Paphos People

RICH UNCLE KEN

My uncle Ken died on July 14th 2023 aged ninety four.
This was my speech at his funeral.

When we were kids in the early fifties if you knew somebody with a car you knew SOMEBODY! To me and my brother Graham that was Uncle Ken and Auntie Rosemary. A visit from them was an occasion for the whole road. We had a car parked outside our house! What we never knew was that he was a second hand car salesman and the cars were usually from stock! The other kids all crowded around it and our standing on the Council Estate went up a notch.
One weekend there was a great deal of excitement in the air, we all got dressed up in our smart clothes especially me. Confused aged five years old, I was the Page Boy at their wedding, without even knowing it, dressed in blue velvet trousers, a white blouse white socks and patent leather black shoes. We all got on a train for the ten mile trip to Ashchurch (my Dad worked on the railways so we got cheap tickets) alighting at the station there was a short walk to the village.
Arriving at the house, I was pleased to see my Aunty Rosemary dressed in a long white dress and looking beautiful. My parents left me there and went away. So there I was in a strange house with people I didn’t know, not really knowing what was going on. Rosemary’s mother, Mrs. Pinchin was in charge of everybody and I was put in the care of ‘Ronnie’ who I found out was Rosemary’s sister Veronica, dressed in a peach coloured long dress. Amidst all that excitement I was swept along holding tight to my new friend Ronnie’s hand until we got to The Church!
The awesome Mrs. Pinchin organized the Bridal procession, Frank, her husband, did what he was told. He took Rosemary’s arm and led us all down the aisle. After a lot of talking and singing of hymns we came back out of the church for some photographs. I was instructed to stand by ‘Spud’ who turned out to be Ken’s best man I did as I was told until we all got to the Northway Hotel for the reception. That was better we were all fed very well. There then followed a lot of speeches and stuff. Ronnie took all of us kids out into the garden and we had great fun chasing about in the bushes and stuff.
I met all these people in later life, Gwen Pinchin, Edward 'Spud' Taylor, and the rest. They all took great delight in reminding me of those blue velvet trousers.
Uncle Ken and Auntie Rosemary went from strength to strength and had a very successful business. He was always known to us as Rich Uncle Ken. They went on to have five children, who in turn went on to produce prolifically Their family tree is enormous and still growing!

Now as the oldest member of this generation of the family and probably the only surviving person from that wedding day, those are my memories of the marriage of two people sixty nine years ago who are responsible for the huge dynasty that is gathered here today.

Cheers Uncle Ken!!