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Charlie Dine’s home, set in an orchard, had never
been flooded in the twenty-seven years he had lived there.

But when storms lashed the South East last week. the

jwuier L‘dl'll€ down the hill and

flooded his house for the first

time. aiiid brought with it it three—hour 0l"dCdl for 69-_\e'.ir-old

Charlie.

‘ F01"Cll'dl‘llt‘ l.\' i_‘l'lllpl€d. He
was in bed when thv water.
\\.\'anl|)(‘d his llfllllt‘ iii Apple-i
garth Orchard. Bultring. East
]Pi-ckham. on Sunday. and could‘

I was left till last. being out
in the orchard. They practi-
cally forgot me. _

I've .<(‘en Hoods beioi-t-. but

I
I
l
i

i
.

~ . '~ . » "'
. not set to }'ll.< \\'l’l€t‘lChaIl‘ . . . and thoie .~ nex ei been one line:

as the 'nou.<v was in an out of
’t'm- \\":l_\' situation. he was tilmristg
.foi'§_{ntten. 
3 But toi Cliarlie the ordg-ail had
 h;tl7l)_\' ending. for lie is now
"Delllrl looked aitvi‘ zit '1he Close.
-Biidac. where he was taken:
falter l)(‘lll,‘.{ saved by the Army;
‘ H:‘ was fil‘l'¢ill)' rescued when:
‘Lm: A_;*m_\' grit tti hi; HOUSE‘. Tilt‘
water" ‘.\'il>' tour tect deep UV‘
ll'lL'll. '
- "The water had been in the‘
i house for two or three hours-
by then," charlie told a re-
porter. "They ‘had evacuated
everybody else in the area,'but

that."

SAVINGS RECOVERED
l-lo \\‘2is taken to a rest ct-n_ti'e
zit Paddock Wood. beforv beimi
ti‘aii5fei'i'(-d to Bridfll‘.
When he arrived there he

realised that ‘his life .~‘a\'ing's_

were still in the house.

When iroamen wont to !‘<*-
L"l\'9l‘ them. the water was six
it-ex deep. V

_\'o\\' Charlie and l’l1.\ sa\-'iii,U..<.
are re-united and. .<a)'.< superin-
tendgm tit" The Close Mix H.

'L'i‘\\'in: “Charlie has settled

dmvii and is \'L‘l‘_V haiapy in his
new home.

Flood victim Mr. charlie Dine has settled down happily in his
new home at The close.

C ‘The Close

dinner

Candle-lit tables and festive
fare added to the gaiety of the
evening when a company of
over 100 assembled at the
Abbot's Barton Hotel, Canter-
bury, on Friday for the annual
dinner given to the staff of The
Close, Bridge.

Mr. Edward .1’. Mount, chair-
man of the Canterbury Group
Hospital Management Commit-
tee, proposing the toast of the
guests, particularly welcomed
Miss E. Haigh, the new matron
of Kent and Canterbury Hos-
pital.

Replying, Cllr. Dr. R. A. C.
McIntosh. chairman of Bridge-
Blean Rural District Council,
congratulated the staff on their
fine work.

Appreciation was also ex-
pressed by Mr. Alan Barson,
secretary of the Hospital Man-
agement Committee, who said
the staff were doing vital work
often under difl-‘icult conditions.

The superintendent of The
Close, Mr. H. K. Urwin, thanked
Canon Colin E. H. Perry,
chairman of the Bridge Group
of the League of Friends of
Canterbury Hospitals, and other
voluntary organisations for
their help.

He thought a special word of
thanks was also due to those
husbands whose co-operation
made it possible for married
women to return to the hospital
service.

After paying his own tribute
to the loyalty of the staff, he
said he was particularly proud
of the fact that after the re-
cent snow there was a 100 per
cent. attendance of staff, many
of them having‘ walked from
Aylesham, Sturry, Barham and
Bishopsbourne.

The dinner was followed by a
dance and buffet.