By Robert Archer (Son); My father Wilfred was a hard working man, as a leisure centre and amenities manager he was often obliged to attend frequent evening committee meetings that went on late in the evenings, he very much regarded these as part of the job and didn’t do these duties begrudgingly and gave his opinions and time freely. He was a strong minded man, especially when driving his car, many times I remember him shouting “idiot !” and “clown !” out of the car window at other unsuspectng motorists, he was definitely a man who knew his own mind !
Dad liked different challenges in life and would move post to another location every decade or so depending on the new posting on offer - sometimes leisure centres were new build and so were a new opportunity. With this came family relocation in the 1970’s and 80’s from Gloucester to Cornwall and then to Surrey so life was never dull, the family had the use of the leisure centre facilities most of the time and we attended various concerts and events - The New Seekers, wrestling with Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks and we even got to see Cliff Richard in concert..
There‘were some great Summers enjoyed on the Cornish beaches often with family and friends that came to stay, Those days seemed to go so fast - swimming in the sea, exploring and then a picnic with hot dogs from a camping stove were always enjoyed sometimes by an overkeen dog taking any opportunity he could. The squeak of polystyrene on glass all the way home was always the float surfboard jammed in the back of the car in Summer, family weekends were the best.
Dad taught me about gardening and plants,DIY and also to watch Football together to see Bristol, Plymouth,Aldershot and Torquay play at various levels. Then there was the golf, he would play at all times of the year and one time he took Jim and Rob when the ground was frozen solid, all shots (however bad) went a long way and water hazards were certainly not an issue on that day.
Dad was a keen gardener, creating a beautiful garden wherever he lived. He could transform a pile of rubble into a colourful flower bed in no time at all. He was a great painter as is his wife Sheila. BothMum and Dad were involved with several art clubs, selling their artwork on Stoke Gabriel Quay or on Babbacombe Down with the family dog Leo. Wilf and Sheila enjoyed travel, holidays and cruises spent around parts of Europe including Denmark, Egypt and former Yugoslavia, also later on Canada and America. Once in Austria during a summer thunderstorm we were on a chairlift. All Dad could usefully shout was ìdon’t touch anything metal !”
As a grandfather Wilfred took a keen interest in his grandchildren’s skills often talking about literature and art, himself a keen painter of landscapes and coastlines, retirement to Devon was an ideal situation for Wilfred and Sheila being close to daughter Kate and her husband Jim and their children Alice and Matthew, later being joined by eldest son Jim and his children, Jeffery and Jasmine.
Although I remained in Surrey and married Jacqui we often came and enjoyed time later on with our two daughters Michelle and Joanne Grandad would take time talking about painting with Joanne and literature with Michelle, which must have worked as she is now an English teacher! Sometimes he would produce his Punch and Judy puppets, he made the puppets himself with Mum’s help. The Crocodile puppet is still here. He would often do mimicry for no particular reason, we remember him shouting “Babba” and ‘Poon’ ! He made jokes about people wearing ‘Mouse Trousers’ but we don’t quite know where he got this catch phrase. He loved comic books and used to enjoy the Beano and the Dandy.
The snooker table would often be set up, Matt, Jeff and Jasmine learned their early skills right there, many a difficult shot had to be taken with the short cue as ornaments and walls were sometimes an issue the phrase”it’s not like the Crucible you know” was often mentioned. There was also a shared challenge of the putting machine that was enjoyed and the card game “Uno” was often played by the whole family.
All these shared experiences bind us together as family, we won’t forget them and will cherish these memories as long as we live.
And finally, a memory from Mum and Dad’s Golden Wedding party: Dad announced: “I’ve had a good life, because I’ve had a good wife” . It was Mum that made him happy for most of his life.
Robert
6th June 2020