Issue 7 Winter 2012-13 Before the Rolling Stones


A reunion in early October saw nine OIs of the skiffl e generation, accompanied by their wives, celebrate their 70th birthdays together.


The old timers - Roger Porter, Bob Porter, Richard Wadwell, Tony Beale, Mick Belcham, Clive Brynley- Jones, Keith Cooper, Mick Leathers and Dave Richold - met fi rst at The Crown in Westleton for lunch, before walking to the Ship Inn at Dunwich for dinner, followed by an evening of great hilarity, and a rather late night.


Bob Porter recalled, “We were all in skiffl e groups at school, and came out of retirement to celebrate our 70th birthdays, which means that we have had a longer history than even the Rolling Stones, who have


(L to R) Rear - Mike Leathers, Mick Belcham, Keith Cooper,


Dave Richold, Bob Porter, Roger Porter. Front - Tony Beale, Richard Wadwell, Clive Brynley-Jones


only just celebrated the band’s 50th!”


Perhaps not as famous as the Stones, Bob and his twin Roger, accompanied by Dave Berriman, Stuart Letten and Ted Rayment, nevertheless appeared on TV two years after leaving school as The Deadbeats and also made a record.


Others in the reunion group, while not appearing on TV, were often to be found performing at the Tuddenham Fountain!


The band (L to R) Keith Cooper on tea chest, Clive Brynley-Jones on banjo, Richard Wadwell on guitar/vocals and Bob Porter lead guitar/vocals.


Photo courtesy of: www.adriangreenphotography.com The Big Swim


OIs Simon Rudland and Richard Hudson were key players in the third Big Deben Swim in September. Simon, founder and organiser, describes the occasion as “a wonderful event that has been blessed with fabulous weather. So far we have swum from Woodbridge to Ramsholt, Ramsholt to Woodbridge and, this year, from Waldringfi eld to Felixstowe Ferry, a distance of 10 km.”


The Big Deben Swim focuses on raising awareness of this unique estuary


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and raising support for the Deben Estuary Partnership, which works to conserve its special qualities for future generations. “This year we have already raised over £1,400 towards our target of £2,500,” said Simon.


The event is run by a team composed entirely of volunteers, and promotes open-water swimming as an accessible and healthy form of exercise. It is not a race, so swimmers set off in groups of between 6 and 10 depending on ability, with two support canoes and a medic just in case! Over 70 swimmers


from across the country applied to take part, but numbers were restricted to 45 for safety reasons. Those who took part, all of whom had been assessed for competency, were in the water for over 2 hours. Wet-suit-clad, they had had to start early in the day because of the tide, and encountered mist as they entered the wonderfully calm water.


For more information, visit www.thebigswim.info or email theteam@thebigswim.info.


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