An article in ‘Tidings’ (The Teddington Society), regarding opposition to the Quantum development is well worth reading; copies have been placed on the table opposite the main office. Udney Park Road Maintenance Works: Just in case you haven’t seen the Notice Board, work on minor repairs to the pavements will be carried out from Monday 26th November, for up to four weeks. News from Retirement Security Ltd: The recently appointed Chief Executive Officer, David Strudley, plans to visit Fullerton Court in the New Year, and will have a morning meeting with the Board and an Owners’ meeting in the afternoon. Board Training Session: Amy, our Court Services Manager, recently held a very interesting and constructive morning training and discussion session with the Board. Agreed Roles and Formal Legal Procedures were explained, and at a more personal level, it was emphasised that ideally at least one Director should be on each of the three Committees, and a verbal report should be given at each of the four Official Board meetings during the year. The Board have also decided to change the name of what has, in our opinion, wrongly been called the Hobbies Room, to the ‘Function Room’. Festive Season Greetings: On behalf of the Board, may I take this opportunity of wishing you a most Enjoyable and Peaceful Christmas, coupled with Good Health in the New Year.

********************************* IS IT AN EMERGENCY?

The Office has been approached by local doctors and they are asking for your help. They are currently inundated with requests to carry out home visits. Their resources are very low especially with the winter months now upon us. They are requesting patients to only request a home visit if absolutely necessary. If you can get in a taxi to get there then please do so. This is the same for calling out paramedics. Fullerton Court has a very good relationship with our first responders and if people use the paramedics as a means of transport, they will start to think twice about making Fullerton Court a priority. Please help our local services be able to provide the best service they can to everyone. Thank you.

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE WHO SHARE

FULLERTON COURT WITH YOU? Profile of GILLIAN HILL

Gillian was an only child born in 1936. Her parents had bought a 3-bedroom house, and her father was sent to the Middle East in the war. Her mother worked in Handley Pages making munitions, and her friends looked after Gillian. She slept in a Morrison shelter downstairs, and before the shelters she would run to the cupboard under the stairs if there was an alarm. One day, Gillian was having lunch with her mother in the front room, when a bomb fell on the houses over the road and destroyed two of them. Her windows shattered. In 1943, the Doodlebugs made a loud droning noise, so they could be heard coming, but in 1944 Hitler sent V2 rockets that could not be seen or heard.

Gillian walked to primary school and back for lunch every day. She won a scholarship to North London Collegiate School and drove to heaven each day on a trolley bus. Medical Laboratory Technology helped her to get into the Scientific Civil Service at the RAF Institute of Aviation. She married Barry Hill, and in Leicester sold adding machines. Barry moved to Imperial College and she sold the highest number of adding machines in EC1 and EC2. They paid 22s 6p a week for a 1-bedroom flat, then bought a 3-bedroom house. They happily had 3 children in 3yrs 7 months, then moved to a £9,300 5-bedroom house with her father. She ran a playgroup at home, studied in the Open University, then at Westfield College, getting a degree in Mathematics. She worked at Marconi’s and STC and did a part-time MSc at Hatfield Polytechnic. She lectured there, at South Bank Polytechnic and City University. Barry died in 1993, before any of the 8 grandchildren, now aged 25 - 20, were born. Gillian married Michael in 1996 and was awarded her PhD at Imperial College. A second happy marriage has been wonderful for her. In July 2018 they moved to Fullerton Court. The atmosphere is very friendly, and they feel young enough to enjoy the change.

‘MORE QUOTATIONS’ QUIZ Please complete the following lines:

1. ‘In olden days a glimpse of stocking was ……’

2. ‘All the daisies in the dell will ……’ 3. ‘I’m getting married in the morning……’ 4. ‘Hey there, you with the ……’ 5. ‘The river Weser, deep and wide, ……’ 6. ‘The evil that men do lives after them ……’ 7. ‘Say I’m growing old, but add ……’ 8. ‘Reader, I ……’ 9. ‘Walk? Not…..’

Who was responsible for these first lines? 10. ‘Earth has not anything to show more fair’ 11. ‘When I consider how my light is spent’ 12. ‘How do I love thee? Let me count the ways’ 13. ‘I wandered lonely as a cloud’ And finally, 14. Who won the FA Cup in 1927? Answers on back page Michael Harold TEDDINGTON NAMED IN TOP TEN HEALTHIEST LONDON STREETS

‘Health on the High Street’, a report published on Thursday, 3rd November by the Royal Society for Public Health, which ranks high streets across London, has ranked Teddington High Street within its top ten. The high streets were rated by how many businesses they have which encourage healthy or unhealthy living, to give an overall score. Their research looked at the health impact of a range of high street outlets – Their research looked at the health impact of a range of high street outlets – extending their 2015 analysis to include vape shops, convenience stores, off- licences, cafes, and empty shops – and used this measure to rank Britain’s major towns and cities by the impact of their high streets on the public’s health and wellbeing. People living in areas with healthier high streets live longer than those surrounded by unhealthy shops.

JILL DREAMS ON FOR ANOTHER MONTH, hopefully, to an occasion when our five Directors will face their supporters, without the aid of paid staff, to hold ‘an Owners meeting just for Owners’. Then I dare forecast that more voices will be heard in addition to mine because my fellow Owners have questions, comments and suggestions to make. They claim that their usual silence is because m y e x p e r i e n c e p r o v e s t o b e a t o t a l w a s t e o f t i m e . Jill Wood 2018-2019 FULLERTON COURT

STAFF LIST Court Manager: Mrs Lin Sutcliffe Duty Managers: Mrs Elaine Brennan; Mr Paul Daly; Miss Helen Kelly; Ms Dawn Llewellyn; Mrs Liz Tracey. Handyman: Mr Paul Daly Cooks: Ms Sharon Brown Housekeeping Assistants: Mrs Kath Batten; Mrs Denise Cody; Mrs Shakun Gurung; Mrs Jean Jordan; Ms Mwatumu Mossi; Miss Sarah-Jane Slade. Services Manager: Miss Amy Gillman

FULLERTON COURT Ltd BOARD Mr John Blackwell (Chairman); Mrs Hélène Elston (Director); Prof Dr David Pegler (Vice Chairman); Mr Bill Small (Director); Mrs Joyce Southern (Director).

CATERING COMMITTEE Mr Jack Nolan (Chair); Mr David Reed; Mrs Joyce Southern; Mrs Lin Sutcliffe.

GARDEN COMMITTEE Mr John Blackwell; Mrs Mercia Bullen (Chair); Mrs Audrey Conway-Smith; Mrs Hélène Elston; Mrs Hilda Reynolds; Mr Steve Stephenson; Mrs Lin Sutcliffe.

SOCIAL COMMITTEE Mr John Blackwell; Mrs Louise Humphrey; Mrs Leonie Lazarus; Mr Jack Nolan; Miss Jenny Pearcey (Treasurer); Mrs Joyce Southern; Mrs Jill Wood (Chair).

Christmas at

Kingston upon Thames

2018

NOSTALGIC ISLE OF WIGHT Robin Bavin

Thursday, 22nd November

The Isle of Wight's No.1 Tourist Ambassador, Ron Bavin, came to speak to us about the Nostalgic Isle, beginning with the history from Roman times, the imprisonment of King Charles I, through to Queen Victoria's favourite home; the wildlife (including red squirrels); ancient legends, stories of wreckers and smugglers - even modern day drug smugglers! The island was also important in World War 2 with the first Radar

Station and later the Pipe Line Under The Ocean (PLUTO) to supply fuel for the Normandy landings. An interesting and entertaining evening, with Ron Bavin's fee being donated to the Sandown and Shanklin Lifeboat fund. Joyce Southern

CATERING COMMTTEE Your Committee met on Tuesday 20th November. The Minutes of our prior meeting were approved and matters arising for action were considered to have been addressed. Every entry made by diners in the Comments Book since the last review was noted and discussed where necessary. Generally, the standard and consistency of served meals was deemed to have improved following close observation of past objective comments. There are still occasional avoidable lapses when plates and appropriately cooked foods are served having lost heat. The consistency of the served pork is to be addressed. The Committee is forced to be mindful of Management’s continuing inability to recruit the second cook despite interviews through appropriate channels. Appreciation continues to be recorded about the extent to which other capable members of staff assist in cooking when help is urgently needed. Average daily diner attendance is at present 11 including Sundays, having improved marginally with the onset of winter. A break-even number of 16 is statistically necessary to render the current levy redundant. Diners do please continue using the comments book; it is reviewed every Monday morning. Jack Nolan

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UNIVERSITY OF THIRD AGE HISTORY GROUP GALILEO

Tuesday, 30th October

Galileo Galilei was borne in Pisa in 1564 and came from a wealthy Florentine family. His father taught him to question assumptions. In early years Galileo made ingenious toys and mechanical contraventions. He studied medicine and condemned teaching based on Aristotelian quotations. He invented a form of thermometer. Later he became a lecturer in mathematics and astronomy. He Insisted that everything should be conf i rmed by experimentation. Initially Galileo taught earth centred

astronomy although he really believed in the Copernican system. He argued discussion of natural problems should not be based on scripture. However, in 1646, in an audience with Pope Paul V, Galileo was instructed to teach only the earth centred system. He was summoned by the Inquisition in Rome and had to renounce the Copernican system although he secretly maintained that it was true. He died in 1642. Members of the Group will meet for lunch on the 11th December, for the last time before Christmas. Bill Small

HISTORY OF MONEY Tuesday, 13th November

Some of the earliest coins were sea shells, which were used by the Chinese for about 600 years, up to the 11th century BC. Later they used metal shapes stamped and of a certain weight. In China and S.E. Asia silver bars continued to be used for about 2000 years, until the 19th.century. The Egyptians used gold rings up to about 1300 BC. In Thailand, tiger parts were used supplemented by replicas. ‘Bullets’ were introduced in that country until 1840. Asian brick money was used for 900 years. Each brick weighed 2lbs. In Europe, the first true coins were produced in what is now West Turkey (formerly Lydia) around 700 BC. The Greeks struck their first coins about 600BC and were of standard size and shape. The earliest coins in England were produced in the first century BC, made of debased gold. Nearly all coins were eventually manufactured by a hammered dye, adopted in the reign of King Charles II. Bill Small