Four decades of the Eastwood Historical Society were marked almost exactly 40 years after the inaugural meeting.
The very first event was held on April 17, 1968 at Eastwood Library, after A and R Coleman declared the aim was to "collect and preserve any material of local interest and to encourage an active interest in the history of the parish of Eastwood and d
istrict."
And displays on April 16 reflected the plan and included details of life in 1968, including fashions, music, furniture, cars and the original minutes of the first meeting.
Founder members Maree Smith and George Hardy were special guests, as were the Mayor and Mayoress of Eastwood, Cllrs Bob and Hazel Charlesworth.
Heanor and Nuthall Historical Societies were also represented by Roger Hull and Spencer Spooner respectively.
Roy Tomlinson told his audience about his days as a singer and comedian in the 1940s and 50s with his wife Pat. Under the stage names of Mel Starr and Melodie Lane, he recounted how they had to make their way on the bus to venues such as the Cock Hotel in Ripley and the Nottingham Empire where he received a standing ovation for his impersonation of Al Jolson.
Over the years, several historical booklets of note have been produced by members, the last being A Century Remembered, which contained memories of the past 100 years from the people of Eastwood, collected and collated by former librarian, Michael Bennet.
The Eastwood Historical Society has a membership of more than 100 and meets on the third Wednesday of the month, between September and May at the Dora Phillips Hall.
The next meeting will be an illustrated talk on The Pentrich Revolution from Frank Skillington on May 21 at 7.30pm.
The full article contains 294 words and appears in Eastwood Advertiser newspaper.
