I Remember, Years Ago.

A Memory of Reigate.

I was born in the County Hospital, where my Mum worked as an almoner. My grandparents, Herbert and Frances Pink lived on Copse road in an old row house that I loved, especially the attic where my cousin Valerie (Davis) and I used to spend time rummaging around in the ancient trunks full of 20's clothing, cigarette tins full of picture cards, old tubular records and huge heavy pattern catalogues. When I was 4 we moved to a little community of "Prefabs" near Nags Head, but Gran and Grandad would still look after me while my parents H.Maurice and Eileen Pink went to work. My cousin and I would go to the post Office and sweet shop, go to the dairy for Walls ice cream and along the path to the common, and St. Johns School that I attended. I remember the daffodils, the Chain Lakes, and sitting at at a table with my Gran, giving out concentrated orange juice in bottles (among other things) in return for coupons. I remeber the Wonens' Institute, where Gran would take her cakes and jams to be judged for prizes (she usually won) and people who asked and received her recipes rarely ever had the same results, as Gran would leave out or change the amount of a vital ingredient, dear soul! My Grandad had a shoe repair shop down the path behind the house. I loved playing with leather pieces he cut for me to string together with leather laces, and smelling the new leather as he cut it.
My Mum and Dad and I moved to Canada in 1957 when I was almost 10. I have never seen Meadvale again, but did see Redhill and Reigate in 1996 when I travelled with them back to see some of my "roots".
I saw stately St. Johns, the Windmill on Reigate Common, and the parking lot with "my" oak tree in the middle of it, surrounded by apartments. It used to be in my back garden at the "prefab".
A lot has changed since I lived there, but I am sure that the heart of Meadvale will stay the same forever.
I am now retired in Mexico with my husband of 46 years, our children and grandchildren are in Canada, and wonder what happened to the friends I had at Earlswood and St. Johns schools.

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