An unfinished piece written by Ronnie about her daughter, Anne-Marie.
To start at the beginning, I was born in Ashington Hospital in Northumberland. Mum and I were transferred to the Berwick Maternity Home where we overlooked the estuary of the River Tweed. It was a very cold spell, even for Northumberland, the estuary was virtually frozen over with a small stream running in the middle. Obviously, I don’t remember this but my Mum does.
There were other adventures and stories in the week I was born, perhaps they map out the rest of my life. Dad worked in Outdoor Education and at the time of my birth worked for the YMCA running an outdoor centre at Ewart, near Wooler. But the powers than be wanted to move to a place called Gisland and my Dad advised against it, having run and outdoor centre at Allenheads he knew the moors very well. Gisland had many unprotected pit shafts as the area had been extensively mined for lead. So, he did not move with the outdoor centre to Gisland and the end of that story is history.
Dad, Mum and myself moved to Cornwall the land of my Mum’s birth, we lived in Port Issac for two years while Dad pursued three different jobs during the summer, but he always wanted to be back in outdoor education. He applied for a few jobs and eventually got taken on by Ysgol Natur Maengwynedd, near Llanrhaeadr Ym Mochnant.
I was four when we moved to Wales and started school straight away. My life at school was very much the same as many people my age in a Welsh/English society, I made some very great friends.
Outside school my life was very different from many of my school friends. Yes, we lived in an isolated house with no neighbours, but my life was always very full of people.
I got involved with the young people who came to the outdoor centre my Dad ran as Mum was his secretary so I spent quite a few hours at the centre. On top of that both Dad and Mum were Scout Leaders of a fairly local Scout Troop. I often got dragged off to Scout camps and other Scout events. I was also a Brownie but on leaving did not want to join Guides. I was lucky because within two years Scouting allowed girls to join.
I was not pushed and could have joined in another Scout Troop but from choice I joined the Troop that Dad and Mum ran. I was the first girl in Shropshire to gain her Chief Scout Award.
It is unknown why or when Ronnie wrote this piece or why it remains unfinished, maybe one day her daughter will fill you in on the next 20 plus years!
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