LOCAL  EVENTS  AND  ACTIVITIES

at a Meeting House near you . . .

It is remarkable how many people seem to think that Quakers disappeared from history along with steam-engines and gas-lamps, while other people do seem to have some very odd ideas about us (and no, we don't have anything in particular to do with porridge!) So in a bid to raise our profile locally and to show people that we are quite harmless really, Hasting Quakers opened our Meeting House in South Terrace to the public on 3rd October as part of National Quaker Week 2009 and invited anyone who was interested to come and meet us, share a simple lunch, and learn a bit more about us. It was a useful and successful event, attracting a number of visitors and enquirers. Now, who's for more porridge . . . ?

freedom come, freedom go

The Quaker Group on Civil Liberties have published a booklet on the threat posed to the traditional freedoms that have previously taken for granted in Britain as a result of official trends and government initiatives in recent years. The booklet, which is called "Seven Quakers and Civil Liberties" is a collection of essays by seven British Quakers and was launched at Britain yearly Meeting in 2009. One of the contributors, with an essay entitled "While We Were Sleeping" is Peter Bolwell from Hastings Meeting. Peter's "take" on the subject is informed by his own studies of history but also by his mother's experiences under the Third Reich, where the pathological obsession of the government with gathering and recording every scrap of information about citizens' private lives was the prelude for the unimaginable horrors of the holocaust - which Peter's mother fortunately survived, though her own mother and many other members of her family did not.

a forgotten people

Hastings-based Quaker John Lynes, never one to shy away from the difficult options, was redeployed by Christian Peacemaker Teams from his previous mission to Hebron and sent instead (at the age of 83!) to the harsh, arid and positively dangerous Kurdish territories of northern Iraq.  From from the refugee camp at Jarawa, John wrote back to us:

"the refugees long for their home villages, venturing back for a few hours each week to tend their crops and their flocks.  While we were in the camp, a missile injured one of the returning shepherds and killed several of his sheep  . . .  Part of the tragedy is that nobody is listening. The media are silent.  Our politicians are deaf.  Our little team is the refugees’ link with the outside world.  We plead with the UNHCR to rehouse them before the winter sets in.  Sometimes we are encouraged, sometimes rebuffed  . . .  Please continue to pray for all the victims of violence in Kurdistan, including the men of violence.  The Kurdish mountains are beautiful, the valleys fertile and the people warm and generous.  It could be a paradise."

The Kurds here seem to be one of the forgotten peoples of the world, surrounded on all sides by their enemies, with hardly anybody willing to speak up for them and indeed precious few who seem to be even aware that there is a problem.

shelter from the storm

This is Claridge House, the Quaker centre for healing at Dormansland near Lingfield in Surrey (not far from East Grinstead and Gatwick). The connection with Hastings Quaker Meeting is that since 2007 one of our members, Alison Green, has been the Manager here. Standing in two acres of gardens, it is a sanctuary available to anyone in need of a few days respite, rest or renewal in a gentle, loving and welcoming atmosphere. Go on retreat or sign up to particular courses based around music, painting craft work or yoga. See further details at  www.claridgehouse.quaker.eu.org

most honoured

Our modest seaside town has recently been collecting quite a variety of awards and honours on the quiet. In 2003 local author Christopher Priest picked up the Arthur C. Clarke award for his novel "The Separation" about the way World War Two might have turned out differently if Churchill had taken Rudolf Hess seriously when he flew to Scotland on his so-called "peace" mission. In 2006 Judges organic bakery in the Old Town was voted one of the top 50 food stores in the country by The Independent newspaper, while the Electric Palace cinema just up the road was nominated one of the top 10 independent cinemas in Britain by The Guardian in 2008. Meanwhile the civil rights campaigning organisations Liberty and Justice gave St. Leonards resident Maya Evans the "Peter Duffy" award as the most outstanding young Human Rights activist of 2007. Unfortunately Milan Rai, also from St Leonards, who has also participated in Maya's protests and has shared her struggles and tribulations, was not eligible for this particular award as he is too old - you have to be under 35 (Sorry, Mil!)

author! author!

The field of study known as "Biblical criticism" - the attempt, if you like, to look beneath the surface of the words of the Bible to see what lies beneath - has been advancing by leaps and bounds in recent decades, and it can still be illuminating even after all these centuries to discover new meanings behind the old familiar texts. "The Sources of the Message" written by Alex Tindall, a member of Hastings Quaker meeting, and published in 2006 aims to set the sayings of Jesus in the context of the Jewish society of his time. Its premise is that Jesus and his listeners shared a social and cultural background which we do not share, so that many of the nuances and references in the sayings of Jesus, which would have been obvious to his listeners, are lost on us. Imagine a modern child reading an author even as recent as Dickens and trying to understand references to "work-houses" or even "shillings" and you begin to grasp the problem. Alex Tindall sets out to explain how the teachings of Jesus would have been understood by the people he was speaking to, taking into account not just what he actually said but also what they would have assumed or inferred from that.  Copies of the book can be ordered for £10 from The Alethinos Press P.O. Box 280 Hastings, East Sussex  TN34 9DF

at a cinema near you . . .

Hastings science-fiction writer Christopher Priest hit the headlines when his 2003 novel "The Separation" won the Arthur C. Clarke award (see above), but he made an even bigger splash three years later when Hollywood made a film of one of his earlier  novels, "The Prestige" about the deadly rivalry between two Victorian stage-magicians. The all-star cast includes Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine and even David Bowie, no less - not forgetting Andy Serkis (a.k.a. "Gollum" from The Lord of the Rings). If you read the book however you will discover something that didn't make it into the film: namely, that the earlier episodes in the story are set in Hastings, where one of the main characters is born and brought up - or was it two characters? To discover more about this original and unconventional writer go to   www.christopher-priest.co.uk

odd place, Hastings . . .

Casual visitors to the town might pick up a very strange impression from some of the stories that have appeared in our local newspaper from time to time. Here's an example from the Hastings Observer of 24th February 2006: "A distraught dog owner saved his beloved pooch from the jaws of death - by by forcing his finger up an attacking bull terrier's bottom . . . a local vet said "I have heard many different methods of getting a dog to loosen its grip, but I have never come across this technique". Then on 2nd June: "A shocked rail passenger was chased through a train by a trouserless gay ticket inspector begging him for a kiss". All in a day's work! But as we all know, Hastings is actually a great place to live. This is from the Hastings Observer on 27th June 2008: "Hastings Police are appealing for people to make sure they are having consensual sex". It's a good life!

on the fiddle . . .

With the summer of 2005 came the long-awaited release of Barry Dransfield's album "Unruly", the third album from the Yorkshire-born folk fiddler since he came to live in Hastings in 1986 and his last before he moved away to Brittany in 2007. Followers of Barry's work will notice an interesting change in the choice of material: there is a remarkable blend of traditional and Baroque music here, which may never have been done in quite this way before. You may recall the barnstorming fishermen's anthem "I Once Was A Fisherman" from the album "Be Your Own Man" which has become a favourite session number in local pubs. On the "Unruly" album Barry once again pays tribute to his adopted town with the opening track "Haul Away". Far from being the boisterous sea-shanty that the title might suggest however, this is a thoughtful and tender ode to Hastings old town set to the beautiful melody of the opening slow movement from Telemann's trumpet concerto. You can order the album online at   www.barrydransfield.com 

fishy story

Hastings people have always been proud of our fishermen - something that former MP Jacqui Lait learned to her cost when she was turned out of her Hastings & Rye seat in 1997 after making disparaging remarks about them. However we now have even more reason to be proud of them, after they received two certificates from the Marine Stewardship Council in September 2005. The MSC is an international body whose aim is to prevent over-fishing by certifying fisheries that use environmentally responsible methods, and which take fish only from populations that are healthy enough to sustain it. The MSC has currently awarded some 18 certificates to fisheries all over the world - only six of which are to fisheries in Britain - and amazingly, two of these are for the Hastings fishing fleet! Well done, lads!

votes for women

Local Quaker Sally Phillips was a candidate for the Green Party in the 2005 general election for the Parliamentary constituency of Hastings & Rye. Though failing to save her deposit, she was pleased to record an increase of 43% over her vote last time, and is looking forward to building on that. We frequently hear the argument that a vote for a minority party is "wasted" however attractive the party's policies may be. On the other hand you might just as well say that, under our "first past the post" system, all the votes for every candidate who doesn't actually win are equally "wasted" because they all count for nothing. Under "proportional representation" of course it would be another matter. Interesting, isn't it? This democracy thing is more complicated than it looks . . .

a Christmas carol

Hastings' own Quaker knight-errant John Lynes, a volunteer with Christian Peacemaker Teams, was in the Palestinian town of Hebron in December 2004 to keep an eye on things, and managed to make it to Bethlehem for Christmas - seeing as he was in the neighbourhood! Israel's celebrated "nuclear martyr" Mordechai Vanunu - hailed everywhere outside his own country as a hero of the nuclear age - was hoping to meet up with the CPT people there, but was arrested on route because "the only democracy in the middle east" (as the Israeli government likes to describe itself) has forbidden him to leave Jerusalem (see the paragraph on this issue in the "World Events" page of this website). So the CPT group decided to go to him instead, and sing some Christmas carols together. The picture shows John with Mordechai and another CPT volunteer Cathie Uhler. It's nice to see John maintaining the old Quaker tradition of refusing "hat honour" although it's doubtful whether George Fox would have recognised the article in question as a "hat"!

hello, hello, it's good to be back

Our neighbouring town of Rye is famous for its ancient cobbled streets, which have featured in several "period" films - most notably "Yellowbeard", a wonderful pirate spoof starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Marty Feldman etc. What is not so well known is that Jeakes House in Mermaid Street, now a hotel, stands on the site of a former Quaker Meeting House. The Quakers used the building for about 50 years during the first half of the 18th century, before selling it to the local Baptist congregation. Unfortunately it was by then in such a bad state of repair that it had to be demolished, and the present building was erected. However on 10th July 2004 local Quakers from all corners of East Sussex made a return visit to have tea in the hotel, where we were made very welcome by the proprietors and staff. We'll try not to leave it so long before coming back next time!

not forgotten

On 6th April 2003 Quakers held a remembrance ceremony with a difference for Daniela Phillips who died two years before at the age of only 17 years. Because Daniela’s grave at the Cemetery had been grassed over and its flowers removed by Council officials, her mother Sally Phillips arranged to have two large half-barrels placed on the patio area outside the Meeting House, and members of the Meeting joined with Daniela's family and friends in filling the barrels with earth and then planting them with flowers and shrubs. A plaque was also fixed to the wall of the Meeting House in Daniela's memory.

plus ca change . . . .

In August of 2002 the Meeting House got a bit of a face-lift as we took advantage of the five-yearly structural overhaul to redecorate the frontage. It is not clear how long ago the building first acquired its previous caramel colouring, but everybody seemed quite keen to change it when the opportunity arose!  Reaction to the new look has been very positive. See what you think.

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