Should we move the Goalposts?
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Should we move the Goalposts?
From the Barwicker No. 93
March 2009
Both the Editorial Committee and the main Society Committee do their utmost to find items for either The Barwicker or our regular meetings which are Barwick related, or at least have a connection to the immediate area. However at the end of 2008 we held two meetings which were not necessarily connected to Barwick. Martin Tarpey and I organised a General Topics meeting covering the subject ‘Everyone has a history’ in which we encouraged members to talk about their experiences at school, in the war, shopping, work days etc. At another meeting members were encouraged to bring and speak about a family heirloom/treasure which meant something to them. I think I can honestly say that both these meetings were a huge success with everyone taking part in one way or another.
Just one thing I would like to share with you which came out of the heirloom meeting. At the meeting I had two items in my bag, and when the meeting commenced I hadn’t made up my mind which one I was going to speak about. One was connected to Barwick, the other belonged to my Grandfather when he lived in Ashton-under-Lyne. Two seconds before it was my turn I decided on my grandfather’s book.
Speaking just after me was Arthur Bantoft who brought a programme card in connection with an evening held at Droylsden about a 100 years ago, which involved a friend of his fathers. This same person had taught Arthur music at Audenshaw Grammar School.
I can imagine you thinking ‘ok, so what? Never heard of Droylsden or Audenshaw what have they got to do with Barwick?’ Well as it stands absolutely nothing. However Arthur happened to mention that his parents had married at the Red Hall Methodist New Connexion Chapel in Audenshaw and he had been baptised there. Unknown to Arthur my Grandparents had also been married there. If all these connected events had taken place in a large city centre church no one would have thought much about it, but the chances of them happening in an obscure out of the way Lancashire town in a non-conformist chapel just made me realise how connected we are to each other. I am sure there are other ‘coincidences’ which came out of one or both the meetings and if anyone knows of something please get in touch.
So to answer the question posed by the heading of this short article, no I don’t think for one minute we should move the goal posts but it doesn’t hurt to do so once in a while. Who knows what we might find out the next time we do?
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