Newscutting found in Australia

      This newscutting about Christchurch, the village shop, and Euximoor, was found in Australia after the death 
      of an uncle of my new CAWTHORN cousin, Bethel.



      The column headed "Turned to grocery from fruit-growing" relates to my Grandfather,
      Walter Cawthorn (note spelling!)

      We have no idea which magazine/newspaper this cutting comes from, but it dates 
      from 1950 going by the age of Walter who was born in November 1890.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      Text of the newscutting featured above:-  

      EUXIMOOR HAS HAD FAMOUS CHOIR FOR 30 YEARS

      "Continued from Page Six

       ...the children of Brimstone Hill in the middle of the 19th century. 

      Though the dames school was many years before her time, Mrs. Herbert Pate 
      is nevertheless the veteran schoolteacher in Christchurch. She began teaching 
      in the village at the beginning of this century, stayed 20 years until she 
      changed her name from Miss Sarah Ramps to Mrs. Herbert Pate. 
      Mrs. Pate was a founder member of the Women's Institute, was its first president, 
      and has been re-elected every year since 1928. Her other claim to distincton is 
      as a churchwarden of Christ Church. Her husband was warden for something
      more than 30 years, and when......
      ----------
      Trains Choir

      Pouring tea at her home in Euximoor Drove is Mrs.
      Laura Russell who for 30 years has been connected
      with Euximoor Methodist Choir, and although she will
      not conduct in public, trains the choir and supervises
      rehearsals.
      --------
      ...when he died in 1946. Mrs. Pate was invited to fill the vacancy and accepted. 
      Small, white-haired, quiet voiced. Mrs. Pate is in her late sixties, lives at 
      Ivy House with her godchild, 14-year-old Eileen Coombes, a London evacuee, who 
      acquired Mrs. Pate as godmother when she was baptised in Christchurch during the 
      war.
  
      Turned to grocery from fruit-growing.

      FROM schoolteachers to tradesmen - and one of the longest established in 
      Christchurch is Cawthorn[e]'s general store. Standing behind the counter 
      in his dustcoat and tweed cap, 60-year old Mr. Walter Cawthorn[e] said 
      the store was founded by his grandfather, George Cawthorn[e], and subsequently 
      passed to his father, John Cawthorn[e]. Until 1933, Mr, Walter Cawthorn was 
      a fruitgrower, but in that year he took over the store and gave up agriculture 
      for shopkeeping. But he hasn't entirely given up farming. When the village
      store closes, and assistant Barbara Cox goes home, Mr. Cawthorne likes to 
      take a look at the 48 pedigree Wessex pigs which he keeps as a hobby. 

      This choir has no conductor

      IF you leave Christchurch, travel along the Sixteen 
      Foot towards Wisbech. and turn left over the bridge you are in Euximoor,
      little Methodist community separated from Christchurch by the river, 
      where it's quite a problen to find any family whose name isn't Russell or 
      who hasn't some connection with the Russells.

      And at the very end of Euximoor Drove (the locals prefer to call it Exmoor 
      and spell it that way) lives Mrs Laura Russell, leader of the "Exnmoor Methodist 
      Choir.  Organist at Exmoor Methodist Chapel, Mrs. Russell sings herself, and has
      been connected with the choir for 30 years. She arranges their programmes, trains 
      them and conducts at rehearsals.  Many times the eight men and 12 women who form 
      the choir have tried to persuade her to conduct them at performances too, but 
      Mrs. Russell is adamant in her refusal, "I just don't feel I'd live up to
      get up there in front" she says.
      So it is minus a conductor - but carefully remembering Laura Russell's Instructions 
      at rehearsal-that the Exmoor choir bring music to fenland villages.

      And if you leave Euximoor, return to the Sixteen Foot and look back, there's 
      hardly anything to be seen of the grey-roofed houses, the trim gardens and 
      tidy lanes ... Just a dis-used windmill which is a landmark on the way 
      to the village which used to be Brimstone Hill
      ----------

      In  the loft of his barn at Green Lane Farm, Mr. George Morris shows 
      where the pulpit used to be when the barn was used as a church before 
      Christ Church was built. Sacks of fodder are now stored where the
      choir once stood. baskets obscure the narrow, church type, windows.

      Station Engineer

      Keeping the 40 h.p.engine well oiled at Bedlam Bridge pumping station is
      Joe Sparrow, who is responsible for this and another 40 h.p. pump which each
      lift 40 ....... of water a minute off the fens around Christchurch."

      Transcribed by Ann McClean August 2001.
   
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