Richard Walker, why I love Diss

PUBLISHED: 17:00 12 June 2018

Diss ladies Hockey Club in 1929, from left to right: Taylor, Cullum, Easto, Sheere Warburton, Breeze, Holland, Francis, Newbold (captain) Cupper and Jeffory. Picture: Richard Walker

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We are always keen to hear from people who currently live in Diss or have previously called the town their home. Here Richard Walker, who currently lives in Dereham but spent many years living in the town shares his memories.

The visit of Mrs Snowdoen to Diss Secondary School on October 8, 1929. Picture: Richard Walker

Why I love Diss, it’s because in the 1950s, my parents lived in Palgrave and I was brought up there. A small village, Palgrave was connected to Diss by Hows Lane, which we used once or twice a week and daily during term time, to get to School in Entry House. Later some of my friends lived in Hows Lane and sometimes we used to borrow a hand cart from Mr Ford, the builder in the village and walk along the lane to Diss to collect various items which were too large to carry.

My friends also owned a lovely canoe which was transported to Diss, and on several occasions we actually canoed on the Mere, which at the time seem most adventurous, but now I am not so sure! And as far as I can remember we never sought permission for doing this stunt.

Another friend Richard Hopgood, who used to help his Dad in Hopgood’s Men’s Clothes shop in the Market Place before later owning it use to help me run my museum which occupied the three attics of my father’s House, The Hollies in Palgrave. In the museum I built up quite a collection, including a picture exhibition of images belonging to my later father Stephen Walker. I used to go to Wills the second hand shop behind the main Post Office, in Diss to obtain tables and display cabinets for the museum,

The Hollies Museum, Palgrave. Picture: Richard Walker

In the mid 1960s I had some involvement with Diss Museum, but my spare time was restricted.

I shall make a visit to Diss Museum in the near future to see how it has progressed. In 2008 I donated a partly polished flint axe which had previously been presented to my museum by a Miss Stern from Shimpling. So I decided it was only right that Diss Museum should have it for its displays.

Going back further, my late mother worked at the Diss Secondary School as a domestic science teacher and was in the Diss Ladies Hockey club in 1929 before she was married.

So that it which Diss can bring back so many lovely memories for me.