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Dean Rise WI Monthly
Meeting September 2019
Our
President Margaret opened the meeting with the usual joke. These are
always good and provoke much laughter—where does she find them ?
There were a few notices.
The
annual Stella Austin Cup, this time making a greeting card using any
means by 29th
November. Margaret had been to Easthampstead WI tea which was
well attended. There had also been an outing to Easthampstead flour
mill where they still make their own flour. The takings
from the garden meeting in August came to £323—all to be donated
to Cookham Dean WI for the repair to roof of the hall.
The star of the show, Emily, the much heralded WI doll was produced
on stage with all her trappings, including an empty gin bottle. She
will go on to another WI next month.
Sadly Margaret will be retiring as president after this year but
her place will be taken by Judi Touchard, a popular choice,
The village fete
will be coming up soon and a plea went out for cakemakers.
After
the coffee break our speaker Richard Poad was introduced. He is
always a great source of local information and his speech was
entitled “ Doctor at the Dean”. The doctor in question
was Dr Robert Shepard who was the sole village doctor from 1911-1940.
He had surgeries at Ferndale in the High Street and later opened a
surgery at Lynwood,Cookham Dean ( here we were shown slides of these
houses )
Doctor Shepard was born in London
in1869 and at the age of 25 he qualified as a doctor. After a
spell of a couple of years as a ships doctor, he became a surgeon in
the armed forces and then eventually settled in Cookham .
In 1924 he married the beautiful Zoe Kennedy who the following year
gave birth to a daughter who very sadly died aged none months and was
buried in Cookham churchyard where there is a beautiful memorial.
At first he used a pony and trap to do
his rounds but soon bought a black and yellow two seater, the first
of a succession of cars
Richard showed slides of invoices front local stores. He was known
to be very late in paying his bills. He was fond of gardening
particularly growing vegetables and fruit and in 1837 he injured
himself gardening and his health then deteriorated. He died aged 74
and all the great and good came to his funeral. His wife lived on for
many years in genteel poverty. It would have been interesting to
know if he had any more children.
The talk finished and the meeting then closed
