A HISTORY OF FEATHERSTONE
1996
THE ROVERS
A meeting was announced for March to give members an update on the progress to becoming a limited company. Chairman Steve Wagner said the club had already received £230,000 of the £750,000 Super League funds but it hall been swallowed up by paying off debts and shortfalls in other areas. Regarding the limited company project he said "Because of our debts we are unable to form a limited company because it is illegal to do so from an insolvent position".
The Rovers football chairman Trevor Morris said although the proposal had been postponed, there was no reason it cannot be done at the end of the year. But we thought it cheeky to ask people to put money into a club that is skint. Nobody has rung up to say we will have £50,000 worth of shares. Some people wanted £1,000 worth but we would need a lot of those.
In August Trevor Morris said he still preferred a merger with Wakefield Trinity because the Rovers would never receive enough money to put a good enough team on the park at the top level. He revealed the club had received £750,000 this year of which a large part had been used to pay off debts.
At the annual meeting the the club transferred the assets and liabilities to a new limited company with a seven man board.
Work got under way in September on a 1,600 seats stand to replace the Bullock Stand, built in 1957 and funded by the then president Abraham Bullock. The photo of the Bullock Stand is by Colin Jones (Featherstone Rovers Fans).
In November it was announced each person who was a member when it was a club would receive an A share valued at £10. There were also £95,000 B shares available for the public to buy. Chairman Steve Wagner said "We would welcome any major investor on our board. Someone who will enjoy being part of a progressive club, proud of and firmly in touch with its roots but working at broadening its horizons as it steers a course for the big time".
The Rovers Coat of Arms was looking tired and worn, so a group of youngsters from Eastmoor regional secure unit took it away and restored it to its former glory under the guidance of secure unit art teacher Chris Westwood, a diehard Rovers Fan. The Express photo shows Terry Mullaney and Lewis Jarvis with the coat of arms.
THE COUNCILS
JANUARY The European Community made funds available to benefit area devastated by the loss of the mining industry. Wakefield Council were hoping to get £10m, some of which would be spent on Featherstone town centre, industrial sites and Girnhill and Priory housing estates.
MAY The result of the Wakefield District Council election was:
Steve Vickers (Labour) 2,415
T Steele (Conservative) 155
JUNE Featherstone Town Council asked Wakefield District Council for a £750 grant towards the cost of the Gala. They were granted £475. All the other towns had similar cuts.
JULY Featherstone Council spent £400 on hanging baskets around the library. They were 12 feet from the ground, but one morning only one was left. Cr Graham Isherwood said "If no one saw or heard anything they must have been well organised - straight in and straight out".
SEPTEMBER Illegal car parking in Station Lane and along Wakefield Road near the motor auction site was causing difficulties for pedestrians and other drivers. Cr Isherwood said there is plenty of parking space in the side streets and the car parks, and it had been decided to bring in the traffic wardens.
TONY LUMBS' SHERLOCK IN AUSTRALIA
Janet Smith of Featherstone emigrated with her Australian husband to his homeland 16 years ago to work in Sydney as a nurse. The marriage didn't work out and they divorced, She wanted to return to England with her two children Bronwyn age eight and Caitlin who was six. Her ex-husband didn't agree so it went to court. Her ex-husband's barrister painted a bleak picture of Featherstone, but she said he had only seen it in winter time.
In her pre-hearing affidavit she included one of Tony Lumb's Sherlock Holmes books which had been given to her as a present. The judge obviously thought it was good evidence about Featherstone because he constantly interrupted her cross-examiner and quoted passages from the book which contradicted him.
She told the Express in June "Tony's book is marvellous and I am very grateful it was given to me as a present during my last visit. It has proved a useful piece of evidence". The judge ruled she could bring the children to England, but she had to return to Australia in four years time. Photo - The Express.
THE GALA
The Gala in Purston Park was held in July as usual. Organiser Dick Bellfield said "Everything went very well. We were lucky with the weather and the parade was magnificent. A lot of detail went into the floats, and all entrants made an exceptional job of them. The Queen was Michelle Clewarth age 16 of Featherstone High School. North Featherstone Junior and Infants School won first prize with their Walt Disney float. The Express photo shows Dwaine Longley on the winning float.
PORTRAIT MYSTERY
Stan Hodgson of North Featherstone was dying of cancer. He used to paint portraits during the 1960s and his dying wish was to give the paintings to those who sat for him all those years ago. In October he asked the Express to help him find the remaining one which was Jane Barker who may have got married since he painted her.
Express reader Susan Stewart came up with the answer. Jane Barker was now Mrs Jane Keding and was living in Canada. Jane told the Express she remembered Stan and remembered sitting for the portrait. Stan said "I feel ecstatic and i will have to send the portrait out there but as long as Jane gets the picture I will be happy". The photos of Stan and Jane are from the Express.
1996 NEWS ITEMS
JANUARY Public Arts, the Wakefield based charity designed to promote art work in public spaces, used the sculpture and gardens scheme at the junction of Girnhill Lane and Wakefield Road in their publicity booklets and calendars to celebrate their 10th anniversary and to interest more business sponsorship so other projects could go ahead.
FEBRUARY The Hemsworth by-election (which included Featherstone) resulted in victory for Jon Trickett who easily beat the other nine candidates. He polled 15,817 votes and the Conservative was nearest with 1,942. Photo - The Express.
Mike and Doris Parker of Katrina Grove, and son Dean and his wife Joanne, had four lines each week on the National Lottery. One week in February they won £1.6m.
MARCH Residents near the church in North Featherstone complained about cars parked on the road during services and funerals, so the church authorities bought a piece of land opposite and fenced it off pending further work. Within 24 hours vandals had demolished one section and thieves had stolen another.
Mike and Ruth Price had a cycle accessory firm at the Resource Centre on Regent Street. They were in association with Castleford inventor Derek Stoker who had designed a cycle pump which would achieve pressures much higher that a conventional pump with little effort. They were hoping the pump would transform their small company into a major exporter. The photo of Derek Stoker is from the Express.
Rachel Foulstone was a resident in Ferndale Aged Person's Home. She left £17,000 to the home in her will as a thank-you to staff and fellow residents. Pupils from Featherstone High School and Purston Infants School we invited by the council to help design a courtyard area at the home in her memory.
APRIL Young children at Purston Infants School were upset at damage dome to their school garden by vandals. Headteacher Janet Young said "We have been planting bulbs over the last eight years with the help of the Groundwork Trust and using money from the parents. Children helped to plant the bulbs. They take great pride in their efforts and they are devastated. We have also found evidence of youths drinking and solvent abuse". She thought security cameras should be installed. The Express photo shows Kieran Collier and Haley Millward with broken daffodils, surveying what is left in their garden.
Inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education gave Featherstone High School top marks for the education and development of pupils. Headteacher Tony Warden said "I am pleased to say this school has a very good reputation. It is over-subscribed for next September as we have had 203 applications for 180 places".
Yorkshire Water applied for a six months extension to the drought order banning hosepipes and restricting the use of water by other means.
JUNE Lyndsay Howe age five was playing on her cycle near her home in West End Avenue, Ackton, when she was run down by two hit and run off-road riders. She was taken to Pontefract General Infirmary with serious head injuries. This was just two days after the police had issued warnings about rogue riders.
JULY Encore Theatre Company, the new name for Featherstone and District Musical and Dramatic Society since last year, was going to put on Half a Sixpence at Wakefield Theatre Royal next February but were short of male singers. They put out an appeal for anyone interested to get in touch.
AUGUST A surprise party was held for three people leaving Purston Infants School. They were caretaker Mrs Kathleen Thomas, dining room assistant Mrs Ada Falkinder and kitchen supervisor Mrs Alice Martindale. All three were presented with flowers and gifts. Headteacher Janet Young said "We will be sad to see the ladies go. We have become so accustomed to them in school". Photo - The Express.
The Jubilee Hotel celebrated its centenary with a £78,000 refurbishment. The landlord, Dave Watson, said "The refurbishment was the best way to mark the pub's special year". Loyal customer Fred Carter was invited to pull the first pint at the reopening party. Entertainment was provided by comedian and singer Mark Stanley. The Express photo shows from the left landlady Carol Watson, her daughter Lisa Watson, general manager of Marston's Sheila Taylor, Fred Carter and landlord Dave Watson.
SEPTEMBER Four Barker girls of Katrina Grove, Joanne seven, Samantha six, Amanda five and MIchelle four, achieved the rare feat of a 100 per cent attendance at Purston Infants School. The headteacher, Janet Young said "This is the first time this has happened to me in some 20-plus years of teaching". She added that the girls all had a full attendance record since the day they started at school. The Express photo shows from the left Amanda, Joanne, Michelle and Samantha.
Bill and Christine Pinder of Avon Walk went on a holiday to the Far East and Australia to celebrate their silver wedding. While snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef she lost her wedding ring and had given up hope of seeing it again. She left her name and address with the Australian company just in case. By what she described as a million to one chance another diver spotted it and it was returned to her. Photo - The Express.
Jon Trickett MP had a one hour session at Featherstone High School answering questions from 40 pupils age 16 to 18. He said the pupils were very politically sophisticated and asked him about the things which affect young people. The Express photo shows Jon Trickett with Emma Shipley and Michael Mann.
Featherstone Town Council decided to put on a festival in Station Lane with open air events in the precinct, stalls and a teddy bears' picnic in the library and community centre. Local producer and director Paul Davies had put together a one hour show for the Community Centre involving local children and adults. The theme was television and its characters and featured indoor fireworks, people dancing in dustbins and a master of ceremonies.
OCTOBER Kerry Rowlinson age 12 of Nunns Lane and her four-year-old border collie Ben won through minor events to qualify for the country's premier obedience event at the NEC, Birmingham next March. Ben also had an appearance in Featherstone High School's Christmas play Annie to his credit. Photo - The Express.
Sarah Steel of Avon Walk admitted she lived like a hermit because she felt too fat and ugly to venture out, but she went with a friend to a slimming class at Pontefract, and in 38 weeks she slimmed down from a size 18 to a pleasing size 12. She said "I can now wear short skirts and fashionable clothes and I feel great". The before and after photos are from the Express.
Featherstone Fire Station needed rewiring and asbestos removed at the same time. Station officer Graham Millard, who was a security officer at Lin Pac, got the firm to agree to allow the retained firemen to use one of their loading bays until the work was completed.
Tony Lumb published his third book about Sherlock Holmes in Featherstone called Sherlock Homes and the Study of Death.
NOVEMBER Tony Lumb and Featherstone Mayor David Bond had tried and failed to find the book handed over to the council in 1924 meant to contain the names of 352 local men who lost their life in the Forces in the First World War. So they set about compiling a new list and managed all but six names. Featherstone Town Council paid for a new book containing the names, and Featherstone Trade Council paid for a cabinet to put it on permanent display in the Library. Photo - Tony Lumb Collection.
