SSUENN 1555 //4 -23 29 APRIL2016 2015 IISSUE OO . .1596 10 -February
COSTA DE ALMERÍA
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End of an era
Mojacar Carnaval begins Fun and festivities for all the family CARNAVAL has arrived and the streets of Mojacar will be bursting with life as the joyful festivities fill the town with colour from February 5 to February 12. The town’s smallest residents will kick off the celebrations as hundreds of local schoolchildren partake in a fun and vibrant parade from the Bartolome Flores Primary School to the town hall. See page 2
GREAT Train Robber dies at Mojacar home
Photo Credit Spborthwick
By Adele Land The so-called ‘mastermind’ of the Great Train Robbery died this week aged 86, at his home in Mojacar surrounded by his family. Douglas Gordon Goody, was one of the last surviving members of the infamous gang who robbed a Glasgow-bound Royal Mail train in 1963, making off with £2.6 million in cash (the equivalent of £50 million or almost €66 million today). Of Northern Irish descent, Goody grew up in South London where he became a member of the ‘South West Gang’ which included fellow train robber Ronnie Biggs. Said to have been the instigator of the plan, Goody was 33 at the time of the robbery in Leburn, Buckinghamshire. Goody evaded arrest for almost three months until he was finally captured at a hotel in Leicestershire. Sentenced to 35 years in prison, he served 12 years of the sentence, shortly after which he retired to Spain where he met his long-term partner Maria.
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Complaint against by-law Ban on restrictions may hurt tourism POLITICAL opposition parties in Mojacar have lodged an official complaint against the new so-called public behaviour bylaw. The law was announced
by Mojacar Council last month and included restrictions on anyone wearing swimwear away from the beach or swimming pool. See page 6
Experience of a lifetime Trip to Poland for high school students A PAIR of high school students from Albox and El Elido set off on an experience of a lifetime this week. Isabel and Eusebio were chosen to take part in a volunteer project in the city of Klodska, Poland as part of the ESV (European voluntary service) initiative. See page 61 Goody owned and ran the Kontiki bar on Mojacar playa during the 1980s and soon became a popular member of the community. Despite being pressed for information, he only broke his silence some 30 years later, giving rare interviews in 2013. During the interviews, he said his one regret was the career-ending injuries sustained
by the train driver, Jack Mills, who was beaten over the head with an iron bar. Goody suffered from emphysema for a number of years and recently cut a frail figure with his oxygen tank at his side. Mojacar residents who knew him posted messages of respect on social media channels.
Rescued from balcony Child in danger when left home alone A YOUNG child was rescued after neighbours spotted her climbing over a balcony of a flat in Albox. The young girl, said to be of Asian origin and home alone,
was clinging to the railings on the third floor of the building. A security guard from a shopping centre and the officers rescued the child. See page 64