Profile

Sheila and David Brunsdon

My profile this issue is once again about a true Melbourn person. David was born in the June preceding the start of the second World War. He was one of twins although his sister died at birth, but he later had another sister who now lives in Royston. His parents were Henry and Maude. Henry had moved to Melbourn from London in his early years but Maud Woods was a Melbourn lass living in Dolphin Lane. From her early photographs she was quite a beauty. Her father Albert worked for George Palmer as a cowman and also played in the Salvation Army band.

Henry always wanted to be a policeman, and passed all his exams with flying colours only to be told at the last minute that he was one inch too short! Although disappointed to be rejected for that reason, he went to work for Theo Wedd at Summerhouse Farm and remained there for 40 years, after which he worked at the Atlas until his retirement. They all lived at no. 4 Wood Way – this is at the top of Water Lane and if you look carefully half way up on the right hand side you will see the old street sign on the wall of a house. Maud worked for George Palmer and in the summertime, like most other women in the village, she worked in the orchards picking fruit. Whilst he was at school, David was very keen on sport, especially running and football and after he left school he went on to play football for the Melbourn team.

So it was not surprising that young David’s first job was in the orchards. He attended Mortlock Street school leaving at the age of 15 on a Friday and starting work on the Saturday for Cyril Hagger. He had always done holiday work there and really enjoyed working in the orchards. However, for 3½ years he spent more time helping Cyril to build his house at the top of Water Lane than he did amongst the trees! Turning their hands to all trades and mixing all the cement by hand, the two of them build Driftways House. Now I do not know who is living there at the moment – but do you know that some of the upstairs floors of your house were stained with coffee! David told me that Cyril made up several pots of coffee in differing strengths until he found the right shade then after sanding the floorboards off, they coloured the floor with the resulting brew! David said that Cyril Hagger was the nicest person he ever worked for. And he worked for quite a few!

It was during this time that he married for the first time and, needing more money, he moved to NDS in Royston. He has always had an affinity with cars and driving and had his first car, a 1934 Standard 10 bought from Arch Hale, at the young age of 18. So he was able to drive to work in Royston where he was employed welding silos.

Sheila, meanwhile, was living in a children’s home and foster homes in Norwich and knew nothing about her family, although she did meet her mother when she was eighteen. She went to work straight from school to the Christian Endeavour Holiday Home at Overstrand. It was nice to hear that, in these days of horrific stories being revealed about experiences in care homes, Sheila led a very happy and stable life in the home and considers herself to have been fortunate to have been so well cared for. She married and moved to Cambridge and had two sons and later, after divorcing her first husband, she met David.

They met on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend. Apparently in those days Sheila had a very strong Norfolk accent and when, on their SECOND date, David asked her to marry him she replied in her broad accent ‘ Don’t be so daft, I don’t even like yer!’ Well, that was a challenge for him and he obviously managed to bring her round and they were married in May 1972. David formally adopted Sheila’s two boys and they went on to have another son.

Taking on another job, David passed all the necessary exams and went to work as a driving instructor at Marshalls Garage in Jesus Lane. He told me some rum tales about teaching people to drive, sometimes a risky business – but he did say that generally speaking the young women were the best pupils! I suppose the lads thought they knew it all. Elderly ladies were sometimes difficult, interestingly he said that the hardest thing for people to grasp was the art of steering the vehicle. Moving on from this, but still behind the wheel he drove for Rayners Transport at Madingley, taking lorries full of corn all over the country. Then followed a spell with the Blood Transfusion Service taking the nurses and equipment all over East Anglia. This was an easy job, as once they had unloaded the nurses and equipment there was little to do all day but wait around until the unit packed up

Meldreth Pre-School

Reg.Charity no.1034965

Village Hall Meldreth High Street

We are a friendly, non-profit making Pre-School.

We offer Morning, Lunch Club and Afternoon sessions to children between the ages of 2 and 5 years.

We offer a high staffing ratio, whilst maintaining competitive rates. £8.20 per session, £3.00 for Lunch Club

We accept Government Vouchers (which makes sessions for the over 3’s free)

For more information please Contact: Pre-School Leader, Jane Cable on 07952 295655 during Pre-School Hours (Mon/Tue 9-3, Wed/Thur/Fri 9-12.30) or telephone The Admissions Secretary, Yasmin Croxford on 01763 220246

Little Foxes

Baby & Toddler Group

Little Foxes is a friendly, fun, good value, baby & toddler group. The baby & toddler group provides a great opportunity to meet other mums and for the children to play together. It is run by mums & child carers for babies and children up to 5 years old. There is a baby area, dressing up clothes, trikes, trampolines, duplo, cars, dolls, etc. There are creative activities, song & story time and refreshments for the adults & children. Foxton Village Hall Hardman Road Foxton Tuesday (term time only) 09.30 – 11.00 £1.50 per session

at about 9 p.m. But they were long days away from home.

Then came the period of ‘David the Fruit’ and it was obvious from the way he spoke that this was one of the happiest times of their lives! David had a fruit and vegetable van which he took round Trumpington where they were then living– he said he didn’t make much money but met some lovely people. It was a real family affair, because they all played a part but his sons used to chastise him because he was always giving fruit away to the children, a banana here, an apple there - his profit being eaten away! Sometimes he would barter with the customers – on one occasion he put a notice on his van requesting a particular item and was inundated with replies. So he would trade a box of vegetables for half a dozen hanging baskets and so on.

Tragically one of the boys died a couple of years ago, but one son has his own building business and works with his son. The other is a member of the Pink Floyd Tribute Band and is currently touring in the States. This musical trait must have come from David, as he took piano lessons in Royston as a boy although as they were on a Saturday morning when all his mates were playing on the clunch pits it wasn’t long before the teacher told him he was wasting her time and his money!

Speaking of the clunch pits, as a boy the Back Way/London Way area was his playground and he well remembers when the first archaeological dig was carried out he and his friends all took souvenir bones. He took a set of teeth. I got very excited at that and asked if he still had them, “Yes, I wear them all the time!” he replied. He is quite a joker! He also said that when working on the orchards at the site if they had to grub up trees they would often unearth little primitive blue beads – little did they realise that they were probably Anglo Saxon. (Has anyone got any of those little beads stashed away?)

He also remembers from those days a Meteor jet coming from the Royston direction and the boys were watching it when it exploded in mid air. The pilot was killed as he was blown out and landed in Palmer’s orchard (Bramley Avenue area). The boys jumped on their bikes and frantically pedalled down to the field where the police houses now stand to see if they could examine the wreckage. All David got was a puncture!

After the greengrocer period David worked for Cambus, driving mini buses, National Express coaches to London – the 6.30 a.m. bus to Victoria was always full – and he did this for some 11 years. He very much enjoyed working on the bus and in fact, he once won the Bus Driver Of The Year award! Stagecoach took over Cambus during this time.

Sheila was working at the newly opened Waitrose and David eventually joined her there doing internet deliveries until they both retired to the neat-as-a-pin bungalow in Norgetts Lane. David is a very keen gardener and shares an allotment with David Peacock. He has won several first and second prizes in local shows, dahlias being his speciality. He is also a keen bowler at Meldreth, Chesterton and Brooklands Avenue whilst Sheila loves cooking and reading. She mentioned that David’s mother and father had been wonderful to her, just like real parents. Sometime after David’s mother died of a stroke, Henry remarried at the age of 80 the widowed mother of Roger Mead (husband of Angela profiled in the last issue) so they became step brothers!

They have friends in France, Canada and Sheringham whom they visit regularly and in the past have enjoyed many canal boat holidays. They also used to belong to the Ramblers Association and loved the walking holidays they organised.

So with bowling, cooking, holidays, two grandsons not to mention the garden and allotment, they are a busy pair. David showed me a very comprehensive book of his family tree, with photographs of his ancestors one of whom was born in 1801 in Kneesworth – he is a well established local boy. There are perks to doing this job, you know – in this case a nice big bag of spinach straight from the allotment! Mavis Howard

Child and Family Nursing Team

Well Baby Clinics

Drop in clinics for parents and babies are held as follows: Melbourn clinic every Wednesday between 9.30 and 11.30am at: 35 Orchard Road, Melbourn Telephone 01763 262861

Cambourne clinic every Monday between 9.30 and 12 noon at: Room 12 (upstairs), Sackville House, Cambourne Telephone 01954 282830