Another Successful OAP Concert
The VEO Committee and members of the Royal Party played host to a room full of jolly OAPs on December 6th. As well as Santa, the two young ladies (below) L & R Maria Willis and Amy Morris sang to them all. A good fun evening. PK
Princess Morgan Reynolds
Every Year Santa Turns Out...... ....to greet and give all the children of Aldborough a present, once he has turned on the Christmas tree. It is always a surprise, as the village green is almost empty minutes before he turns up on Richard King's little wagon along with his two little helpers (Above Left) L-R: Phoebe Nicholson & Carrie Last.
Paul Jackson told me that I could not say who Santa was. Santa is doing his 2nd year after David Waine did this job for at least 25 years. PK
10
Farewell Crab Line An ominous black cloud hangs over the community right now... Today is a sad day for Cromer; today is the end of an era for Cromer; today we say “Goodbye” to ‘The Most Popular Freebie in North Norfolk’. Permit me to say, at the outset, that the Crab Line is a victim of its own success. Its growth, which bucks the trend of the current economical climate, has made it too big for just a husband and wife team - Philip and Lis - to manage on their own. As the saying goes in entertainment circles, “Go out on a high leave ‘em wanting more!” Before the Keddells became close, personal friends, the Crab Line lent itself to being the ideal platform for my jottings, anecdotes and rock reviews yet, extraordinarily, none of my scribblings were ever edited or cut-short. One of the 1st paragraphs of the very first article I ever wrote for the C L - about a collision, from my personal perspective as a railway guard - read “(Signalman) Answer the bloody phone, p-l-e-a-s-e !!!” I had no idea what state the front of 1P43 was in - it was, after all, 10 coaches away, but I imagined we were spread over both tracks and that a fast approaching train was bearing down on us from the opposite direction doing a ton. Well I would, wouldn’t I? (This, btw, was the same eventful night that the barge smashed through the Pier). As stated, I then ran a series of gig revues as Mikki Rokk - each week the number of ‘K’s’ in the pseudonym varying, according to mood. I was given a completely free reign, for which I am eternally grateful but this is what the Crab Line was all about, what it thrived & succeeded on - no parish magazine style reporting. Philip took chances, stuck his neck out and was not afraid to introduce contentious issues either from his own personal beliefs or, mischieviously, as Devils Advocate. I can confess now that on more than one occasion, my arse would pucker for a fortnight waiting for the sky to fall in as a result of my ghostwriting certain entries for the paper. The words “as I understand it” and “allegedly” being my only ‘protection’ from the libel squad. Unfortunately, I cannot imagine anyone else having the ‘edge’ or the risk factor, that our Mr Keddell has, he is a cocktail of maverick and, some may say, a loose cannon; his publication a cross between Viz and Private Eye. He’s ruffled quite a few feathers but feathers that indeed needed to be ruffled and I know that, even those who unjustifiably thought they were harddone-by in print, couldn’t wait to get hold of the next edition to view the response. By the same token, however, if you played it fair with him, he’d bend over backward to give you all the help and encouragement he possibly could. Not forgetting Lis, in this respect, too. Only three or four months ago I accompanied Philip to a summoned audience, with the Chief Executive Officer of North Norfolk District Council, to apologise for and give a solemn undertaking that no more non-PC jokes would be published. We neither apologised nor agreed his demands - Philip, instead, relaying a couple more jokes, for the CEO’s personal benefit. I raise a toast to Philip and Lis but especially to the Crab Line. From Ed: Thank you very much Micky P, I will however correct you and say that the Crab Line will live on - just with other people running it.
Crab Line Papers Ltd 30 West Street, Cromer, Norfolk. NR27 9DS