Great Job Berni

New Mayor of Rye, Jon Breeds has Hard Act to Follow

By Jim Hollands

There have been many good people who have held the unique position of Mayor of Rye within my memory.

I knew many of them personally. In the old days of the Borough Council it was a very powerful position and great Mayors of the calibre of Alfred Horner, Phil Ellis and John Hacking made great improvements that enhanced the amazing town that we and our visitors love

Since 1973, when Rother District Council took over the town and most of the assets, the position of Mayor of Rye became more of a ceremonial position. Rye Town Council lost all it’s powers to Rother. True they have an ‘advisory’ job, but in practice this has meant approval of porches, conservatories and other small building proposals are rubber stamped by Rother but big projects like the new builds of Valley Park, which were vehemently opposed by Rye Town Council, were forced through by Rother. Continue reading Great Job Berni

PEN & INK

Dear Editor

As the one who wrote about Joe Hatter, I feel I must reply to Mrs Levett Fuller’s letter in the April edition of Rye’s Own.

The man at the bottom of Spring Steps was another Mr Hatter, Grandfather to John Hatter, the owner of the taxi firm of Rye Motors, and there was another Mr Hatter who lived on The Strand and also caught and sold shrimps, (all types of cousins even distant). Continue reading PEN & INK

All Our Yesterdays

Who were the driving forces in the town forty years ago? Who were in power at Rye Town Hall in 1965? What was it like to live in a democratic Rye that ran its own affairs and was responsible for its own planning? 1965 and ’66 were great years for Rye. Continue reading All Our Yesterdays

A Time for Common Sense

The time has come for our police and those that control them to stop playing games and get on with the job they are paid to do.

There has been an endless cry from the police for new resources and an even louder wail from politicians that the force is underfunded as though throwing money at a failing organisation can be any answer.

The resources are there for all to see, the problem is they are being used incorrectly and with little or no imagination. There are more policemen operating in Sussex today than there were in 1966. The problem is they have been Continue reading A Time for Common Sense

Down Rye Way – John Hacking

W. J. Hacking

By Nan King

The name of Hacking has been associated with the town of Rye as long as most residents can remember, and when William John Hacking was installed as Mayor on 24 May 1965. he was following on a family tradition of service to the Borough as his father had been a member of Rye Council from 1912 to 1919 (though away on active service through the war years) and his mother became the first lady councillor in 1926. and the first lady to be elected as an alderwoman in 1945.

When he became Mayor. he stressed that the prosperity of the Borough depended on Rye continuing to thrive as a market town, and that it was the surrounding farming community that were important, as it was these people who provided the Continue reading Down Rye Way – John Hacking

The Queen’s Visit to Rye

EDITORIAL…

This is a very special “Rye’s Own.” On October 28th an event of almost unprecedented importance happened to the Ancient Cinque Port Town of Rye—Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, paid an official visit to our ancient borough. Continue reading The Queen’s Visit to Rye