BIRDS EYE

10th November 1979, Page 67

10th November 1979

Page 67

Page 67, 10th November 1979 — BIRDS EYE

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by ne Hawk

'light of ncy

; I implied in my paragraph in e ,October 19 issue, the proNiel newspaper reporter who rote the story of a haulier's rise affluence in six years took irrie liberties with the truth.

the haulier, K. Beverley, of :aiiloot, Barnsley, has given e the facts. The Albion foureieeled tipper that he bought r £300 late in 1972 was a )67 model — not 1972. Three :art later he purchased a new )den eight-wheeler and anher in the following year.

He has since disposed of ose vehicles and his fleet of six AN comprises Magirus Deutz id Volvo eight-wheelers with T and V registrations. Anher Volvo F7 costing more an £35,000 will be delivered i January 1 — a monument to urage and enterprise.

My correspondent, who de. 3s:telling the reporter that he idle multi-million pound busi)ss, assured me: "In new smers there are sometimes icrepancies between the story Id and the story printed.' He n ay that again!

' rewell to I pioneer

ith the death of J. H. Ewer at a .Lithful 84, the coaching in'sty has lost one of its few maining pioneers. He leaves hind in the Ewer group a peranent memorial to his ingelitive business sense and adnaurous spirit.

The thriving travel and retail otOr trade empire now con)1Ied by his elder son was to a e t extent created by a man lO was an orphan at 13 and iteired transport with a horse, a rtl and an elementary cash o . J.H., a slight but deterin d and single-minded man, as also warm hearted and .nerous.

Dlespite his commercial sucsa he remained a man of simple tastes who delighted in his home, his devoted wife and family. At the annual dinners that he gave to his staff, agents and friends some 30 years ago. Bob, the family housekeeper, always occupied a seat of honour at the top table and was the recipient of an impromptu toast. That was typical of J.H.

He was restlessly energetic to the last. The week before his sudden death (in the year of his diamond wedding anniversary) he played a round of golf. He was greatly looking forward to his granddaughter's wedding five days later, for which his morning suit was already laid out, and with his bright eyes he seemed to be indestructible. Alas, he was not.

Canal pirates

As I cruised along the Regents Canal as the guest of National Carriers I was intrigued by a notice: -You are about to be raided by pirates. Have your treasure ready."

Brian Hayward explained it to me. In 1 977 National Carriers leased a minute plot of useless land in Camden Town for use by a youth club at £.1 a year for 99 years. On it was built a splendid • brick fort which not only gives the youngsters endless pleasure but enhances the district. At the weekend they barricade the canal and charge 1p to pass through Camden lock.

Budding star

In National Carriers the boss's son starts at the bottom like anyone else. Mark Hayward has been working as a night loader at Fashionflow's Camden depot — and you can't get much lower than that.

But transport is not really for him. He is off to Florida and Texas to play on the American tennis circuit and aims to return to Britain next May in time for Beckenham.

Who knows, a future Wimbledon men's singles champion may be blossoming in darkest Camden.

Perpetual motion

I suspect that when Sir Daniel Pettit finally retires, transport will cease. Admittedly, the National Freight Corporation has continued to function vigorously since he retired from the chairmanship nearly a year ago, but he is still busily engaged with five transport organisations and probably several others.

He is giving up one of them — the Lorries and Environment Committee, of which he has been the enthusiastic chairman since it was formed in 1 974 — at the end of the year but he will still be a member of the council of the Chartered Institute of Transport, National Ports Council and the advisory committee of the Transport and Road Research Laboratory, and chairman of the Industry Committee for Packaging and the Environment. That should be a sound insurance against senility.

Homage on ICE

A shrine at which al I devout Welshmen will wish to worship has been created at Pontyclun, Mid Glamorgan. It is a plague on the wall of the new depot of Inter County Express and commemorates the official opening by . . I dictate with bated breath . . . J. P. R. Williams, MBE. MB, BSc(Lond), MRCS, LRCP. If the plate had been larger it might have added the superfluous information that the gallant doctor is the former Welsh RFU international fullback.

His audience may have been smaller than that of another celebrity with the initials J.P. but he was received with almost as much fervour.