In The Autumn of '69

As manager of a radio station in Hobart, Tasmania, my husband ( ohn) used to receive many new publications. One day, he arrived home with one of the first few copies of a new maga ine to be sent to Tasmania. It was the inaugural edition of “This England Spring 196 ” and was of special significance to us. After a year’s planning, in March 196 we had just held a fund-raising event for many charities.

We called it “The Village Fair” and it followed the lines of a traditional English Village Fair, complete with maypole dancing, a colourful costume parade, dancing, hundreds of stalls, clowns just about everything

Thousands of people attended and a lot of money was raised for worthy causes. What made this event different was that it was the only Village Fair ever to be staged in the historic, very pictures ue grounds of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens. On a perfect autumn day, with a backdrop of the Derwent River (famous for the Sydney-hobart acht Race), it was a wonderful occasion.

This despite the fears of many who doubted that such an event could leave the Gardens unscathed. But it did. The crowds respected the venue so much that the following day it was di cult to see where it had all happened

It was so successful that the Fair went on to grow year by year and ended up stretching into international areas. So that year was particularly special. “This England” will for ever be linked with that happy time. B o ll s li