downsmail.co.uk Ian Durbin
IAN Durbin (78),who lived formore than 40 years in East Farleigh,waswell known locally after a long and successful career in insurance inMaidstone High Street. Ianwas born in Bromley in 1939 and was educated at Eddington House, Herne Bay, and Clarks College, Bromley. Hewas one of the lastmen to be called up for National Service, and served for 18months in the Royal Navy. He began hisworking lifewith
Royal Insurance,moved to RTC Insurance, and later ran his own company,Mid Kent Insurance Serviceswith hiswife Ruth from1982 to
1997.After selling his business, Ian retired in 2005. Ianwas father toAndrew, Simon, and
Paul andmarried to Ruth for 53 years. Ian is remembered by his family and friends for his energy and optimism. Ian loved to travel, particularly to
maintain family tieswith his late father, stepmother, and his brothers and sisters in America, enjoyingmany visits to California and other parts of the US. He leaves hiswife, sons, grandchildren, and a great grandchild.
Jeanee Howes THE death in Swindon has been announced of former Bearsted and Barming resident Jeanee Howes (84). Born JeaneeWhitaker, in Bearsted, she
aended ThurnhamSchool, Bearsted School (on the site of the present library building) andMaidstone Technical School. Jeanee startedwork in the catering
industry before joining The Royal Insurance Company inMaidstone,which she had to leave in 1957 due to her forthcomingmarriage to Keith (itwas policy not to employmarriedwomen). Jeanee became amother toMartin and
Philippa,who said: “My parents lived in Barming from1957 to 1975 beforemoving to the Roseacre
estate.Mymotherwas the perfect and aentive home-makerwho could turn her hand to any task. Her hobbies included floristry,watercolour
painting, embroidery andmany craft activities. “Shewas involvedwith several
organisations including theWI and Bearsted Local History Society andwas an activemember of BearstedMethodist Church. She also helped outwith the Brownies andGuides.” Widowed in 1993, Jeaneemoved to
Swindon in 2014 to bewith her daughter, who she leaves, and five grandchildren. Her sonMartin pre-deceased her.
Joy Sage
THE death has been reported of former local head teacher Joy Sage (79). Born in Lamberhurst, Joyworked in the local area as a teacher and – eventually – deputy head ofAllington Primary School, from 1982 to 1999. Joy leaves her husband Roger and sons Barry and Colin.
BrendaHarris
BRENDA Harris (85), ofWeavering,met with outstanding sporting successes. Slight in stature but high in natural ball
talent, in her youth she excelled at netball (representing Brighton and Hove High School), hockey and tennis. But her fortewas
golf.With a handicap in her prime of 5 she metwithmany competitive successes as amember of Bearsted Golf Club. She and husband Tim joined in 1970, she
was ladies’ captain in 1985 and supported Timas President from2007 to 2010. Her early careerwaswith an estate
agent in Barclays Bank in Brighton, but aftermarriage in 1956, Tim’s business brought themtoMaidstone, first to Willington Street and then toWeavering. Brendawas a volunteerwith Save the
Children, helped in theirMaidstone shop for 28 years and only her illness prevented presentation of a certificate by Princess Anne last year. She helpedwith patient trolleys inMaidstone Hospital for 14 years. Shewas also a keenmember of Maidstone’s InnerWheel.
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36 Maidstone April 2018 She leaves Tim, children Debbie,
Andrew, Julie and Stuart, eight grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
SylviaAnn Prior
SYLVIAAnn Prior (79) lived in Vinters Park for 45 years. Born Sylvia Kirrage in Lambeth, south London, she grewup in the capital andmarried husband Fred. Sheworked as a seamstress, including forMarks & Spencer, beforemoving locally, fromNewMalden, Surrey,when Fred got a job inAshford. Sylvia raised
children Tina, Steven and Kevin and also worked for Unigate – presenting a range of food items in local
supermarkets – and school cleaning. Fred said: “Sylvia had the kind of
generosity that overwhelmed people and a smile that could light up a room. She could talk to anyone fromanywalk of life. Outside of her family –who always
came first in her life – she loved her garden and being among her flowers.” Sylvia leaves her husband, children,
seven grandchildren and three great- grandchildren.
PatriciaWakefield
PATRICIA “Pat”Wakefield (83) (nee Parfi) lived inAllington for 16 years and was resident locally from1964when she and husband Johnmoved to Barming from Hayes End in Middlesex for John’s job. The pairwere
married for 56 years andwere parents to Steven and Tracy. Aftr bringing up her
children Pat returned towork, finding employment for
several years as a school dinner lady at Barming school and also as award clerk when the newMaidstone Hospital opened John said: “Patwas good at baking and
sewing andwas a very giving and caring person. She always looked after her family,who always came first.” Pat leaves her husband and children.
THE STONE SHOP EAST FARLEIGH
• MEMORIALS MANUFACTURED AND INSTALLED
• ADDITIONAL INSCRIPTIONS • CLEANING AND REFURBISHMENT
01622 726633 FREE CAR PARK NEXT TO SHOP There is no charge for our obituary service. Call Neil Nixon on 01622 630422 or email
nlnxn@aol.com
downsmail.co.uk Barming
Allotment rentsMembers agreed to a 25% increase,meaning rentswill be £25, £12.50 and £6.25 for a full, half and quarter plot. Pavillionworks The decoratingwas now complete and a noticewould be put up reminding visitors to respect the property. Work on themain hall flooring had started. Parishmeeting The annual parishmeeting will be onApril 16 at the pavilion at 7.30pm, after the full councilmeeting at 6.30pm. Laptop purchase Itwas agreed to purchase a laptop and theMicrosoft office programs needed. Stormdrains Stormdrains around the parish needed cleaning out asweedswere causing flooding. The clerkwas to contact KCCHighways. Playground Funding for playground equipment at the parish fieldwas discussed.A quote of £25,000 for a set-up similar to the current one had been obtained and the clerkwas to contact other companies for further quotes. Branches The oak tree by Cedar Drive needed to be removed and quotations for theworkwere requested, togetherwith quotes for the tree by the parish field car park. Funding scheme Cllr Vizzard had a�ended a KentAssociation of Local Councils (KALC)meetingwhere itwas confirmed therewill be a year on year reduction on the Parish Service Scheme Funding,which would need to be taken into account in future budgets.Minor planning applicationswill have a deadline of eight weeks. Barming Rise A residentwho registered an interest in a property at Barming Rise had been told of plans for further development. The councilwas unaware of any such developments. Clerk report The handle on the parish hall door had been installed and a carpenter would be reclamping the door and refurbishing the information board by the
river.Advice on fire alarms at the parish hall and pavilionwas awaited fromKent Fire Service. The clerk had a�ended the Data Protection course andwas due to receive a toolkit fromKALC.
A TWO-person Galaxy kayak, in green/brown camouflage colouring,was stolen fromthe roof of aMercedes Sprinter van parked in a car park in Hayle Road. AVitusNucleus 275 cycle and a black
cyclewere stolen froma garage inNorth Street, Barming. An Indian Runner duck and awhite
chickenwere stolen froma shed in South Park Road. ASamsungmobile phone and a tools
were stolenwhen a Vauxhall van parked in St Peters Streetwas broken into. Fishing equipmentwas taken froma shed
inWoodbridgeDrive. Computing equipmentwas stolen during
a break-in at a house in Tonbridge Road. AHonda 100 outboardmotorwas stolen
froma boat parked on a driveway in Queens Road. An iPad, a Canon camera and a Sekonda
watchwere stolenwhen a house in Buckland Roadwas broken into.
Loose
Rubbish Rubbish in Rosemount Closewas reported. It had been removed and shrubbery had been taken down. Quiet Lane The Quiet Lane scheme appeared to have been abandoned, but clarificationwas requested. Waste bin The parish council agreed to purchase and install a bin in Bray Gardens, whichwould need to be adopted byMBC. Beer BarnNoise fromthe brewerywas discussed. This had become amajor problem,with summer events leading to
complaints.AsMBC needed evidence of the problemif it is to act, the council agreed to ask residents to report any complaints directly toMBC. Chequers noiseNoise fromthemonthly livemusic events at the Chequerswould be monitored. School parking The council hadmetwith Loose Primary School regarding parking at either end of the school day.A further visit would be arranged to see if therewas a possibility of an in and out driveway. Metal detectingA request formetal detecting on council landwas rejected. Swiss Scouts Swiss Loose Scouts advised that donations had been received to cover the cost of the repair to the railings; they will also repair the recent damage to the road railings. The group had set up a woodland scheme and following consultationwith the Forestry Commission were to remove some trees fromQuarry Wood and plant newones. Neighbourhood Plan Loose Neighbourhood Planwould be ratified, subject to changes recommended byMBC. SMART update The group had compiled 12 “hard-hi�ing” questions for KCC and MBC regarding the transport issues in the area. Speedwatch fundingwas to be provided by county councilllor Paul Cooper and the equipment had been ordered. Ten volunteers had taken part in and passed the training course. Brooks Field Plans for the shed in Brooks Fieldwere approved subject to the planning commi�ee reviewing themonce they have been registeredwithMBC. McAlpine Trust The vacancy for the
McAlpine Trust Trusteeshipwas discussed. Parishmeeting The agenda for the 124th annual parishmeeting onApil 25will take the same format as last year. The clerkwas towrite to all groups concerned. Therewill also be a defibrillator demonstration. Loose Views LooseNewswill in future be a double-page spread bi-monthly in the In andAround Loosemagazine. Resignation CllrMalcolmSummers had resigned due to health and family issues. Hewas thanked for all of his hardwork.
Tovil
Borough report Some street lampswere in need of hardware repairs and trimming workwas in progress on the trees in St Stephen’s churchyard. Other updates The bus shelter glass had been replaced and the noticeboard at Postley Road junction installed. The eucalyptus tree at Lower Tovil had been coppiced and a replacement treewas to be on the agenda at the nextmeeting. Nature reserve The planning application for a tractor shed atHayle ParkNature Reserve had been approvedwithout going beforeMBC’s Planning Commi�ee. Fete A revised date for the fetewas Saturday July 21 as the previous date clashedwith the Big Day Out inMote Park. Donation A donation of £50would be made to FiveAcreWood,with a review after the fete. Newsleer The newsle�erwould be published inApril, July, September and November. The possibility of an emergency newsle�er should a very important issue occurwas also noted. Car park Itwas agreed to back the reduction of thewaiting time in the Church Street car park to one hour per visit. The clerkwas asked to contactMBC parking services concerning this. Burial groundAn application for a scheme to deter pavement parking on Burial Ground Lanewas agreed. The renovation of the rearwallwas discussed, and deferred while the need for the renovationswas investigated. The lease was to be on theMarch agenda.
NeighbourhoodWatch
Working to reduce crime. Call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 or local police Cashwas stolen froma home on
BucklandHill. Electrical goods including a TV, jewellery,
cash and other itemswere stolen during a break-in at a home in ShaftesburyDrive. AHitachi power drill and charger and a
Dell computerwere stolen froma Vauxhall van parked in St Peters Street. Adonutmaker and two ice-cream
machineswere stolen froma van parked on a driveway inQueen Elizabeth Square. Asilver CarreraHelicat bicycle secured to
a stair railing in St Peters Streetwas stolen. Amotorbikewas stolen froma residential
car park in Buckland Road. Aresidential driveway in Penenden
Heathwas covered in roofing nails. ABoardmanmountain bikewas stolen
fromthe church inWeek Street. Asinkwas taken fromthe front garden of
a house in PenendenHeath Road. Several aluminiumblockswere stolen
froma garden in Brewer Street. Two carswere damaged on the same
night inUpper Fant Road. Garden plantswere stolen froma house in
Greenborough Close. ASamsung computer andmobile phone
and a coatwere stolenwhen a house in Westree Courtwas broken into. An aluminiumladderwas stolen froma
BTOpenreach van parked inDurhamClose. AMongoose pedal cyclewas stolen from
the rear garden of a home inMilton Street. Two ornamental potswere taken froma garden in Tonbridge Road.
Maidstone April 2018 37
Parish Councils
Crime Reports
Obituaries
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