The speaker for our July meeting was John Keohane MVO BEM retired Chief Yeoman Warder.
This was a most entertaining and well informative talk which everyone enjoyed. John, who was attired in his official uniform, served at the Tower for 21 years and had many ceremonial duties to perform and met the Queen on a number of times. He guided us through a pictorial tour of the Traitor’s Gate, Trinity Green, infamous for executions, the Bloody Tower and the apartment where Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned with his family for 13 years. The origin of the nickname ‘Beefeater’ remains a mystery but John suggested the most plausible derivation was from the custom of giving the Yeoman the leftover beef from the Monarch’s table.
Callington U3A meet on the first Monday of every month and new members are always made very welcome.
Well, the budget setting process has begun and promises to be even more difficult than last year. There is no doubt that some difficult decisions will have to be made again and some people are going to be disappointed at the loss or changes that result. One that has not yet been decided is about the mobile library service. I have received the results of the consultation and there is no doubt that this service is highly valued. However, the results also suggest that some people, perhaps the most vulnerable, might benefit from a change from a mobile van to a home delivery service. Three options will be discussed shortly and, at the moment, I am inclined to think we will be better off making more radical changes now that can then be maintained for the next few years rather than having to make minor changes each year. However, no decision has yet been made.
