Page 48 - Phonebox Magazine July 2007

An Old Codger’s Commentary
Alex Gene Morrison Exhibition, ‘Adrift’ at The Fishmarket Gallery, Northampton Running until July 21st
The Fishmarket presents the first solo exhibition of Alex Gene Morrison outside of his current base in London. Morrison is one of the leading figures of the artist-led Rockwell Gallery in London – a hugely celebrated, but sadly, soon to be discontinued space in the heart of Dalston.
A recent graduate of the Royal College, Morrison has exhibited widely in group shows including exhibitions in New York, Tokyo and Copenhagen. He is a full time lecturer of painting at City and Guilds of London Art School.
For this exhibition, Morrison employs both digital media and paint to describe a future wilderness inhabited by slightly bored and confused alien life-forms.
“The Northampton Arts Collective is proud to play host to another exciting, contemporary exhibition. It is a real privilege for us to bring nationally recognised artists to Northampton town centre and the support we have received from the public has been a fantastic testament to the Fishmarket project.” ❑
Fishmarket Arts venue, Bradshaw Street, Northampton NN1 2HL. Tel: 01604 639090. Website: www.northamptonarts.org
Claire Batty Scoops Double
Front row player for Olney Ladies RFC, Claire Batty, received two awards at this year’s Annual Awards Dinner, held in Olney on Saturday 9 June.
A massive majority awarded Claire the ‘Players Player’ trophy, voted for by all of the team. Through her positive nature on the pitch and aggressive defensive play, Claire has had a big impact on the side this season and was instrumental in many of the ladies team’s crucial wins.
To add to this accolade, Claire was also chosen as the ‘Supporters Player of the Year’ awarded by the Ladies supporters for their favourite player. President of the club Mannie Howkins paid tribute to Claire’s power, pace and commitment on the pitch and noted that she was a driving force in the Ladies rugby side.
Also a winner this year was Anna Fagan, a winger for the ladies side who received the ‘Most Improved Player’ award. Anna has developed her attacking skills this season with some excellent moments of support play, incisive angles and speed.
Player of the Year for the 2006-7 season was Tanya Cartmell. Tanya plays second row and is often the unsung hero of the side, being first to the breakdown and a huge presence in the scrum with her strength. Tanya is also one of the most positive people in the team and although unable to finish the season as she was diagnosed with cancer, Tanya has continued to fully support the ladies as well as fighting her battle with this disease.
Olney Ladies resume training again on Wednesday 4 July and welcome all new players with or without experience. For more information call Kath on 07748 946 899.
For more information on Olney Rugby Club visit www.olneyrfc.co.uk
Whilst it’s good fun to pretend we can hang on to our youth we ought to ask ourselves was it really so wonderful, are we proud of what we did. If we really want to hang on to our younger days then we must also hang on to the responsibility for the heinous past errors of our generation.
Certainly the destructive ways of some young people today are deplorable but who created the society in which they’ve been reared. It was largely my generation which destroyed an excellent education system and abandoned the expected standards and ambitions which that system had supported. Quality, good taste and the search for excellence were consigned to the bin under the brand of elitism. Most of the interfering and meddling powers with which social services are now endowed are owed principally to initiatives from the 1960s. Rights and entitlements have marched relentlessly onwards whilst trampling responsibilities and moral values into the dust. Young people today destroy fences and trees but we sought to destroy society itself, we are scarcely entitled to complain for we are enjoying the harvest we sowed. George Orwell conceived Big Brother but we brought him to birth and during this last ten years he has surely come of age.
We of the Saga battalion are still hanging on in there even though already half blind to the very responsibilities we ought to uphold. It is boasted abroad that rapidly increasing numbers of elderly people are still driving their motor cars when not filling the skies with aviation fumes. Why oh why can’t a few more folk settle down to enjoy the quiet life; once the energy stock runs low there’s immense pleasure to be had from that long list of books we’ve promised a thousand times over to
read ‘one day’. And yes, those motor cars; I’ve beefed of this topic more than once before but there are things which have to be repeated until the message sinks in. If young drivers have more accidents than older ones it is only because they do most of the driving. Careful studies by police and the insurance world show quite clearly that older drivers have distinctly more accidents per driven mile that younger ones. Old, half blind and doddery people have too many accidents and their hesitancy causes more besides. HESITATION INDUCES ERRORS. I am over seventy at which age the driving licence expires and we have to apply for a replacement; but this is ridiculous, there is no test applied to check are we still fit to drive. I do have my eye-sight tested every year and I hereby declare that when next I have to seek licence renewal I will first seek a new test; if I fail that test I will drive no more (something about my own petard, but I do feel called on to act as I say). It is probably true that two thirds of all drivers over sixty should not be driving at all. I am very proud of the decision taken by a friend of mine to drive no more. The lady had a long and excellent record as an ambulance driver but accepted that she was slowing down so stopped before the awaiting accident overtook her. It must come to each of us sooner or later, I hope we can all emulate her honesty.
We had some fun a year or so back about abandoned decencies, perhaps it is time to turn from stick to carrot. Surely an intelligent society can kill off Big Brother and insist on sweeping away the needless rubbish of over regulation. Let’s give our young people encouragement, space, time and cause to go ambitiously
forward. Geoff Bacchus
48 Phonebox Magazine