Page 1096 - Reading Mercury

The Town Guard from the School of Electrical Engineering, the REME Staff Band
and the pipes and drums of the section from Princess Marina College were drawn up
outside the town hall. The Mayor Mrs. Ann Davis and the council inspected the men.
While the inspection was taking place three companies of REME officers and
soldiers were forming in Broad Street and with the arrival of the bands and Town
Guard the whole parade marched through the town with bayonets fixed.

th
Thur 25 Oct
Wokingham Town Hall turret clock is almost certain to be electrified in the near
future if additional quotes as to the cost are not satisfactory. The town hall clock at
present requires winding for a quarter of an hour each week. This is carried out by the
town hall keeper who is paid £1 a week to do it. The estimated price for the work is
£2,720.
1985
Thur 7th Feb
THE KOKO KNUTS
In this group 54 year-old George Reeves was the drummer. Going left to right along
the faces is Burt Young, Albert Andrews, Gordon Reeves and the first lady standing
up is possibly Margery Jeffries. Albert Andrews owned the laundry and Burt Young
ran the Boys’ Brigade in Reading. The band used to play hill billy music in concerts
for hospitals, collecting for charities, Wokingham carnivals. They also played jazz
every Saturday night at the British Legion Club in Station Road.

th
Thur 14 March
TAKE OFF FOR NEW THEATRE
Wokingham Theatre has been given the go-ahead to build a new £150,000 theatre at
Cantley. Wokingham District Council has agreed to give the theatre’s scheme a
£4,500 grant, and a loan of £60,000 at a low interest rate. The theatre has raised
£75,000 from profits. The new building will house a 24-seat auditorium, stage, foyer
and lounge area, bar, dressing rooms and car parking for 50 cars.

Thur 11th April
TOWN PARK SET TO RECEIVE £5,000 FACELIFT
A £5,000 transformation is on the cards for Wokingham’s Howard Palmer Park
following detailed discussions at the town council last week. Councillors at last
week’s Wokingham District Council amenities committee discussed the play
equipment, facilities and general improvements they intended to make to the park.
These include a three foot “rustic” style fence on the northern boundary of the site, a
refreshment pavilion, a number of signposts, litter bins, a brand new climbing frame
complex, seats around the perimeter, landscaping and general tidying up of the plot
and possibly floodlighting to deter vandals.
The proposals also included one to clear up some confusion over whether the park
should be called Howard Palmer Park or Howard Palmer Recreational Ground.
Vandalism
Various plans were discussed and it was reported that the five original quotations
sought from suppliers of play equipment had been whittled down to two possibilities.
The preferred structure was similar to one in Reading’s Prospect Park which seemed
to be lasting well after nearly two years.
It was agreed that a number of signs would be erected at the three entrances after
landscaping had been carried out, such as trimming straggly trees and perhaps

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