Persuasive Speech On Leeks
Welcome
Ladies and gentlemen, Gustino, or Gus, as he used to shorten it to. Gus comes from a long line of family with very traditional Italian names, often shortened to make saying it easier.
Now, here was a man who knew how to grow a leek, and I don’t mean just any leek, I mean competition level leeks, and not just that, he knew how to judge them too, a real expert in the field, but then, that’s not surprising the amount of research that he put in over the years.
Gus was a man never happier than when working in his garden, or his allotment, tending to whatever he was nurturing at the time, and some cycles could take all year to see the results, so lots of planning, preparation, and attention to detail, but worth it.
But, above all else, …show more content…
Gus was a family man, with over 60 years of happy marriage, 60 years, you’ve got to be doing something right! He came from a large Italian family, then, over the years, grew his own family too.
Gus was a son and a brother, a boyfriend and a husband, later, he would become a father, grandfather, and even great grandfather too. But he was also a work colleague and friend, he had many many friends, particularly in the leek growing and showing community around the clubs in the area, but here, today, they all have one thing in common, they will all miss him very much.
I am John F Brown and I have the privilege to be your Civil Celebrant for our time here today.
Gus’s story starts back in 1928, on the 28th of July to be precise, and not far from here, just up the road in Shiremoor. Opposite the Blue Bell Pub, I believe the stone gates of the building are still there today. Because that’s where his mum Helina, although she got Lina, and dad Joseph, or Joe, were living at the time, we think.
Gus’s dad Joe might have worked down the pit, the Billy Pit, but he also worked in the plastics factory on the Coast Road too at some time, and before that, he worked in the ship yards. It was also mentioned that his parents ran a fish ‘n’ chip shop as well, but I’m not sure when, or where that was.
Gus was the eldest child of seven brothers and sisters, large families back then, and he was followed by Joe, then Lina, she was followed by Carol, Gordon and Tony, and last, but not least, Rosina, they all grew up, and went to school in Wallsend, actually, the school at, or near, the top of Rosehill Bank, just after the Cemetery, there’s an old peoples home on that site now, but back then it was a school.
I met Gordon and Ian and they told me that their dad never really mentioned anything about his school days. If he ever did talk about things from that far back, it tended to be about his work and the different jobs he’s done.
Gus left school at 14, as was normal back then, and started work at the Tyne Commissioners, where they carried out repairs to ships, round the back of the Tyne Tunnel. He was trained as a blacksmith. I’m not sure exactly how long he was there, but when he moved on he went to the Wallsend Slipway, near the Ropeworks in Willington Quay.
Here he was still doing ship repairs as a blacksmith, actually, he was always a blacksmith, right up to retirement, and then he moved to Cleland’s on the other side of the Willington Quay gut, as they still call it. At Cleland’s they built and repaired ships, and he moved there in the same year that Ian was born, 1964, and by now he had also been made up to Foreman Blacksmith, a role he would keep also, up to retirement. Although the yard would close in 1984.
Now, I’ve jumped way ahead, let me take you back to the late 1940s and early 50s. I asked how Gus came to first meet Amy, well, there were a bunch of the guys out for a drink, and she was with a bunch of girls, and they were all dancing at the Wallsend Memorial Hall, just off the high street, the Mem, as it’s often referred to.
Now this was proper dancing mind you, not any of the modern stuff, ballroom dancing, and Gus was good at it, well, you had to be, it was the only way to meet girls back then, and the one particular girl he met that night, was Amy.
Well, after some more dancing, and probably a couple of drinks, one thing lead to another, and in 1953 they were married, the year after the Queen’s Coronation, and they went straight down to London for a short honeymoon.
The following year they did it properly, Ian said, and went to Lake Como in Italy, long journey, by boat and train, but worth it. This was before you could just jump on a plane like you can now, unless you were very wealthy.
After they were married they set up home in Leslie Terrace, or it might have been Street but it was in Wallsend. It was one of the streets that used to look down on to the Tyne, all the rows of terraced houses around there had people’s names back then, just round by the Simpsons Hotel, they’re all gone now of course.
As time went on the family started to grow, first came Gordon, and shortly after he was followed by Graeme, then Ian. So, Gus how had three sons. I asked what life was like back then, growing up with Gus as a dad.
“We would go fishing”, they told me, at the weekend, sometimes down at Tynemouth, and sometimes at Whitley Bay too, but usually in the Tyne, at Howden, didn’t catch a lot, but it was fun none-the-less. You’d probably catch more now, now the Tyne is cleaner! And this would go on for many years, until the boys gradually got older.
Ian remember that their dad always had a car, but if it ever needed work Gus would ask Graeme to do it, as he had trained as a mechanic. He was still driving in his 80s, now that’s not bad going. He could be strict, at times, but he brought them up properly, and fairly, they never went without, but never spoiled either.
They remember their mum and dad still dancing later in life too, at the Innisfree Club in Benton. I also asked about holidays and I was told about Devon, Cornwall and Summerset, and they always drove down, or weekend trips to Scarborough, and summer day trips down to Tynemouth Long Sands with, well, the whole family really, their mother’s sisters and all the kids, even Gus would come down and find them all on the beach after work.
Later, in work, Gus moved to Tyne Ship Repairs, based near Swan’s, on the way out towards Walker, near the Mid Tyne Ferry, also known a Wallsend Dry Docks still as Foreman Blacksmith, and would stay there until retirement at 64.
But in later life, after the boys had grown up, Gus and Amy were truly bitten by the holiday bug, having as many as 3 a year some years. Often Benidorm, but usually Italy.
As time went on, the family continued to grow, Gordon married Margaret, Graeme married Lin and Ian married Pat, and between them Gus now has 5 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.
Then I asked about hobbies and interests, and this was where I started to discover where the real passion lies, anything to do with the garden or the allotment. Gus’ big thing was the garden, and growing leeks from scratch.
Gus won lots of competitions for his leeks in the local shows, and onions and carrots, and long beet and celery too, all the side shows as they would call them, but the main thing was the leeks, and these were 12 month leeks, they would literally take 12 months to mature to show quality.
This was all down to the research, Gus had searched out all the best growers he could find, and studied them, including growing different strains from seed, until he had developed the winning formula. People from clubs all around would call and ask to buy seeds or baby leeks, just as he had done before them, in the hope that, with a bit of luck, they too could one day win as many shows as Gus was winning. Yes, he had become quite famous in his field, or should I say, allotment!
All this success led to Gus being a natural selection for judge, and found himself in more and more demand. He was harsh though, one of his friends calls him the “hanging judge”. But, in fairness, if you didn’t win, he would take the time to explain exactly why, even if you didn’t like it.
I asked about friends and social life and I was told about how many friends he had, especially up at the Innisfree Social Club in Benton, and the Catholic Club, and West Home Farm. Mainly because he used to show leeks there
too.
Even recently Gus had a massive crop of tomatoes, he could hardly manage the allotment in the last few years, but he still had the green house in the garden. He was a real expert Ian said, with a huge accumulated knowledge of horticulture.
Of course, there’s always a price to pay, all these holidays abroad in later years did have to be scheduled around the leek show calendar, obviously!
I asked if Gus had any particularly endearing qualities that sprang straight to mind, and I was told what a generally quiet and calm man he was, he never really got flustered easily.
“What do you think Gus would see as the highlights of his life?”, I asked. “His family”, I was told, and marrying Amy, they were together for over 60 years, his sons too, his daughter-in-laws, and his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
I asked, “what do you think Gus might like to be remembered for?”, well, for getting to 88! “Do you know how old I am?”, he would regularly ask people. He was pleased, and proud to have enjoyed a long life, and he still had all his own teeth, only ever had two fillings in his life, he was very proud of that too.
And finally, I asked, “what will you remember most about him?”, “I will picture him in the garden”, Ian said, “with all his gardening gear on, especially in the later years, with his friends up at the allotment”.
“Or, sitting at the back door, relaxing with a cup of tea, after the work was done, soaking up a little sun”.
It’s lovely to see you all here today, and I know some have travelled a long way to be with us today, like Gus’s brother Tony from Luton.
Quiet reflection
The Alzheimer’s Society
Ladies and gentlemen, Gustino, or Gus, as he used to shorten it to. Gus comes from a long line of family with very traditional Italian names, often shortened to make saying it easier.
Now, here was a man who knew how to grow a leek, and I don’t mean just any leek, I mean competition level leeks, and not just that, he knew how to judge them too, a real expert in the field, but then, that’s not surprising the amount of research that he put in over the years.
Gus was a man never happier than when working in his garden, or his allotment, tending to whatever he was nurturing at the time, and some cycles could take all year to see the results, so lots of planning, preparation, and attention to detail, but worth it.
But, above all else, …show more content…
Gus was a family man, with over 60 years of happy marriage, 60 years, you’ve got to be doing something right! He came from a large Italian family, then, over the years, grew his own family too.
Gus was a son and a brother, a boyfriend and a husband, later, he would become a father, grandfather, and even great grandfather too. But he was also a work colleague and friend, he had many many friends, particularly in the leek growing and showing community around the clubs in the area, but here, today, they all have one thing in common, they will all miss him very much.
I am John F Brown and I have the privilege to be your Civil Celebrant for our time here today.
Gus’s story starts back in 1928, on the 28th of July to be precise, and not far from here, just up the road in Shiremoor. Opposite the Blue Bell Pub, I believe the stone gates of the building are still there today. Because that’s where his mum Helina, although she got Lina, and dad Joseph, or Joe, were living at the time, we think.
Gus’s dad Joe might have worked down the pit, the Billy Pit, but he also worked in the plastics factory on the Coast Road too at some time, and before that, he worked in the ship yards. It was also mentioned that his parents ran a fish ‘n’ chip shop as well, but I’m not sure when, or where that was.
Gus was the eldest child of seven brothers and sisters, large families back then, and he was followed by Joe, then Lina, she was followed by Carol, Gordon and Tony, and last, but not least, Rosina, they all grew up, and went to school in Wallsend, actually, the school at, or near, the top of Rosehill Bank, just after the Cemetery, there’s an old peoples home on that site now, but back then it was a school.
I met Gordon and Ian and they told me that their dad never really mentioned anything about his school days. If he ever did talk about things from that far back, it tended to be about his work and the different jobs he’s done.
Gus left school at 14, as was normal back then, and started work at the Tyne Commissioners, where they carried out repairs to ships, round the back of the Tyne Tunnel. He was trained as a blacksmith. I’m not sure exactly how long he was there, but when he moved on he went to the Wallsend Slipway, near the Ropeworks in Willington Quay.
Here he was still doing ship repairs as a blacksmith, actually, he was always a blacksmith, right up to retirement, and then he moved to Cleland’s on the other side of the Willington Quay gut, as they still call it. At Cleland’s they built and repaired ships, and he moved there in the same year that Ian was born, 1964, and by now he had also been made up to Foreman Blacksmith, a role he would keep also, up to retirement. Although the yard would close in 1984.
Now, I’ve jumped way ahead, let me take you back to the late 1940s and early 50s. I asked how Gus came to first meet Amy, well, there were a bunch of the guys out for a drink, and she was with a bunch of girls, and they were all dancing at the Wallsend Memorial Hall, just off the high street, the Mem, as it’s often referred to.
Now this was proper dancing mind you, not any of the modern stuff, ballroom dancing, and Gus was good at it, well, you had to be, it was the only way to meet girls back then, and the one particular girl he met that night, was Amy.
Well, after some more dancing, and probably a couple of drinks, one thing lead to another, and in 1953 they were married, the year after the Queen’s Coronation, and they went straight down to London for a short honeymoon.
The following year they did it properly, Ian said, and went to Lake Como in Italy, long journey, by boat and train, but worth it. This was before you could just jump on a plane like you can now, unless you were very wealthy.
After they were married they set up home in Leslie Terrace, or it might have been Street but it was in Wallsend. It was one of the streets that used to look down on to the Tyne, all the rows of terraced houses around there had people’s names back then, just round by the Simpsons Hotel, they’re all gone now of course.
As time went on the family started to grow, first came Gordon, and shortly after he was followed by Graeme, then Ian. So, Gus how had three sons. I asked what life was like back then, growing up with Gus as a dad.
“We would go fishing”, they told me, at the weekend, sometimes down at Tynemouth, and sometimes at Whitley Bay too, but usually in the Tyne, at Howden, didn’t catch a lot, but it was fun none-the-less. You’d probably catch more now, now the Tyne is cleaner! And this would go on for many years, until the boys gradually got older.
Ian remember that their dad always had a car, but if it ever needed work Gus would ask Graeme to do it, as he had trained as a mechanic. He was still driving in his 80s, now that’s not bad going. He could be strict, at times, but he brought them up properly, and fairly, they never went without, but never spoiled either.
They remember their mum and dad still dancing later in life too, at the Innisfree Club in Benton. I also asked about holidays and I was told about Devon, Cornwall and Summerset, and they always drove down, or weekend trips to Scarborough, and summer day trips down to Tynemouth Long Sands with, well, the whole family really, their mother’s sisters and all the kids, even Gus would come down and find them all on the beach after work.
Later, in work, Gus moved to Tyne Ship Repairs, based near Swan’s, on the way out towards Walker, near the Mid Tyne Ferry, also known a Wallsend Dry Docks still as Foreman Blacksmith, and would stay there until retirement at 64.
But in later life, after the boys had grown up, Gus and Amy were truly bitten by the holiday bug, having as many as 3 a year some years. Often Benidorm, but usually Italy.
As time went on, the family continued to grow, Gordon married Margaret, Graeme married Lin and Ian married Pat, and between them Gus now has 5 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.
Then I asked about hobbies and interests, and this was where I started to discover where the real passion lies, anything to do with the garden or the allotment. Gus’ big thing was the garden, and growing leeks from scratch.
Gus won lots of competitions for his leeks in the local shows, and onions and carrots, and long beet and celery too, all the side shows as they would call them, but the main thing was the leeks, and these were 12 month leeks, they would literally take 12 months to mature to show quality.
This was all down to the research, Gus had searched out all the best growers he could find, and studied them, including growing different strains from seed, until he had developed the winning formula. People from clubs all around would call and ask to buy seeds or baby leeks, just as he had done before them, in the hope that, with a bit of luck, they too could one day win as many shows as Gus was winning. Yes, he had become quite famous in his field, or should I say, allotment!
All this success led to Gus being a natural selection for judge, and found himself in more and more demand. He was harsh though, one of his friends calls him the “hanging judge”. But, in fairness, if you didn’t win, he would take the time to explain exactly why, even if you didn’t like it.
I asked about friends and social life and I was told about how many friends he had, especially up at the Innisfree Social Club in Benton, and the Catholic Club, and West Home Farm. Mainly because he used to show leeks there
too.
Even recently Gus had a massive crop of tomatoes, he could hardly manage the allotment in the last few years, but he still had the green house in the garden. He was a real expert Ian said, with a huge accumulated knowledge of horticulture.
Of course, there’s always a price to pay, all these holidays abroad in later years did have to be scheduled around the leek show calendar, obviously!
I asked if Gus had any particularly endearing qualities that sprang straight to mind, and I was told what a generally quiet and calm man he was, he never really got flustered easily.
“What do you think Gus would see as the highlights of his life?”, I asked. “His family”, I was told, and marrying Amy, they were together for over 60 years, his sons too, his daughter-in-laws, and his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
I asked, “what do you think Gus might like to be remembered for?”, well, for getting to 88! “Do you know how old I am?”, he would regularly ask people. He was pleased, and proud to have enjoyed a long life, and he still had all his own teeth, only ever had two fillings in his life, he was very proud of that too.
And finally, I asked, “what will you remember most about him?”, “I will picture him in the garden”, Ian said, “with all his gardening gear on, especially in the later years, with his friends up at the allotment”.
“Or, sitting at the back door, relaxing with a cup of tea, after the work was done, soaking up a little sun”.
It’s lovely to see you all here today, and I know some have travelled a long way to be with us today, like Gus’s brother Tony from Luton.
Quiet reflection
The Alzheimer’s Society