Stories by Anne Knight
Story of an old YHA member
In 1962 a friend at work suggested that I should join the youth hostel
association, so I tried. I went to unity hall in Stockport where we met
once a week on a Friday.
I stood at the entrance, but did not go in I had to pluck up my courage
to go in. With great effort I somehow got myself through the door. Once
I was in the lady of the mixed years like me knew the friend at work. I
was only aged twenty-two that first day. The first year the secretary
was Miss M Ellis of Edgeley, we had booking secretary’s which would if
you wanted to stay at an YHA as a group. I remember my first one it was
a cold winter, and we the Stockport YHA stayed at Edale. Not knowing
what to carry in my rucksack I carried tin food which I learned was not
on, you brought these Bachelors beef curry plus many more making a
rucksack much lighter. Also my mother made me a sleeping bag in heavy
duty cotton as this was cheaper than hiring one from the warden, who was
in charge of the hostel.
We had to pay a yearly sub then when going to the hostel the cost at the
time was 1/6d in old money. If you wanted to cook your own meal in the
kitchen we paid the warden 3d in old money. But there was wardens meals
too sometimes you would prefer to pay for a meal perhaps two one being
the evening meal the other would be breakfast, but you could not leave
the hostel till the warden had given you a duty to do this could be many
things like sweeping the stairs, brushing the dormitory, washing the
pots and many more. Now over the years I have stored in my attic the
magazines dated from Oct 1963 price 4d in old money.
The Youth Hosteller is a small magazine about 6x4 I have got most of
them. In 1968 the year we married it went up to 6d the old sixpenny
piece. That’s forty years ago I remember a president when meetings were
held but not sure of his name to many years have past. At one particular
time I went to Manchester though I was still in my early twenties the
two sisters in Stockport YHA, put me on the Manchester committee this
was new thing to me I said to them “but I am new I do not know enough”
“O you’ll learn” so I was voted on and seconded on too. It grew to be
the most interesting time of my younger life. Then there was the Easter
weekends which I went on my first were Robin Hood bay we had a lovely
time. I had a camera by then and took photo’s the last day before the
coach came we did a small walk, well I was with one of the Stockport
hostellers when we got back to our destination I lost my camera. Alf was
his name he was good he went back and got it for me thanks Alf. That
weekend another friend called Harry both liked looking for fossils I too
like archaeology we went hunting on the beach not realizing there was a
cross current of tide, a man yelled at us to move told us to scramble up
to the rocks, But the tide was too quick the man came to my rescue and
did a piggy back to a safe place, then gave us a good telling off. We
were so involved with the fossil hunting we did not see the tides.
There was the twice yearly dance at Great Moor Conservative club, well
as I loved dancing my mum and dad brought me a plain velvet dress in
red. I went to the dance in a red dress it was Christmas. In my older
years now, I think it was the 23rd of December near Christmas. We would
have a spring dance too also a social night games and everything, no
slides that night it was about once a month not sure .We would have
slides on Norway never to be forgotten as there seemed a lot, there Dr
Wooly who through his slides would show us underneath caverns I liked
that a lot some would be on your own walks or people would to talk about
the subject not necessary walking. They would give us a wide spectrum of
things Christine’s dad gave a talk on the Peruvian mountains this was
the first time I’d seen them. It was amazing. But like all talks you
would get the boring ones too meaning people could not get the story
over ever. I’ve been to one of these but not think on Greece, that was a
Doll talk who I gave to older women but I could not get on track with it
like I used too, getting too old for such things.
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