Fishing Adventures

A Memory of Aveley.

I am not a native of Aveley. I was born in Barking and spent most of my childhood in Dagenham. My father's sister and her husband moved to South Ockendon (Gatehope Drive) when I was very young.

Every Sunday we would travel to see the 'out in the sticks' relatives. If we didn't go by van as a family, I would go on my own and catch the green line from Dagenham, Chequers (was it the 721 or 375? - rings a bell). Good times they were. Always playing footy or cricket on the field opposite The Archer pub, and in Belhus Park too.

Fishing seduced me from about the age of 12 years old. I found this great place for me and my Dagenham pals to fish. We called it the Tunnel Cement and it was located between Purfleet Road and Sandy Lane. This would have been around 1960. I can remember actually walking, in the night, from Dagenham to Aveley in 1964ish. We would fish at night and early morning and if we did not get picked up by a friend's dad later that day - which was most of the time - we would get a bus back. There was plenty of good fishing to be had in the area at that time, especially off Sandy Lane, but the Tunnel Cement was special.

I went into the Army in 1966 and the fishing did suffer as one would expect. I never got to fish at the Tunnel Cement again, but I often think of all those times trying to catch the 'big un'.

If I can recall, the pond where we fished was quite close to houses. I think there were 3 or 4. The one nearest Sandy lane had a sunken crane in the middle of it (I think).

I would be thrilled if anyone has any pictures they could show. Even a chat with anyone that remembers what I'm on about would be great,

I live in the far east now and it's not likely that I'll ever again see the old fishing haunts. But I think of them often. And the adventures - they seemed great adventures then - in Aveley and South Ockendon.