News And Gossip Pages
By Jim Hollands
Great Job Rye Harbour Boat Owners Association put on a grand show to commemorate the 200th. Anniversary of Horatio Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar.
The Strand was awash with red white and blue flags that decorated every boat moored. The weather was kind, the crowds were happy and everything came together to make it a family day out.
Lets have something like this every year, Rye is an historic port and needs to keep a close contact with its past if it is to prosper in the future. Perhaps the event could incorporate a regatta with all sorts of boat races on the river as happened throughout the latter part of the 19th Century up to Edwardian times. An event that embraces those that live in the town. It may be that the event could ‘spill’ over onto terra firma and include athletic, even cycle races again. There seem to be many more folk about with the will and ability to organise than there have been for many years.
Connie Lindqvist Retrospective
Peter Etherden has asked Heidi Foster to take on the daunting task of putting together an exhibition that captures the enormous range of Connie’s work as an artist in Rye between 1972 and 2002.
The Rye Community Centre has been booked for Saturday 10th December 2005.. probably with a private showing from 12 to 2pm and then open to the public from then until 5pm.
Peter has asked me to encourage readers who own pieces of Connie’s work and who would be prepared to loan them for the exhibition, to get in touch with Heidi Foster at 28 Lucas Shadwell Way, Rye Harbour, TN31 7HZ. Telephone 01797 229103; email: [email protected] They are particularly looking for samples of the vertical ware (jugs, vases etc) that Connie did for Iden Pottery from 1998 to 2002…the Sussex and Kent scenes with sheep and oast houses which were very popular but produced in very limited numbers.. (.eBay dealers take note!).
However samples and/or photographs of the hundreds of house plaques all over Rye that Connie produced for David Sharp Pottery would also be very welcome and could make for a nice ‘people’s display’…
Connie Lindqvist also carried out many private commissions of watercolours for customers in and around Rye…and kept hardly any of this work (and very few copies either). She tended to sell her work ‘straight from the easel’ (if not before). In practice she was a perfectionist when it came to research for a historical Rye picture, a Romney Marsh church or a boat in the Rye Fishing Fleet.
Connie has been sadly missed in our community since her untimely death in 2002. This exhibition will be a poignant reminder of her great variety and of the quality of her work.
Amazing Fact I was amazed to learn from Councillor John Izod that elected Rye Councillors are not, under law, allowed to represent their electorate in matters concerning the new licensing laws! We elect our Councillors to represent us but it seems that they have their hands tied whichever way they look. Rother has the whip hand in most Rye affairs but even when it comes to matters that Rother do not have jurisdiction over, Rye’s elected body is not able to help. What kind of democracy is this?
Talking of Democracy
Talking of democracy, I have been asked when the ‘Democracy for Rye Group’ are coming up with their plan for a return of democracy to Rye. It seems that an outline plan has already been drawn up and will be presented at a Public Meeting open to all the people of Rye towards the end of October.
Their aspiration is for a return to Borough status. At this meeting everyone will be invited to join the cause and lead a movement which may well have far reaching effects. The group aim to stop intrusion into Rye affairs, such as knocking down of headstones in our cemetery, closing of our toilets, wasting our money, making plans for our Town and controlling our properties. Any money allocated to Rye should be spent on projects decided by our council.
Everyone attending will be invited to lend their support Let us come together to regain reputation and honour for Rye.
“Rye’s Own” September 2005
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