Thanks for words on magical Woodstock

MY HEARTFELT thanks go out to The Mercury for ensuring that the spate of always well-researched, informative journals written by Catherine and Michael Greenham are assured of the place they deserve in my favourite newspaper.

They are the light that breaks the ever-increasing dark clouds that greet our every day in this chaotic land. May they continue to do so. Catherine and Michael, your article this week on Woodstock was a joy to read. The festival was and remains a truly memorable occasion, known to millions even 50 years since it exploded out of silent obscurity in multicoloured beauty to become the face of strong but peaceful opposition to the chaos which threatened to plunge the world into World War III.

Yes, I was merely a few months from my 21st birthday when this concert was born, but unfortunately just a bit too far away for me to attend.

However, many like myself felt that we were a part of that momentous occasion. It was the magic of those times that connected our generation, much like it did when we decided to walk our own road.

It seemed as if we did it by divine intervention and as one. Much to the insecure horror of the authorities, who were hell-bent on putting a stop to our withdrawal from the subscription we were expected to align ourselves to and often lay down our lives for.

What a wonderful era, what a landmark gathering and what a union of like-minded souls, who showed the world that when you gather in peace and love, something like this can happen. It still serves as a lesson to the governments of the world, many of whom have wandered so far off the path one wonders if they’ll ever be able to “come back to their senses”.

Thank you for your wonderful homage to an occurrence which was as momentous as that moon landing!

JOHN KNOTTENBELT | Sherwood