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Alf Barber - 100 Not Out!!
Alongside the Risbygate Club History it is a privilege to announce that on 15th September 2008, Alf Barber, an Honorary Life Member of the club, celebrated his 100th birthday at Fornham House residential home, Fornham St Martin. Several club members visited Alf on his great day, to offer their congratulations and present him with a birthday cake to mark the occasion.
Alf is the son of Samuel Barber who started life in Beccles as a gardener and later kept a greengrocer’s shop in Blyburgate, Beccles. Alf was born 15th September 1908 and had two sisters, Doris and Daisy. He attended the Sir John Lemon Grammar School in Beccles and although his chosen career would have been in teaching, there was simply not enough money available in those days to send him to university. Instead, Alf began his working life with the Post Office as a sorting clerk and telegraphist. In these technologically advanced times it seems amazing that Alf was transmitting telegrams in Morse Code – a skill he never really lost, although he would no doubt be transmitting at a somewhat slower pace today!
Alf married a local Beccles girl in 1931. His bride Lillian worked in a shoe shop and also helped in the boarding house (Saltgate House) which her mother ran. Their only daughter, Phyllis, was born in November at Saltgate House.
Life in Beccles for the Barbers came to an end with Alf’s transfer to Bury St Edmunds by the Inland Revenue, for whom he now worked. With just three weeks notice there was little time for house hunting, but Alf managed to find a house to rent in Queens Road next to what, until recently, was the sub post office for that part of the town. With Alf having secured the tenancy, Lillian and Phyllis followed him to Bury and the family lived there for several years until they were able to afford a newly built property in Park Road. During this time Phyllis attended the West Suffolk County Girls Grammar School when it was located in Northgate Street, Bury St Edmunds.
Alf didn’t serve in the forces but he did join the Bury St Edmunds Home Guard, and he also helped in the ATC where his Morse Code skills would have stood him in good stead.
For the rest of his working life Alf remained with the Inland Revenue, climbing the promotion ladder from Tax Officer to Tax Inspector. When he retired, at the age of 65, he was the only Tax Inspector in the country not to have been relocated elsewhere, due to his expertise in the field of small farm accounts. Mind you, relocation could well have been on the cards when a cigarette set light to a waste paper basket in his office! The fire service was summoned and the staff of Lloyds Bank (situated beneath the tax offices) were evacuated. Fortunately for Alf (but unhappily for his tax-paying clientele!) no files were damaged.
By now Alf and Lillian were living in their bungalow in Cadogan Road, just a few hundred yards from the former home in Park Road and it was here that they celebrated their Diamond Wedding anniversary in 1991. It was here also that Lillian passed away three years later, in 1994.
Although he had a few driving lessons Alf never owned or drove a car. He always walked everywhere, even between work and home for his lunch breaks. In some small way this may account for his keen interest in all types of sport and the encouragement he gave his daughter Phyllis in her pursuit of athletics at school. Alf also refereed hockey matches for the ‘Old Girls’ of the grammar school and of course he still supports Ipswich Town football club. It must have been a magical occasion for him to be present at the Wembley cup final in 1978, when ‘his’ team beat Arsenal and brought the Cup back to Ipswich. Not quite so magical was the occasion on which he was targeted as a footie hooligan when he was ‘frisked’ getting off the bus to attend a match – being a respected and somewhat elderly citizen he was most put out!
Alf’s long association with Risbygate Club began in the 1940s and he can still recall ‘the good old days’ in the 50s and 60s, when the clubhouse was the focus for a full and varied social life. Alf remembers the Monday whist drives, the darts on Tuesdays, Solo on Wednesdays, Bridge on Thursdays and games of quoits on Fridays. He remembers too, the club’s thriving concert group whose members would meet for rehearsals and put on shows for the villagers of Great Barton, Wickhambrook and Chedburgh – not as money raisers, but just for fun; and of the many concerts held in the pavilion itself for the entertainment of club members and their friends. When Alf retired from the Inland Revenue he became unpaid club manager and treasurer and was tennis captain in 1955 and bowls captain in 1972. He actually played bowls until the ripe old age of 94!
Alf has lived at Fornham House, Fornham St Martin (just outside Bury St Edmunds) for 5½ years now and is very content with life there. The care staff are kind and helpful, and the food is good – food and television being Alf’s two main pleasures these days. We wish Alf continued good health and thank him warmly for all that he did for the club all those years ago.
Happy (100th) Birthday Alf!
Extracts from the current President’s tribute: “As President of the Risbygate Club I have had several duties to perform but none as pleasant as this. Today our small group is gathered to join Alf in celebrating his amazing achievement on reaching the century of years. As far as I am aware he is the first Risbygate member to have reached this milestone and is certainly the oldest living Risbygate member. Don Boughton had planned to be here but he has a hospital appointment and sends his best wishes, as do Peter and Grace Cook.
Alf, you served our Club with great dignity and worked tirelessly, particularly in the early 1970s during some major developments which saw the indoor bowls hall built and the tennis courts re-located. Finances were tight and Alf worked hard with our benefactor Jerry Glasswell in securing funding. Roy Wilson, who is with us today, also did much work in designing the project, for which he was rightly given life membership.
You Alf, like me, were an active tennis member (as Peggy (Mills) and Dora (Coldwell) can vouch) before moving on to bowls. You were honoured with being appointed club president in 1985 and you held that position until 1997. You played bowls until the age of 94 years which was a marvellous achievement.
You should be very proud of what you have achieved both in terms of your family, work and pastimes, of which Risbygate took so much time but gave you so much pleasure. We all join together to toast your birthday and your outstanding achievement and hope that you continue to enjoy many more years and good health.”
Kelvin Morton (President)
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