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I worked for a couple of years at Wongawilli Colliery just south of Wollongong, I started there just before Xmas 79 and went on nights (Dogwatch) after the Xmas holiday break.

One of the lads who was my leading hand was Mal Beresford, as he was a pom too I asked him where he was from, Nottingham was his reply, he'd done his elec apprenticeship at Cotgrave Colliery, ironically, I completed mine at Cotgrave, and yet being on different shifts we never bumped into each other back there.

Turned out, his Dad, Clarrie, who was a Deputy on Swing Shift at Wonga, was also a Deputy at Cotgrave at the same time I was there..

I had to travel half way around the world to meet them though!!

Sadly, Clarrie passed on a couple of years back, one of life's true gentlemen.

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Went to the opticians in Asda ,St Austell today . After my test , lovely friendly young lady was showing me the frames . Familiar accent , so I said "Are you from Nottingham ? " Yes was the answer W

Went to France 2 years ago, after spending a morning looking around Dinan we called at a cafe' for a meal and were pleased that the waitress was English and could understand our order.............We

Met a girl from Hucknall in a pub in Johannesburg.Turned out our mum's were working together at Queens med.Apparently i disgraced her family cause i'm from the medders (snobs). Well 30 years later 2

Right now I'm sitting with my husband in Denny's restaurant, Kings Highway, Ft Pierce, Florida. Opposite us at the table is Mudgie49 and his lovely wife Denice.

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Skeggy's a fine place - but I'll take Florida! Not a big Denny's fan but the "mom & pop" style diners that are common around here are difficult to find down there.

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Denny's restaurant, Kings Highway, Ft Pierce, Florida.

Bit far out from the Bell or The Poacher.

2nd Nottstalgia US Meet, up Last was was Kath me and Other halfs in Las Vegas, even farther from the Bell :)

I worked for a couple of years at Wongawilli Colliery just south of Wollongong

Ayupmeducks, thats easy for you to say :)

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Just for Mick.........Wonga....willy......... Wool..un...gong.....

How's that?? I was informed Wongawilli means windy place..

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Is it anywhere near Tumbabloodyrumba, where they shoot Kanga bloody roos ?

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Wollongong is about 80 klicks south of Sydney, used to be a large steelworks city, with the main steelworks and docks at Port Kembla. There was also a large coal loader for exporting coal to Japan and Asia at Port Kembla too.

It's all a built up area almost up to Sydney's southern suburbs.

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WELL ONE DAY WHEN I WIN LOTTERY I WILL COME OUT THERE AND COME AND HAVE A MEET UP WITH YOU ALL OUT THERE AND DO RUTE 66. I KNOW PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME THE TRAVLING BIT IE ROADS CAN BE BOREINGBUT IT WILL BE THE STOPPS THAT I WOULD FIND INTERESTING AND SEE HOW MANY NOTTINGHAM FOLK I COULD MEET ALONG THE WAY.

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Not much of route 66 left Babs,but in saying that, it is pure nostalgia to ride/drive where it still thrives.

The gas stations and diners have been revamped to their 50s heydays, Still some original places that are deserted and abandoned,we found those interesting.

When I first arrived in the states, it was my dream to buy or hire a motorcycle, and do 'ROUTE 66' from Chicago to LA.I was a dollar short and 30 years late.

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Our town on Route 66 was the last one to be bypassed by Interstate 40, October 1984. The town fought it for a long time, but it was inevitable that it would happen. Whats-his-face who famously sang the song came and sang it that day in town at the ceremony. When we came in '86 the town was still trying to recover from the loss of income, and we had empty gas stations, restaurants and motels, but it soon picked up again. It always amazes us how many folks stop to have their photo taken on our main street. The biggest portion still left [and drivable] is from Seligman to Oatman, and it's very quaint.

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Nat King Cole???

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Nat King Cole in 1984 would have been interesting. (seeing as how he died in 1965 !)

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  • 10 months later...

BUMP

Just had another Nottingham connection down here in Cornwall .

Looking in our local Weekly Newspaper there was an obituary for a Grace Spendlove who died recently aged 97 . There is an online obituary here http://www.thisisannouncements.co.uk/35133145 .

Her maiden name was Parnham , originally from Westdale Lane ,Gedling and she had married a William (Bill) Spendlove who had been a union official on the railways at Colwick .They had settled down here after his retirement .

My mums best friend in Carlton had been an Emmy Spendlove and indeed Emmy , married my mums brother who unfortunately died young , way before I was born . So Emmy would have been my Aunt by marriage . She later remarried .

In the 1911 Census all the Carlton / Gedling Spendloves are connected and originated in Shropshire but moved to Notts to work in the mines .

I emailed the contact on the above obit , Richard , (who was a railwayman in Notts but is now a well known BBC local radio presenter in Cambridge ! ) and to cut a long story shorter , it turns out I had actually spoken to Grace Spendlove and her daughter a couple of times in our shop before we retired a few years ago , after I recognised the Notts accents .

The daughter has reminded me that we had talked about Gedling and Carlton but never mentioned any names , so didn't realise our mutual connection . Small world !

I bet Babs will know some Spendloves !

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DAVIDW,

I just read your post and the name Spendlove is so familiar to me but I have no idea who. I don't know if it was someone from school or someone my parents knew. Dad was a Carlton Man all his life and like Babs, he knew so many people. I will have to talk to my sisters tomorrow and see if they remember the name. Hope Babs can come up with something.

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I am sad to say that so many people have gone from my memory with leaving Gedling so young. When I hear these names that are familiar to me and then I sometimes find I knew them so well it does upset me, that they have played a part in my life and I would never have thought of them again, if the name hadn't come up on Nottstalga. I await to see if you and Babs can jog my memory.

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It's possible you know the name of Richard Spendlove as mentioned above as , as well as being a radio presenter, he was also co-writer with David Croft of the TV comedy series Oh Doctor Beeching , that starred a few of the HI De Hi cast including Sue Pollard .

http://www.richardspendlove.com/page1/index.html

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