John Statham Eadie

15th December 1940 - 21st January 2023

'Bridget and Tom Eadie would like to thank everyone in the village for the lovely cards, letters and messages we have received since John's death in January and the grand turnout at his funeral. We have been inundated with stories of his kindness, grumpiness and practicality and it's lovely to know, more fully, the part he played in the life of the village'.

For those who missed John Eadies funeral, here in part is his brother Donald's eulogy.

I can almost hear John smiling, “So you’re going to speak brother? Oh well, get on with it, keep it short, and no weepy stuff, you old fart!”.

John and I arrived in our parents’ home in Bradford from the opposite ends of the country, John from Newcastle in 1940, me, earlier -Herne Bay in Kent in 1939. We lived knowing we were born to different birth mothers, adopted and we knew nothing more- that’s how it was then.

We grew through being loved, we were loved children, loved equally and differently. Without our knowing it, a bond was formed which John recognised and described as ‘a bond thicker than blood.’

John was the practical one, helping Dad with things technical, electrical- while I held the ladder.

John was mischievous, prone to playing pranks; on one occasion, placing a loudspeaker on top of the water cistern in what Dad insisted in calling ‘the lavatory’. Our grandmother, on visiting the said lavatory was shocked to hear a booming voice, ‘Big Brother is watching you!.’

Our parents encouraged us to be curious, to ask questions about everything, the universes beyond universes, the spider’s web glinting in early morning dew, where butterflies come from, how babies are made, what happens when we die? Anything, everything.

They taught us to love nature, camping on the banks of the river Wharf in the Yorkshire Dales, where we swam, built dams, caught tiddlers in jam jars, crossed the river in Skylark our rubber dinghy assured that if we picked enough mushrooms mum would cook us a bacon and egg breakfast. While staying on a farm on the isle of Skye, Dad took John and I into the Cullen mountains where we were like a couple of puppies. In his ageing John has enjoyed reminding me, “And I got to the top first, brother!”

At school John was a star of the swimming and gymnastics team and on the rugby field he was a gentle giant, often first in the following pack, often found at the bottom of the collapsed scrum, later playing for Yorkshire public schools and, while being a teaching assistant at Wood House Grove school, he played for Bradford 1st XV. John excelled. While training to be a teacher at Westminster College

Oxford John met Diane, who spent a year in the John Radcliffe Hospital with TB Meningitis, and after completing her teacher training, taught in France.

They married in the Church in Ton Pentre in South Wales, it was the Saturday England won the Football World cup. They chose to teach in Uganda, on a British Government education scheme, in Mbale. They enjoyed the company of the Catholic Fathers in a neighbouring religious community, playing bridge with them, drinking whatever and telling stories. Many years later John looked equally at home with the monks in the Cistercian monastery of Mount St Bernard’s Abbey. They found each other in their humanity, in their affectionate humour.

Returning to the UK after Diane, John’s plane was recalled back to Entebbe airport by General Amin, Mum and Dad turned to their High Wycombe MP and also the Foreign Office to secure his safe passage home.

The Cublington years were Bridget and Tom years During the past year John and I have had more time to listen to each other’s stories, laughed, wept, returning again and again to our gratitude for our parents. When John’s consultant’s told him of his diagnosis early last year also his estimated life prognosis his response was, ‘Well, that’s a bugger!’

A week or so before John died, we shared three days together. He was weak and managed to communicate only in whispers. Before I left, he reached toward me “Donald, I want to say something to you” and I waited nervously! “I love you and want to kiss you!” then, “and you’re out of my reach-thank God!”. On leaving I kissed him and said, ”See you later brother’. His last words as I left his room were, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’ John entered his homecoming gently, beautifully, first home, first yet again!

On learning of John’s death, a friend who knew Dianne and John in Oxford sent these words from a novel by Thornton Wilder, words I don’t yet fully understand but want to: “We ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning”.

From The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

David Parish 1942 – 2023

It is sad to record that David Parish died peacefully during the night of Wednesday 25th of January.

David and Kathy have lived in Pump Cottage in the very centre of Cublington since 1977. David was very supportive of village activities and organisations but he was always at his happiest striding across the local fields with trusty stick in hand and cheerfully chatting to anyone he met in the course of his walks.

His knowledge of local landscapes and historic events was considerable and reflected his lifelong interest in antiquities. This interest was fundamental to his work as an archaeological conservator at the Bucks County Museum in Aylesbury, where he was employed for many years and where he was extremely highly regarded by many of his colleagues; his views on antiquities were often sought by those working in other museums throughout the country.

David met Kathy, a nurse, whilst he was in South Africa working for the Cape Town Museum and following their return to the UK, they married in 1974. After moving into Cublington they raised their two children, Rachel and James (Jim); now both happily married and with children of their own, Rachel lives in Reading and Jim in Nottingham.

David loved living in Cublington and was always interested in what was going on in the village; though naturally reserved, he thoroughly enjoyed talking to all those who he got to know whilst out on his regular walks. In addition to his wide knowledge of local geography and archaeology, he was also a keen photographer and took many fine pictures of the local landscape.

David’s funeral took place on the 23rd of February at St Nicholas church.

4th March 2023, 2pm

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Thank you all so very much for helping with last year’s mowing. Same again this year?

Many thanks, Roy Shons 01296 682787 077752 043145 royshons@btinternet.com

W/C Name

03rd April Roy Shons

10th April Colin Justice

17th April Kevin Shults

24th April Mike & Sandie Joy

01st May Michele Packer & Haime

08th May Dennis & Jack Allen

15th May Abbie & Lee Stopher

22nd May Barry Sim

29th May Gill & Gary Brazier

05th June Tom & Harry Gadsby

12th June Sophie & John Law

19th June Maggie & Chris Brandon

26th June Sarah & Jason Keane

03rd July Tim & James Taylor

10th July Martin Gibby

17th July Jason & Vanessa Taylor

24th July Susan & Mike Bush/Paddy

31st July David Bradbury

07th August Mike Alexander

14th August Caroline & Mike Lightfoot

21st August Mike & Sandie Joy

28th August Ev & Gerry Griffiths

04th Sept Mark Cheetham

11th Sept Kevin Shults

18th Sept Gill & Gary Brazier

25th Sept Geoff & Bernadette Johnson

02nd Oct James Francis

09th Oct VACANT

If you want to buy a ticket online for this round of ten draws starting in May, then please contact me direct at bobpaine2002@hotmail.com or call on 01296 680483 and we will organise it.

Your continued support is very much appreciated.

Bob & the Orchard Ground Committee.

Celebrate and remember loved ones with Forever Forget-Me-Nots at Waddesdon Manor

Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity has partnered with the magnificent Waddesdon Manor to launch a very special Forever Flowers event to celebrate and remember loved ones this spring. A stunning, temporary display of 1,000 bespoke metal Forget-Me-Not flowers will be installed in the Aviary Gardens at Waddesdon Manor, near Aylesbury in April. Each flower will represent the life, love and memories of a loved one.

The charity is offering you the opportunity to be a part of this event by dedicating one of these limited Forever Forget-Me-Nots, which also includes an invitation to a private viewing of the display on Monday 17th April whilst the grounds are closed to the public. The Forever Forget-Me-Nots installation will then remain on display to the public for two weeks. Once the installation is removed, those who have dedicated a flower will be able to take it home to display as a forever keepsake.

By dedicating a Forever Forget-Me-Not you will be helping the charity to provide excellent local hospice care and be there for more patients and families across Buckinghamshire and its borders. To dedicate a Forever Forget-Me-Not visit https://www.fnhospice.org.uk/foreverflowers or call 01296 429975 for more information.