Episodes

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 05b – Into the Outback (part B) with Captain Charles Sturt and John McDouall Stuart Into the Outback (part B) is Michael A’Bear’s talk about the explorers Captain Charles Sturt and John McDouall Stuart. He tells us about their discoveries and the cost to their health. Captain Charles Sturt: Charles Sturt comes from the generation before Burke and Wills. He was born in 1795 in Bengal. At the age of 5 he went to England to go to school. He lived with members of his fami...

Episode 7 – Greener with the Surrey Library Service Welcome to the Greener with the Surrey Library Service podcast. This is part of the Surrey’s Greener Future initiative. I met with Annalise and Jen at Woking Library before the onset of the Coronavirus Lockdown. This lockdown has closed Library buildings, however the Libraries at Home service continues. The service offers e-books, e-magazines and e-audio books. The service is found at. In what way is a Library Service Greener? We discussed th...

The City of New Orleans part 1 – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 8 The first part – Departure from Union Station, Chicago The City of New Orleans part 1 starts as I board the train in Chicago Union Station. We leave on time. After a short distance the train stops. We then reverse. The train stops again. We learn that a set of points have failed. After some manoeuvres we get going again. By now we are running late. It is dark outside and the lights of Chicago are magnificent. The total journ...

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 05a – The Burke and Wills Expedition Michael A’Bear’s talk is about the Burke and Wills Expedition into the Outback of Australia in 1860 to 1861. He tells us of initial success, suspect deeds and disaster! The plan: The Royal Society of Victoria organised the expedition. It started from Melbourne. The objective – to cross Australia from South to North to reach the Gulf of Carpentaria. The distance is 2,000 miles through inhospitable territory. Territory that had not ...

Episode 30 – War on the Line 2019 (part 2) Welcome to War on the Line 2019 (part 2), where I talk to a number of characters from the local community. The 2019 event commemorates 75 years since D Day. Bomb Disposal: The Danger Unexploded Bomb sign was often seen in the early 1940s. A UXB requires a specialist to defuse it. These people are incredibly brave. Each time they pit their wits and experience against the bomb’s designer. A mistake results in a large explosion with catastrophic results....

The Southwest Chief part 6 – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 7 The first part – From Mendota into Union Station, Chicago The Southwest Chief part 6 starts as I interview two fellow travellers in the Observation car. The observation car is a very sociable area on an Amtrak long distance train. As we progress towards Chicago the weather brightens. The total journey on the Southwest Chief is advertised as taking 40+ hours – click here for more details. Long distance passenger trains in the US o...

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 04 – Victorian Philanthropy and its Legacy Judith Edge’s talk is about Victorian Philanthropy and its Legacy. She introduces us to four different people and one couple. Joseph Rowntree: A Quaker and businessman from York. He made his fortune from chocolate and created three Charitable trusts in 1904: The Joseph Rowntree Village Trust to set up and manage the village of New Earswick. The village was built to provide homes for his employees. The Joseph Rowntree Charit...

The Southwest Chief part 5 – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 6 From La Plata, Missouri to Princeton, Illinois The Southwest Chief part 5 starts as we pass wet and muddy farms and cross flooded level crossings. As we approach La Plata in Missouri the train is still running late. This morning, sadly, there is no sun – just rain and flooding. The total journey is advertised as taking 40+ hours – click here for more details. Long distance passenger trains in the US often run late because freight ...

Episode 6 – RHS Bridgewater Welcome to the RHS Bridgewater podcast made as part of the Surrey’s Greener Future initiative. Please note: it was a windy day so there is some wind noise in parts of the podcast. Francis Egerton, them 1st Earl of Ellesmere, built Worsley New Hall between 1839 and 1846. His fortune was generated from coal mining in the area. The hall fell into disrepair and was demolished in the 1940s. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is building the RHS Bridgewater garden in ...

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 03 b – David Lloyd George Michael A’Bear tells us about the life of David Lloyd George. There was no hyphen until he became a Lord! We learn that David George was born in Hulme near Manchester. His father was a teacher. When his father died the family was taken in by David’s uncle. They moved to his home. His uncle, Richard Lloyd, was a bootmaker, Baptist Minister and local politician. David was articled at 16 to a solicitor in Porthmadog and qualified at 21. He star...

The Southwest Chief part 4 – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 5 From Raton to nearing La Plata The Southwest Chief part 4 starts as we approach Raton. The train is running late as we reach Raton. It is dusk and we are seeing the last of the sun. The total journey is advertised as taking 40+ hours – click here for more details. There are frequent delays to long distance passenger trains as freight takes priority so they are often late. After leaving Raton (pronounced ‘Ratone’) we pass through ...

Episode 29 – War on the Line 2019 (part 1) Welcome to War on the Line 2019 (part 1), where I talk to a number of characters from the local community. The 2019 event commemorates 75 years since D Day. The cycling Cobbler: I talk to a shoe repairer who uses his bicycle to visit different parts of the area so that he can provide a service. I find that he has a pair if shoes for a soldier. He doesn’t know where the soldier has got to. Let’s hope he’ll come back to pay for the repairs! The Auxilie...

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 03 a – Robert Baden-Powell Michael A’Bear tells us about the life of Robert Baden-Powell. We learn that he was born in Paddington in 1857. His father taught geometry at Oxford. Robert was the fifth of the six children borne by his mother. His mother was the daughter of an Admiral and the niece of a General. Baden-Powell didn’t excel in lessons at school. He enjoyed stalking and tracking in the woods next to Charterhouse. He caught and cooked rabbits, making sure that n...

Episode 5 – Surrey’s Greener Future (5) Welcome to the Surrey’s Greener Future (5) podcast made as part of the Surrey’s Greener Future initiative. We start with the great news that the ‘Green Lungs of Stoughton’ project has received a grant of over £12,500 from the Pocket Parks funding programme. This will enable them to start planting trees. You can find out more about the the Pocket Parks programme by clicking this link. Mandy Johnson tells us about the ‘Solution for Air pollution’ project wh...

The Southwest Chief part 3 – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 4 From Albuquerque to Las Vegas, New Mexico The Southwest Chief part 3 starts as we leave Albuquerque. We stopped in Albuquerque for enough time for everyone to have a decent ‘air’ break. It is a beautiful day as we return to the desert. The total journey is advertised as taking 40+ hours – click here for more details. There are frequent delays to long distance passenger trains as freight takes priority so they are often late. We p...

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 02 – The Scramble for Africa and the Winds of Change Richard Thomas tells us about the Scramble for Africa which took place over a short period at the end of the nineteenth century. He then goes on to tell us about the Winds of Change leading to African states gaining independence in the twentieth century. In 1880 the European powers controlled around 10% of the continent. The scramble gained momentum following the Berlin Conference from 1884 to 1885. The colonisation ...

The Southwest Chief part 2 – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 3 From San Bernardino to Albuquerque The Southwest Chief part 2 starts as we leave San Bernardino. Night has fallen and I retire to my Roomette to sleep. The total journey is advertised as taking 40+ hours – click here for more details. There are frequent delays to long distance passenger trains as freight takes priority so they are often late. I awoke a couple of times during the night but soon got back to sleep. Whilst I slept we...

Episode 4 – Farnham Repair Cafe Welcome to the Farnham Repair Cafe podcast made as part of the Surrey’s Greener Future initiative. I visited the January session of the Farnham Repair Cafe. The project has been running in Farnham since 2015. People bring broken items along for repair. The repairers have a 65% success rate. The Repair Cafe concept started in the Netherlands. There are now over 2,000 repair cafes in countries across the world. 109 people brought items to the Repair Cafe for repa...

The Southwest Chief part 1 – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 2 I spend some time investigating the history of Los Angeles Union Station in the Southwest Chief part 1 . This magnificent building was the last of the Union stations to be built. Find out more about Union station here. I then went to my platform to board the Southwest Chief for the 2,265 mile journey to Chicago. The journey is advertised as taking 40+ hours – click here for more details.. There are frequent delays to long distance...

Episode 28 – Life on the Watercress Line – Watercress People (4) Welcome to Watercress People (4), where I interview three of the many people who make the Watercress Line the great experience that it is. Sandra Johnson Sandra tells me that she and her husband were at a loose end, saw an advertisement and, liking steam trains, volunteered 31 years ago. She has been manager of the very popular Watercress Belle for the last 20 years. The chefs cook all the food is cooked from scratch in the Kit...

Season 2019 / 2020 – Talk 01 – The London Underground The talk by Tim Davies on the London Underground is the first talk of the 2019 / 2020 year. Tim tells us London before the Underground. Walkers ran the risk of unpleasantness from above and around their feet because people emptied chamber pots from above and horses and cattle on the streets also generated a great deal of compostable material. On 10th January 1863 the arrival of the Metropolitan Railway changed this. The talk tells the story...

From London to LA – US Rail Journeys Series 2 Episode 1 I travelled from Heathrow to Los Angeles in From London to LA. I flew with British Airways from their flagship Terminal 5 on a Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’. The flight to took nearly 11 1/2 hours. Find out more about flying with BA here. I took the FlyAway bus from the airport to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. This bus service runs at regular intervals throughout the day and night. Click here to find out more about this service. I stay...

Steam Dreams 20th Anniversary follows a special steam train journey from London to Yeovil Junction on 17th December 2019. 350 passengers joined the train for the journey. The LMS locomotive the Duchess of Sutherland hauled the train. The route ran from Victoria Station to Yeovil Junction, stopping at Woking, Salisbury and Sherborne on the way. The original train, on 16th December 1999, ran from Waterloo Station in London to Salisbury. At Salisbury the passengers attended a ‘cake cutting’ cerem...

Season 2018 / 2019 – Talk 16 D – Aethelstan David Simpson’s talk on Aethelstan is the last in a series of four short talks given at the end of the Summer ‘Term’ to the Farnham U3A World History Group. David tells us that he is a forgotten King from the Dark Ages. Aethelstan was the first King of the English! As late as the Elizabethan age he was seen as a hero in stage plays. Aethelstan destroyed the invader in 937 and preserved the English throne. He was famous across Europe. It is not possi...