Former Editorial
| 1st August 2009 Dear Old Friends |
| The past has suddenly begun to call me; just like that. It started with the familiar names which all of us who’ve left school or the neighbourhoods in which we grew up, must hold in our minds. For me these are basic facts, real familiar names (George Coker and Keith Charles, for example) that I recall regularly. I went to school with both these boys, now men and as I haven’t seen them in a while, I often wonder where they are now and what they might be doing. It’s being curious that keeps us interested but due to our knowledge of bygone friendships, it’s care and concern that also keep us wondering. The difference this time is that it was more than names that began to assert themselves in my mind. I found locations, events, periods of time re-emerging, released like air bubbles from that lost boyhood world far below, rushing up and breaking the current day surface with a splash and a pop. With caution – it never does to rush backwards -I began to think more about these strands and to try to place myself within that personal-historical setting. It wasn’t easy, if you’re like me, forgetful of anything that isn’t relevant in the near term, you might remember the doing aspect of your exploits as a kid but you won’t recall the 'why you did'. More names now with a ripple, popping into my mind, sometimes first names first, sometimes disjointed surnames. Johnny, Beach, Mollison, Denzil, Stedman, and slowly the full names forming. Each name a lit candle, dim illumination of the past. Memories momentum quickened by a couple of discoveries of old friends. This begins to colour in some of the picture which has, like old newspaper, gone grey with the inevitable life journey that’s seen distance grow between now and then. More shaky than who they were, what they were like, is who I was and what I was like? These answers are harder to uncover as well. Still, perhaps if I make enough connections with those golden-as-in-value old friends, I’ll eventually find out why the past has begun to call me. Quick roll-call of a few of those I recall: George Coker, who lived close by in Clapton Park (in the neighbourhood); Keith Charles, who lived close to Stoke Newington High Street (primary school); Gary Townsend and Johnny Bramble who lived near by Hackney Downs Park (primary school); Sharon Beach who lived off of Downs Park Road (primary school); Samuel Mollison, who lived near Downs Road and went to my secondary school; Denzil Peart and Stedman Thompson, come to mind together because they were good friends who also went to my secondary school; Sylvia Harper, who lived near Upper Clapton Road (in the neighbourhood); Sharon Harris, who lived near Lordship Park, Stokey (in the neighbourhood); Randolph Sutherland, memorable acquaintance from Daubeney Primary (Hackney); Lesley Dilbey, good friend also at Daubeney; And Terry Ward, of course, also from Daubeney. © Khome, 2009 (all rights reserved) Street view images © Google, 2009 Steets (Kingsland High Street, Chatsworth Road and Hacnkey Downs Park corner Downs Road and Queensdown Road, Hackney, London) |
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