ATTERSON WITH CHRIS BARBEROttilie Patterson just won ‘t fade away. This exceptional jazz singer from Comber took the world by storm when she joined the Chris Barber band in the 50s. She had a voice like liquid dark chocolate a woman who sang with her soul and her eyes. She expressed every word and the sound she made was thrilling. There have been many articles, films and stage presentations about the ‘wee blond girl from Co.Down’ and last night at Studio 1A in Bangor, Philip Johnston’s play drew a full house and prolonged applause.
They say you know a good party when the guests refuse to leave and it was like that after the rehearsed reading performed by Rosaleen Agnew. We gathered in groups to continue to hear stories about our Ottilie who came from Comber but never really left. Philip, best known as an international PhD Dr. of dance and theatre, drew out the story of how she found the courage to travel to London nearly 70 years ago and talked the Barber band into giving her a chance to sing with them; it was after a show and most of them had packed up and were about to head home but the pianist was last to leave the stage and she sweet talked him into playing and by the time she had finished her song other band members were on stage and a session began.
They were thrilled with her and it was the first step on her journey to stardom. I was fixated by Ottilie Patterson and her husband and I was proud to host her during an Ulster Cancer Foundation charity visit to Belfast in 1989 and Philip’s script and Rosleen’s excellent story telling, punctuated with Ottilie’s own soulful voice in crystal clear recordings and photographs to match, I found very emotional. It hit the spot and I gloried in the memories. It left us wanting more and I hope Philip will go on to develop this reading into a play, the story is there to be told and he’s the man to tell it.
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What a terrible few days. The tragedy in Moscow is unbearable to read about and the death total rises all the time and conspiracy theories begin. Listening to the video posts is chilling, the gunshots echoing through the hall, the screams of the people, the noise of rescue vehicles and the sight of the fire taking hold and spreading trapping people inside. The Crocus Concert Hall sounds so elegant and no doubt hosted many special and spectacular events but this was turned on its head with, apparently, the onslaught of the Islamic State. The US embassy in Moscow warned of a potential terror attack but it fell on deaf ears when the Kremlin dismissed this as provocation intended to destabilised Russian society.
The news that the Princess of Wales is being treated for cancer came as a shock on top of the shock of Charles also having the disease. This time 24 years ago I had that diagnoses so my heart goes out to the young woman and my sincere hope that she will recover soon and get back to an enjoyable life. With every pain she’ll wonder if it’s back, the fear never goes away but she will keep positive if only for her children. Her appearance on television was very impressive there was no edit and although she was probably reading from an autocue she was very pale, polished and sincere. It must have been a very airless day, did you notice not one of the daffodils or tulips or leaves moved, perhaps it was a blow up photo and the garden bench placed in front. Makes sense as her hair would be blowing round if there was even a slight breeze. This is not meant to be a conspiracy theory just an observation. I find it so distracting watching the likes of the first and deputy first ministers being interviewed outside Stormont trying to control their hair. What’s with all this long hair, you rarely see a girl with nice short haircut these days, fashion is a wonderful ever changing thing.
A Window On The World.
Once upon a time in the days of Ulster Television’s Ask Anne, I worked with Deane Houston of the Belfast Blind Centre and when he mentioned that there was a shortage of spectacles in countries like India and Bangladesh, we decided to have an appeal. The props boys made up a tall container and we put it in the studio foyer and invited the public to donate. And we weren’t disappointed, there was a constant stream of men, women and children until the container had been filled three or four times over; on one of the following programmes we unveiled the numbers and styles, members of staff modelled them from Dame Edna Everage examples to John Lennon specs and all in between, ancient and modern. They were all, hundreds of them, handed over to Deane and both the public and the charity were delighted with the successful results of the appeal.
Now scroll on about seven years.
I travelled to Bangladesh with Concern Worldwide and on the day I arrived in the capital Dhaka I saw one of our specs on an old man walking along with a grandchild. What a thrill. But that wasn’t all. They were all over the place, worn with pride and providing a new view on the world. What a result, taking what was surplus to the owners Northern Ireland and recycled for those with poor vision.
The same thing goes on in Newcastle Co. Down.
Spring Clean For Charity
This time not only specs for passing on but bicycles, sewing machines and tools, you name it and the local Lions Club will accept them, give them the once over and dispatch them on to the Developing World.
Dan O’Reilly explained about the annual appeal for recyclable materials.
“Once again the Lions are appealing for material that would in the past have gone to land fill. As the material can now be reused, this will help people in the developing world gain employment and improve their self image. The Lions accept donations including adult bicycles, good or in need of repair, spectacles with cases if possible, sewing machines, electrical or treadle and all kinds of tools broken or good.”
In the past such projects have been well supported by local people so much so that Dan now visits Lion’s clubs all over Ireland – and there are 90 of them – to encourage them to do the same thing. Recently the club had to organise two truck trips to Dublin to cope with the number of donations.
President Liz Murphy has ensured that the Newcastle club has insurance cover and secured donations of two lorries to take the material to the Belfast based Bike Aid Africa and Downpatrick’s Tools for Solidarity where volunteers clean and sharpen and make them up into tool kits. The bicycles are repaired and smartened up and then go by truck to Malawi, and the sewing machines are serviced, some used for spare parts, and taken to Tanzania and Madagascar; during the last appeal they received 45 machines.
Sharing a Window On The World
Every three months boxes of glasses are dispatched via DPD Courier’s to France where opticians measure and clean them and Lions clubs around the world can draw from this bank of spectacles for their own charity work.
The Newcastle Lions Club has an enviable record for supporting charity.
At Christmas they raised £3,000.00 with donations going to the Children’s Hospice and another to help homeless people. Senior citizens have also benefited as have a suicide support group and the club maintains 10 defibrillators in the Newcastle area, This is a very active club when it comes to supporting charity but it is also a very social gathering enjoying each others company and so members overcome the possibility of boredom or isolation.
Yesterday was an open day for donations to be deposited at the AIB Bank but if you do have items you think the Lions would appreciate, get in touch. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to pass on something you have found useful to someone else, think blood as well as sewing machines.
Contact www.lionsnewcastlecodown.org
Shelling Out For Slugs And Snails
Another completely different type of recycling but also with beneficial results is the idea of collecting and crushing eggshells. Instead of throwing them away keep them and then pound them Into powder and use them to sprinkle on the soil around plants, especially tomato plants as this provides calcium to the roots and so prevents blossom end rot. I will be doing this because having blossom end is very upsetting! Apart from adding calcium in the soil and so feeding the plant, the slugs and snails hate having to crawl over crushed eggshells. Boiled eggs can be painted for Easter and then crushed so everyone wins.