After reading the letter by Tony Bown, I was quite shocked.
I was born in Nutts Lane, Holbeach St Johns, and lived in the district all of my 84 years, apart from two years in the Royal Air Force, and knew a large proportion of local people and most of them were good honest people.
Of course there are always one or two who could be tarred with Mr Bown’s brush, but not all of us, as he has said.
From the age of 11 I attended Holbeach Boys’ School. The headmaster was Mr Mallett, who insisted on good manners and taught us the same, such as walking on the outside of a footpath when one has a lady companion and letting the lady go through a door first after opening it for her.
I must admit that we were not taught such a large vocabulary as Mr Bown but does it make a person any better than the next?
One other thing he used to say was man maketh clothes, not clothes maketh man. The same goes for one’s use of words that are not normal in everyday conversation.
I have been in business for just over 61 years. I learned my trade locally and partly at technical college. I know of many good tradespeople in the area.
As for the council staff, we deal with some really nice people in Building Control and always helpful.
No doubt they have to deal with some people who think they know best.
Keith Gott
Holbeach
