October 2024 - Magazine - Page 33
M
emories of the 1987 Hurricane as recalled by members at the October meeting.
An outing to the Isle of Wight with friends still went ahead despite the storm.
The roads to Portsmouth were tricky but they eventually arrived at the ferry and
the crossing was calm. When they arrived at the holiday camp there was no
electricity and no heating. They had their meal by candlelight and the ice cream
was warmer than the soup. Everywhere was pitch black, they hadn’t thought
of bringing a torch. They drove to Sandown and found the pier had gone. The
crossing on the way back was uneventful.
One member was living in Hong Kong and was unaware that there was a storm
until a relative in England told them that all the trees had blown down.
Six weeks from giving birth a member was left on her own as her husband was
working away. A lovely oak tree survived but other trees had blown down. Her
husband couldn’t get back and at that time there were no mobile phones but she
managed and gave birth with no problems.
Everywhere was chaotic so this member decided to make a Christmas cake. Her
husband had been away and when he came back he was shocked as all the roads
were blocked by fallen trees but a tree in her garden slowly righted itself.
At a park in Addington near Maidstone all the trees fell down but fortunately into
the park. Relatives up north couldn’t believe the devastation. Power was cut off for
up to two weeks.
Another member walked with her father from Colts Hill to Crittenden Road and
stepped over fifteen fallen trees.
So many tales to tell and some of them quite humorous! This was followed by a
quiz to test our knowledge!!!
Matfield WI members often have outings to places of interest. The photo above
is from a visit to Chatham Dockyard where a group enjoyed a tour of the location
where ‘Call the Midwife’, a popular TV series, was filmed.
The next meeting will be on the 6th November at Matfield Village Hall where
Tony Harris, a popular speaker, will regale us with ‘An Evening with Mrs Thatcher’.
All welcome.
Sue Hollings
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