10 Years Ago: March 3, 2000

IT was a day to remember when a Sonning Common girl celebrated her fifth birthday with a marriage proposal. Susannah Waftkett was leaping for joy when her boyfriend, Dave Tilbury, popped the question on February 29, leap year day. The happy couple are yet to set a date as Susannah plans to be the youngest archaeology student at the University of Reading in the spring.

Henley Town Council has presented Martyn Arbib with a silver rose bowl in recognition of his service and generosity to the community. The presentation was made at a reception at the town hall. Mr Arbib founded Perpetual, now a leading investment company, in Henley in 1974. Presenting the bowl, the Mayor, Councillor James Turner, said: “Mr Arbib has kept his activities in the town and has generously supported many good causes.”

A campaign to raise £200,000 for the Shiplake and Dunsden churches has had a stunning start with £6,250 raised in one night at the first 100 Dinner held at Shiplake College. Organisers of the Shiplake and Dunsden Millennium Appeal launched the evening with a champagne reception before the diners moved into the college’s grand hall for a dinner created by TV chef Antony Worrall Thompson. The guest speaker was Chay Blyth.



25 Years Ago: March 8, 1985

RESIDENTS have given a unanimous “no” for the second time to a proposal by Berkshire County Council to grab the South Oxfordshire villages of Sonning Common, Mapledurham, Kidmore End, Peppard and Eye and Dunsden. About 200 made their views clear at a public meeting at Sonning Common village hall. The meeting was addressed by the Mayor of Reading, Ron Jewitt, who was howled down as he tried to make out a case for Berkshire’s aims.

Police in Henley may soon have two spaces outside the town hall in which to park their vehicles so that they won’t have to wait on double yellow lines because there is nowhere else to go. David Walden told the town council that the availability of the spaces depended on South Oxfordshire District Council.

Some members of the Phyllis Court Club feel cheated by the management who want to pull down a row of garages they rent out to members. “The club is robbing a minority of its members of an important facility and it appears they have no plans to relocate the garages,” said district and town councillor Tony Lane. He has been approached by the seven members who rent the garages as they prepare to fight the club.



50 Years Ago: March 4, 1960

ALL tickets for the midnight matinee showing at the Regal Cinema on March 25 of Sink The Bismarck have been sold and it is regretted that no further applications can be entertained. As the net profits are to be devoted to charitable causes, including World Refugee Year, the organisers, the Henley Rotary Club, would be glad to receive donations in lieu of ticket money from those unable to attend the performance.

The winner of round one so far as Henley post office is concerned is Miss Annette M Del Lungo, of Gainsborough Crescent. In this round of the competition, telephonists are selected for speech and appearance only. The selected candidate from each head postmaster’s district goes forward to round two, which takes place at the telephone manager’s office.

Two recent happy events in the royal family were referred to at Tuesday’s meeting of Henley Town Council when the Mayor, Cllr T L Easby, reported that he had sent, on behalf of the town, telegrams of congratulations to the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on the birth of their son and to Princess Margaret on her engagement to Antony Armstrong-Jones. The Mayor recalled the gracious memories the Queen had left in Henley when she visited the town in April last year.



100 Years Ago: March 4, 1910

DURING the last few weeks there have been many instances of the excellent way the river is managed by the Thames Conservancy. The heavy rainfall made floods very probable but the Conservancy grasped the situation well and in Henley at any rate the floods have not been of a very serious nature. It is true the water has been high. Last weekend, for instance, the river was four feet above the summer level at Henley.

The body of an unkown man, evidently of the tramp class, was pulled out of the river at Henley this morning. He was first seen by the gardener of the Grosvenor Club near the club premises on the Remenham side of the river and when he was pulled out of the water life was extinct. The body, which had evidently been in the water for some time, was handed over to Berkshire police.

Valentine Fleming, the wife of the member for South Oxfordshire, received a tribute of appreciation for her service to the Unionist cause during the recent election at a large gathering in Henley town hall on Saturday evening. All those who saw anything of the recent election in the division will agree that no lady could have worked harder than Mrs Fleming.