From Our Files: Acorn deaths...guillotine hostages...‘no’ to national park
50 YEARS AGO
DESPITE being advised by their consulting engineers that following the completion of the £193,000 cliff stabilisation scheme at Highcliffe positive and regular maintenance work would be necessary, four members of Christchurch Council voted against the expenditure of £13,500 a year on such maintenance.
But 15 members voted in favour. It was decided that three men would be needed to deal with the work.
Councillor Bentley said the gang would be “kept very busy”.
But Councillor J Morgan said he had no doubt they were going to have more trouble on their beaches because the bad weather seemed to be getting worse.
“But I can’t reconcile this idea of a gang of men just sitting there whilst the sun is shining, playing cards and tea and then when it rains a bit off they nip and pour a bit of concrete into the big holes.”
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ACORNS killed over 30 New Forest animals, Mr Fred Yarrow, steward, reported at the Verderers’ Court.
He said that 30 ponies, three cows and one donkey had been reported to the agisters.
Mr Leonard Manbridge, of Home Farm, Ashurst, told the court that nine of his animals had died from poisoning.
He asked the verderers to extend the pannage season, the time when pigs are allowed on the Forest to eat acorns.
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A MAN who held two hostages under a homemade guillotine for 24 hours was ordered to be detained at Broadmoor without limit of time.
Winchester Crown court was told the man who was a riding instructor and lived in Sway had taken the hostages to draw attention to the inadequacies he felt existed in the mental health service.
He also set up a Calor gas bomb and built a sniping turret on the roof of his caravan.
After a siege he was overpowered by police who found an arsenal of weapons.
25 YEARS AGO
NEW Zealand’s first elected woman prime minister Helen Clark often visits the New Forest and spends Christmas at her father-in-law’s home in Milford-on-Sea.
Mrs Clark, who last week led her labour coalition party into power, is married to Milford-born Peter Davis.
The couple generally spend Christmas in England including a few days with 81-year-old John Davis.
“When they are here we walk the cliff-top and local-ish things together. We’ve lunched at the Fleur de Lys in Pilley which Helen enjoys very much.”
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COMMONERS have sent a strong message to the government that they do not want the New Forest being turned into a national park.
At a special general meeting of the Commoners Defence Association they voted overwhelmingly opposed that happening.
But one of the young commoners urged people to consider the state of communing at the moment.
Sam Dovey said that with ponies fetching a few guineas, cyclists roaming all over the Forest and hounds being electrocuted on a railway line during a hunt because fences were down, she said: “What have we got that is so great at the moment?”
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PETER Butler has kept horses on the Forest for the past 20 years and regularly uses Beaulieu Road pony auction sales.
There this month he sold two colt foals, one of which went under the hammer for £6.30 the other for £5.25 (sales remain in guineas).
By the time Southern Counties Auction had deducted their £33.52-per-head-fee plus the pony breeder’s statutory £2 per head, Peter received a princely cheque for 49p sent by post with a 26p stamp.
Peter said: “Five years ago a colt would have made £60 but kids are more into computers than ponies these days.”
