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The voice of Hillam village. founded 1989 by mary little . Delivered free to all homes in hillam. Volume 25 Issue 6. dec–jan 2012-13
At the Church Hop Fifty years ago there were hops in the church hall. Music was from '78' records with a DJ on the drums. Then the vicar of Birkin banned hops in his village hall. He was worried that dancing brought young people together and he was particularly concerned about what might happen on the way home. This may seem strange nowadays. On that occasion a church warden resigned in protest and a mother (oddly) never took her children to church again. In our more enlightened times, young people do not rely on adults to provide or approve their recreational fun. There is Facebook. Before a recent Facebook party on the Community Association (CA) play area and School Field the CA challenged parents (and grandparents) to prevent family members attending. Police visited more than one potential teenage reveller. This follows on from vandalism at Monk Fryston School. The school council asked for apologies and explanations, a call which was not entirely ignored. A year ago Burton Salmon cricket pavilion was burnt to the ground, a case which was never solved despite the offer of a £1,000.00 reward. When there is wanton damage, intimidation of residents and offensive behaviour in public, the community is entitled to resist and insist that the perpetrators be identified and brought to book. We don't want to put the clock back fifty years - and the needs and aspirations of young people should be recognised and understood. However there has to be a two way process and the Facebook generation needs to recognize the interests and rights of all the community including the '78' record generation.
Hillam News Editor
How to bid for a Christmas bird Selby Farmers’ Poultry Auction at the Cattle Market in Bawtry Road has become quite an institution among Hillam News readers. Last year locals were among those who bid for over 600 turkeys, ducks, geese and chickens, all offered individually. Buyers fall into two categories, individuals looking for something to put on their own table and butchers with customer orders to fill.
WHICH WINE FOR THE CHRISTMAS TURKEY? So it’s turkey this year And we need to confer Over wine, as we don’t want to rough it. So we’ll first buy the bird – It’s a big one, my word! First we’ll kill it, then pluck it and stuff it. So where to begin? Well most white wine’s too thin, But you could give some thought to a Chablis. Needs a big one, mind you, So a Premier Cru Would be perfect and match up quite fably. If you’re thinking of red Then it has to be said That the flavour you’re looking to mirror, Would be smartly summed up In your glass (or your cup) With a juicy big Shiraz or Syrah. An Australian one Would be fine if it’s from The Barossa or p’raps Coonawarra; Its fruit and its spice Would be really quite nice When teamed up with the big festive sparrer. If it’s French you prefer, There’s a real cri de coeur And it comes from the north of the Rhone; It’s perfumed and fruity – A real festive beauty: Cote Rotie’s a league of its own. John Butterwick trades under the title Winetalks and runs a regular wine workshop at South Milford. John also hosts wine and dine evenings at the Spice Box, Boston Spa. More information is available at www.winetalks.co.uk @Winetalks on Twitter.
Last year prices started at around £30.00 per bird, more or less regardless of weight. This varied from five to 12 kilograms. There was a lot of interest in the family sized bird weighing about 5kg. After an hour or so the hall emptied as individual buyers had got what they wanted. That left professional bidders. On this occasion prices fell dramatically (This is not always the case) and what had previously demanded £30.00 now got knocked down for a mere £20.00. Your correspondent who had already bought a goose, a turkey and a cockerel (It turned out to be a turkey) bought two more birds. For all he knows prices fell further after he left. Bidding is straight forward and easy. You do not have to register on arrival, although butchers are issued with a numbered card. You need to decide what size of bird you want and study how bidding is conducted. It is very quick with probably three birds knocked down every minute. Do not be afraid that the auctioneer will miss you. If the bird is within your price range, put your hand up or shout. If he does not see you at first, it is because he is taking bids from others, but keep trying if you still want it. Once he is accepting bids from you, he will keep checking to see if you are still in the chase. Do not be afraid to pull out if the bird passes your price. Even if you want only one turkey, still bid for several, to indicate to the auctioneer - and more importantly the other bidders - that they cannot ‘run’ you. Your correspondent bid for a dozen birds and bought five. He was frustrated that he was under bidder on a huge goose, which went for £51.00, just £1.00 more than his final bid. When a bird has been knocked down to you, shout out your name to the clerk and go and have gourmet steak pie and mug of tea in the canteen. This will allow your purchase details to reach the cash office. It is not always easy to see the lot number but do try to note down what you paid and what sort of bird you have purchased. Then armed with your receipt, you can collect your bird. I was mystified why out of 650 lots the bidding started with lot no 510 and asked an auctioneer. He explained that prices can vary during the auction (I told you) . So once all the entries were in, a draw would be made in the interests of fairness to the sellers, to decide which lot was offered first.
This year’s sale is at 5pm on Friday Dec 21st at the Cattle Market, Bawtry Road, Selby. Hillam News is financed by Editor - David Atkinson advertising and the generosity of contributors, copiers and distributors. If you have an article for publication, please phone David Atkinson on 684577 or email dsa99uk@yahoo.co.uk Advertising enquiries to David Edwards on 682346 or exSite@talktalk.net
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