Grandad – Ethel went to DLM. Weather mild for time of year. I am better than Tuesday.
Mum – Chairman’s in am. Took typing to K Hustler. Hair set in aft. FR rang at lunch time to say I could ring at night – I did. Guild at Pam Ludlow’s in evening. Depressed. Roger planned his YHA holiday with Gary & Simon. Posted letter to FR.
Notes
Drayton Ladies’ Meeting
Ethel refers to my grandmother Ethel May Cecilia Parkin. DLM stands for Drayton Ladies’ Meeting which was a weekly women’s meeting held at Drayton Methodist Church, see Chapter 124.
Grandad’s Health
Grandad commented on his health and noted that he was better than Tuesday. However, he had not commented on his health that day. However, on the previous day, Wednesday, he had commented that he was not as well as the previous day, which was Tuesday, see Chapter 116.
Mum Did Secretarial Work for the Chairman of the Methodist District, Rev G T Eddy
According to mum’s CV, see Chapter 105, she worked as a part-time secretary for Rev G T Eddy, the Chairman of the East Anglia District of the Methodist Church, see Chapter 124.
Typing for Ken Hustler
Mum took the typing she had done for Ken Hustler to him. She had noted grtting it from him on Monday 13 January 1975. This was part of her running her own typing and duplicating business from home which she did from 1965 to 1975, see Chapter 105. Mum noted that Ken Hustler was from ECN which refers to Eastern Counties Newspapers. This is perhaps an example of mum doing typing commercially and not only for the church, see Chapter 121.
I am not sure who Ken Hustler was. I found some details of Kenneth S and Kathleen Hustler registered as company directors in 2002 at a Norwich address, Stanley Avenue. If this is him, he appears to have been born in Sheffield in 1935 and married there in 1960. However, I have not found anything definitive to link him to Eastern Counties Newspapers!
I did find a brief death notice for Kenneth Sydney Hustler in 2020 which noted that his wife’s name was Kathleen. This also noted that a thanksgiving service would be held at Chapelfield Road Methodist Church. This links with other entries in mum’s diaries, in 1976 and 1977, which relate to Ken Hustler’s involvement in church and circuit matters, see Chapter 124.
Rev Dowson
FR refers to Rev F R Dowson. Frederick Rodham Dowson entered the Methodist ministry in 1936. He was born in Haxby, York on 5 August 1912 and he died in Selsey on 4 September 2011, aged 99. I believe he was superintendent Minister for the Park Lane circuit from 1968 to 1974. He and mum were close and they spoke and corresponded frequently, see Chapter 114.
Methodist Guild
One of the meetings mum attended regularly was referred to as Methodist Guild. It was associated with St Peter’s Park Lane but was held in people’s houses, see Chapter 124. On this occasion, it was held at Pam Ludlow’s. Pam was a friend of mum’s through St Peter’s.
Mum’s Mental Health
Mum had long-standing struggles with her mental health, see Chapter 116, although I don’t recall her acknowledging this to me while she was alive. She usually denied being depressed or ever having been so. However, here she clearly notes that she was feeling depressed.
Youth Hostelling
Roger refers to me. YHA stands for Youth Hostel Association. Gary and Simon refer to Gary Wood and Simon Lefevre who were friends of mine from school, see Chapter 118. We went on a youth hostelling holiday together in 1975, see Chapter 122.
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