Southall 830-1982

Richard J. Meads

 

1981-82

 

On the 22nd September Dr Rhodes Boyson, Under Secretary for Education, officially opened the new Hamborough School, South Road -

Headmistress, Mrs B. Frost. Mr David retired as Headmaster of Featherstone Road Middle School.

 

On the 21st October a Sixth Form Centre, built on stilts to save space, costing £125,000 was opened by Ealing Mayor Lady Henniker-Heaton at Villiers High School.

 

Mr Peter Coomber, retired Town Clerk, received the CBE from the Queen.

 

At the end of October Mr Hilton retired as Parks Superintendant, and his successor - Mr Trevor Preston. Plans to build a £3m Sikh Temple in Havelock Road have been approved.

 

A new building for Social Work was built and opened in Bridge Road.

 

At the beginning of December fire destroyed a Sports Centre and Children's Playcentre at the end of Green Drive — valued at £40,000.

 

Unemployed in the town at the end of 1981 was 10,495.

 

The worst fall of snow for 31 years occurred between 10th and 14th December. The very cold weather carried on until January 17th, 1982. On the night of January 7/8th temperatures were the lowest ever recorded in the town. The bad weather will cost the ratepayers about £200,000. Over 4,000 tons of salt were used. Southall Fire Services dealt with over 1,300 calls in 1981 - several large fires.

 

For the first time in its history, Southall Town Hall will no longer be used to register births and deaths.

 

The death, on January 22nd, 1982, of Life Peer Lord George Pargiter, aged 85. Formerly an employee of the AEC, he served as a Councillor for several years, becoming Mayor 1939-40-41. A County Councillor from 1934 to 1950, when he was elected Southall's Member of Parliament. He retired in 1966 and was made a Life Peer.

 

How low have we become when it was discovered that thieves have stolen the bronze statue of a soldier from the Featherstone Road School War Memorial.

 

On Friday, 26th February, Mr Heseltine, Environment Minister, visited Southall and inspected the Dominion Cinema area. He also came again on Wednesday, 3rd March, when he announced the Government backing for a £1.8 million scheme to turn it into a new Community Centre. He had a very stormy reception.

 

Top left wing MP Eric Heffer came and made a speech at Southall Technical on Wednesday evening, the 20th March.

 

In March the Police released figures of crime in Southall in 1981 and they were 20% up. What are we coming to?

 

Assault                                    380  - up 66

Robbery and violent theft          199  - up 107

Burglary                               1,896  - up 18

Auto crimes                          2,583  - up 4

Other Thefts                         1,134  - up 8

Fraud                                     215  - up 15

Criminal damage                   1,614  - up 20

 

and the Gazette continues to report more crime each week.

Gwilym Evans and his wife, Esther, celebrated their Diamond Wedding on the 18th March. He was Branch Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union for 40 years. They are both aged 81.

 

The rates have been fixed at 10% more than in 1981. How can this be avoided when such things as £50,000 had to be spent due to the flooding of the deep shelter in South Road, £33,000 had to be spent on vandalism on the Golf Links Estate, and arson at three schools has cost over £10,000?

 

But all is not bad - £400 was handed over by Stanhope School for the Mentally Handicapped and the Black Dog collected £250 for the equipment for a holiday caravan for the disabled and an American gentleman has given 1,000 dollars to St Bernards League of Friends.

 

Civic Trust awards were presented to Ealing Architects for the outlay plans of Wolf School, Southall. Early April saw the start of the King Street Bypass. A new Sikh Temple has been opened in Oswald Road. It took two years to build and has cost over 1 million pounds. It can seat 2,000. They also plan to build a Sikh Library in Southall Broadway.

 

Cliff Richards, rock superstar, paid a visit to Villiers High School on April 28th and gave a talk on his life, and then entertained them. On Thursday, 29th April HRH the Prince of Wales visited Southall. He opened newly built warehouses at the Quaker Oat Factory and then visited SCOPE in Western Road, and, after lunch, toured the National Industrial Training Centre in Havelock Road. He was given a great reception.

 

Six Southall men ran in the second London Marathon - three were sponsored.

 

At the Council Elections on Thursday, 6th May — elected:

Dormers Wells — S. Hopkins, W. Sharma, R. Dheer; Northcote — S. Gill,

H. Graham, D. Harris, Mount Pleasant -- B. Deol, S. Cheesman, S. Bird,

Glebe — D. Sohata, R. Pathak, P. Sennett; Waxlow — M. Elliott, J. Clements, G. Singh.

 

The 1982/3 Mayor Ealing is Councillor N. Pointing.

 

Southall's unemployment figures 28th May were, 4,269. This increased to 4,376 in June.

 

A fourteen year old girl, Sammy Harris of Ellison Gardens, although deaf won a Gold Medal at the British Arts Award Contest.

 

In June it was reported that Clifton Road School was overcrowded. Headmistress G. Shipton stated that a Nursery Play Area was needed.

 

The new clinic in Featherstone Road received its first patient on 28th June. He was Steve Dass, aged 9.

The GLC have offered ¾million pounds to Southall Community Project to help the unemployed.

 

The BBC Songs of Praise Programme was filmed at St Johns Church on the 8th July. The congregation was made up of the combined churches.

 

Miss Gregson retired from North Road School after being there for 41 years. Presentations were made at a party on Tuesday, 20th July.