NOSTALGIA: This week in 1967 and 1977

Some of the cast of Winter Wonderland, staged at Blackfriars Theatre, in Boston, by the Grestan School of Dancing this week in 1967. Seventy young dancers took part, with costumes made be the parents and proceeds going to charity.

* The Standard threw the spotlight on Pamela Buchner, believed to be Boston’s only professional actress.

Pamela was home for a few days between rehearsals for the Dixon of Dock Green TV series in which she played Ann Foster – Dock Green’s woman detective-constable (WDC).

Pamela was speaking at the Blackfriars Club and attendees heard that the opportunity of playing on TV came out of the blue at a time when she was demonstrating swimsuits at an Ideal Homes Exhibition.

TV actress Pamela Buchner serving tea at a Forget-Me-Not Club party, in Boston, in 1967.

A Dock Green producer had seen her in an Arts Theatre production, offered her the part of WDC Foster, and she had promptly accepted.

Of the Dixon series, which was seen by 13.5 million viewers, Pamela spoke with admiration of her colleagues – in particular ‘Andy’ (Peter Byrne), who she described as ‘talented, charming, and witty’, and ‘Dixon’ (Jack Warner).

* Westminster Bank Ltd joined Boston’s expanding banking service by opening a branch in Strait Bargate.

The premises (‘beautifully fitted out in teal panelling’) followed Barclays opening in West Street, Martins launching in Wide Bargate, and the Trustee Savings Bank moving into Wide Bargate.

Westminter Bank, opening in Strait Bargate 50 years ago.

This in 1977 ...

* Boston had so far escaped any serious incident since the firefighters’ strike began almost two weeks earlier.

RAF crews manning the town’s only Green Goddess fire engine had, at the time of writing, answered four calls.

Meanwhile, Boston firefighters had continued to picket and send letters to influential figures, including Prime Minister Jim Callaghan.

The interior of the new Westminster Bank Ltd in Boston in 1967.

Some retained firefighters had crossed the picket to answer a chimney fire call, however.

This was the time of the first national strike among firefighters, called over pay.

* Kirton man Dave Freeman had ‘one of the most dangerous jobs in the world’, The Standard wrote.

For the previous year, Dave had trained and presented a spectacular tiger act for Sir Robert Fossett’s Circus.

The 28-year-old came from a circus family. For 20 years, his father trained elephants and his mother had a trampoline act.

“You can’t be frightened,” he said on the subject of being afraid.

“The animals sense fear. They just know,” he continued, stroking the nose of an enormous ‘baby’ Bengal tiger, affectionately known as Tigs.