Inner Wheel Christmas Collection Hilldene Shopping Centre
From Saint to Sinner . A
phone call from Inner Wheel President Pat King,
on Friday 4th December, saw me elevated to Saint status when I agreed to help Hero Jim Haines put the Father Christmas trailer into position at the Hilldene Shopping Centre on Saturday 5th. December. Being an eager little beaver I got to the shops nice and early, standing by the ramp outside Iceland's , ready to leap into action as soon as Jim pulled up. It had crossed my mind, as the time ticked away, that I remembered being told last year that the trailer was positioned on the opposite side of the road to the Iceland store. This being the case I was now equally ready to dash across the road to do ' the necessary' there. As the clocked ticked past the agreed time of 10 o'clock I was beginning to think that maybe our Jim was caught up somewhere in traffic. I was just about to start pacing up and down when I heard the strains of Kenny Ball coming from the end of the road. I quickened my pace and to my horror saw that Father Christmas was already set up and Jim ,decked out in his Rotary tabard, was already shaking his bucket. With my tail between my legs I began my stuttering apol- ogy while Jim mumbled things
about his back and the awkwardness of after getting the trailer up the ramp- from Saint to Sinner in ten minutes. How did I make ‗amends‘ I donned a tabard and began shaking my own bucket. A feeble gesture I know but COME ON , what would you have done? I also offered to come back at 2 o'clock to help Jim hitch the trailer up at the end of the day. I did manage to get there on time and the operation went without a hitch. ( I may have just about got back in his
good books!) I referred to our intrepid Rotarian earlier as Hero Jim, and I do not do so lightly, because apart from collecting the horned animal from Eric Knight's farm and then stabling said reindeer at the end of the day, he stayed by the side of old Rudolph from 10 am until 2pm.Well done Jim, I just hope that efforts of the Inner Wheel ladies and the few men who helped out was well rewarded because despite the sun shining all day without one
drop of rain, there did not seem to be lot of people about..Oh Yes, I think I worked out my little problem. Opposite the trailer on one of the corners of the shopping parade, was a large shop all boarded up. Upon enquiring as to what the shop was ,I was informed that last year it was Iceland and since then they had re-located down the road in the old Woolworth store! I didn't feel quite so bad after that but by then it was too late- damage done!
Story supplied by George Larkey 9
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