There are many highs and lows concerned with organising the Fisherton History Society. Let’s look at last week and the meeting at the Pheasant Inn with official speaker, Tim Cornish. Tim’s presentation on ‘Old Sarum Airfield 1917 to the Present Day’ was top-notch and illustrated with many historic photographs. It was also encouraging to see a full house including visitors new to our society. However, we encountered problems prior to the meeting. First we found that the Pheasant have now installed a large pool table thus cutting down the amount of seating available. Then, our usual way of projecting images via a large TV screen didn’t work and no one at the Pheasant could give a reason why! It was lucky that I had a projector on hand and also a guest speaker who stayed cool enough to give a great performance!
I am hoping Tim will provide an article for the Fisherton Informer Magazine to highlight the disgraceful situation happening at Old Sarum with our historic heritage being allowed to disappear in front of our eyes. The week before the meeting at the Pheasant I gave a talk to the Silver Salisbury organisation at the Quaker Centre my subject being ‘Unsung Heroes’. I was genuinely staggered by the large audience who actually spilled over into an adjoining room! It was very rewarding researching for this presentation because the history of Salisbury is littered with men and women who to me are the heroes of the people. I am still giving this talk to local societies which forbid me from giving too much away but I will give you a flavour by mentioning just one – Charlie Plumb. This unsung hero of the people was Salisbury born and bred and he had a passion for sport. Many will still remember him at the boxing booth at Salisbury fair where he always gave a good account of himself. In the 1960s Charlie started the Boys Club in Salisbury financing much of the sporting equipment himself – his location was a hut in the St. Paul’s area where the roundabout now stands. He was, however, pushed from pillar to post by the authorities who should have been encouraging Charlie not hampering him. But he never gave up with his sporting activities and youth work – it was fantastic to hear the applause at my talk at the mentioned his name.