This article was originally written for the July issue of the Hawkesbury Parish News, and the deadline was a week before the EU Referendum. What a world away that time seems now…
As I write this post, we’re poised on the brink of three historic milestones:
Firstly, the one that will be done and dusted by the time you read this magazine: the EU referendum, though the after-effects will be long-term. Whichever way the nation votes, I shall still call myself a European, because that’s what I feel like in my heart, and if anyone begs to differ, I shall cite the definition of our geographical continent.
The second major event is the US election. Whichever way the results go, they will be groundbreaking: first female president (Clinton) or first president for 60 years not to have previously held a publicly elected office (Trump). If Trump trumps Clinton, here’s my solution for keeping him in check: instead of his proposed wall along the US/Mexican border, let’s build a wall around Trump.-
The third book in the Monument to Hawkesbury series takes us up to 2000. Available for sale in Hawkesbury Stores, natch! The third big event may go unnoticed on the world stage, but it’s big news by Hawkesbury standards: the reopening of the Hawkesbury Shop under community ownership, under the new trading name of Hawkesbury Stores. When future generations write the next volume of A Monument to Hawkesbury, this event will surely merit a chapter of its own, filled with fond reminiscences of Anne Weston and her team, who for so long have been a mainstay of our community. There’ll also be admiring tributes to how harmoniously the village pulled together, led by an excellent committee, to ensure a smooth change of status to benefit all concerned.
I think European and US politicians could learn a lot from studying our community.
All Part of the Charm, a collection of essays about moving to the village, plus all the columns I’ve written for the Hawkesbury Parish News, is now available in book form (paperback and ebook), available to order from all good bookshops. If anyone would like a free review copy, please get in touch. All reviews on Amazon or elsewhere will be much appreciated!
