Page 1117 - Reading Mercury

did all right. It is his first time and it is something that comes with practice. There is
no question about it, there is a right and wrong way.
“He is an ex-serviceman. He is well turned out and it is only a question whether he
can face the public. If he is appointed we hope he will do it for many years.”

th
Thur 29 June
FLOWERS FOR THE PRINCESS
Hundreds of smiling schoolchildren braved scorching sunshine to catch a glimpse of
the Princess Royal. A relaxed Princess stopped to chat and shake hands with her
young fans making their wait worth every minute. Princess Anne was clearly dressed
for the weather when she arrived to open Wokingham District Council new offices
last Wednesday.
She was greeted by a sea of patriotic flags and children eager to hand over tightly
clutched bunches of flowers. A pupil of St. Paul’s School, Sesla Laughnane was one
of dozens of children who handed the Princess a posy. Sesla said, “She is lovely. She
thanked me for the beautiful flowers and asked me which school I went to.”
Quartet
The kind-hearted Princess took time out to speak to many of the excited youngsters
who craned and stood on tip toe to catch a glimpse of her. One happy quartet of
schoolgirls form St. Paul’s Junior School had their day made when the Princess said
hello.
After the impromptu walkabout it was on to the scheduled business of the day and
the unveiling of a plaque in the foyer of the new offices. After a brief tour of the
building, Princess Anne signed the visitors’ book in front of a small crowd inside the
council chamber. Major Douglas Goddard, chairman of Wokingham District Council,
thanked the Princess Royal for signing a photograph of herself which will hang in the
chamber.
He said, “Your gracious presence with us is clear evidence of the value that you
place upon the service provided by us and other local authorities to the community in
preserving and enhancing the quality of life in our district.”
Society
Mr. John Forsyth, direct of the South Berkshire Music Centre, presented a cheque
for £2,300 for the Save The Children Fund. The money was raised at a concert put
on by the society last year. As she left the building she chatted to members of the
society.

REME PARADE NO LONGER AN ANNUAL EVENT
The popular parade through Wokingham from Arborfield by the Royal Electrical
Mechanical Engineers will no longer be an annual event. Instead the parade will be
given a higher profile every three or five years. The next parade will be in 1992
coinciding with REME’s 50th Anniversary.
A spokesman said, “We have a number of freedoms and after an initial period of
time we taper it off. We agreed with the Mayor not to have another parade until 1992.
There are all sorts of commitments on us. The parade does take up a lot of resources
and we have a lot of priorities, not least training for our operational role.”
Mayor Fred Clarke said, “We were approached by them and accepted the situation.
It is understandable as they have to close the town down because of the security risk.”
Meanwhile, REME at Arborfield is being studied along with other training bases by
the Ministry of Defence. The study initiated in January last year, will determine the

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