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Bisterne News
DECEMBER 2021 ISSUE 70
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JAMES DOW, Postman

It was with huge sadness to the Moortown, Bisterne, Kingston,

Sandford and Crow communities that the sudden death of
James Dow was announced. James was the common link be-
tween all of us. He was always cheerful, interested, helpful and
kind, going the extra mile to help anyone. Despite his work-
load, which was not inconsiderable, especially during lock-
down in 2020, he still gave everyone time and made sure you
were ok. Every chat ended with “well, have a lovely day” and
whatever one was feeling at the time, one couldn’t help but feel better because you DATES FOR YOUR
knew he genuinely meant it. When contacting people about his funeral arrangements,
there wasn’t anybody who didn’t say what an exceptional man he was and how deep- DIARIES
ly sad they were he’d gone. His cheerful persona touched us all.
FRIDAY 10 DECEMBER
Jamie Dow, his younger son, drove his coffin in a cortège followed by about 20 Roy-
al Mail vans round the district before ending up at Crow Methodist Church. 1.30PM-4.30PM
At his funeral, his father told us of some of his other attributes. After attending the SFHT CHRISTMAS FOOD
Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester he had been a shepherd near Grantown-on- & CRAFT FAIR
Spey in Scotland, a place very close to his heart, followed by a job on a farm in East
Anglia. He loved the countryside and above all was a passionate fisherman. Before
ending up as a postman he had worked for a tomato nursery near New Milton. SUNDAY 19 DECEMBER
11AM - NINE LESSONS &
James’s life was cruelly cut short prematurely leaving his widow Nina and sons Theo CAROLS
and Jamie in deep shock. They will miss him dreadfully as will all his colleagues at ST PAUL’S BISTERNE
Royal Mail not to mention all of us who were privileged to have known such a genu-
inely nice person.
RIP to a great man.

NINA, THEO AND JAMIE WOULD LIKE

TO THANK EVERYBODY WHO TOOK
PART IN EVERY WAY TO MAKE THIS A
VERY SPECIAL DAY
 Richard William Clifford Gowen – 13/8/1942 – 08/07/2021
Richard
William
Clifford
Gowen was
born in
Fritton,
Norfolk. He
was the
Youngest
Son of Sa-
rah and Reginald and Brother of the
late Ralph and Fred Gowen.
On leaving school Richard went
straight into farming, firstly work-
ing on a poultry farm then moving
to a farm in Verwood where he
worked with his Mum, Dad and
Brother. He then went to work for
The Banks Estate in Kingston
Lacey.
Richard and Eileen married on 11th
July 1964 in Wimborne St Giles
Church, at the end of 1965, they
moved and started their life on Bis-
terne Estate where Richard started
working for the Mills Family.
Richard was mainly doing the trac-
tor and combine driving with no
cabs in those days and would often
be seen on the combine with a
heavy duffle coat with a leather
jerkin on top, and a big old army
belt holding them together. We
know he always felt the cold,
but this was a little excessive
for summer harvest.
Through his years working on
the estate, Richard had many
work mates, too many to
mention but you all know who
you are.
After Richard left the farm in
1998, Richard and Eileen re-
mained on the Bisterne Es-
tate. Richard went on to
work for a local door compa-
ny, making doors and parts
for doors and delivering them all
over the South of England, bit of a
change from driving around the
fields, he was suddenly finding
himself all over the place and on
motorways ! After he left the door
company, he found himself back
out on the Bisterne Estate in the
digger helping out where he could
with digging and clearing ditches,
as some of you know, he wouldn’t
do this if it was too hot, too cold,
too windy or the wind was blowing
in the wrong direction!.
Richard loved mechanics or making by. Richard was a hard-working
and fixings things, whether it was family man, he would do anything
metal or wood, he would always
lend his hand and produce some-
thing special. Over the years, he
worked on many cars for the locals, be missed very much.
made many bird boxes, lots of plant
stands and obviously, helped with a
huuuuge amount of scarecrows!.
He loved the wildlife in the garden
and had numbered all of the bird
boxes in the garden so they could
keep track of which birds were in
which number. He actually loved all
the animals especially the dogs Jazz Special thanks to Hallam and Lal
and Roxy, which he had told us all
we shouldn’t get!
Richard and Eileen had 3 daughters,
Sharon, Debbie and Tina and 2
grandchildren, Katie and Sam.
Sam, now works on the Bisterne
Estate, and is using some of the
machinery that his Grandad used
back in his day, he quite often
finds some notes in the machinery
with his Grandad’s writing on or an
old gate that he had made with his
initials on it.
Richard passed away on 8th July
2021, after a short illness, he has
been laid to rest in Bisterne
Churchyard, where we can all visit
him or call out to him as we pass
to look after and provide for his
family, and give them everything
they needed, he is and always will
We, his family thank all those that
attended the service for Richard at
Bisterne Church on 5th August and
afterwards at Brixeys Partridge
Shed. You all contributed to make
it a very memorable day and helped
our family to deal with the day.
Mills for so kindly allowing us to
use the best venue for the occa-
sion. Also to Ian Newman for his
excellent skills in arranging the day
and to his lovely wife Janet for
equally excellently providing
a scrumptious assortment of
‘tummy fillers’. And Mat-
thew Trick, what can we say
about Matthew – Nothing
but good, we assure you,
very helpful, very kind and
very nice company that
managed to make us feel
better and to laugh at our-
selves (and him). Thank you
Matthew, Thank You All.
The ‘Gowen’ Family
As I write this, I have just been to my first Christmas plan- in Luke 2:19 'But Mary treasured up all these things
ning meeting - we are about to enter the season of good and pondered them in her heart.'
news, of great joy and peace. When I reflect on the Christ-
Pondering, meditating, reflecting are helpful ways
mas story, I often have two images in my mind, either the
for us to do to slow us down and focus on God as we
one on the front of Christmas cards, a
enter the busy Christmas season. We
twee, sanitized, version of Jesus's birth,
know the Christmas story very well, so
or the second image is the pain and
let us purposely slow down rather than
struggle of Mary, heavily pregnant, walk-
speed up over December. Let us come
ing for miles to a different town, finding
into the season of Advent intentionally
nowhere safe for her baby to be
preparing ourselves to meet with Him,
born. I'm sure it was not Mary's first
with wonder, curiosity, and hope, being watchful for
choice to give birth to her baby in a stable, among animals
signs of God revealing himself to us, as He did all
and straw, but it was into a borrowed stable that Jesus was
those years ago. Let us ponder again the Christmas
born. This image reveals a God who is with us in the raw-
story with our maker, with thankful and joyful
ness of life, who understands suffering and pain, a humble
hearts.
God. We read in towards the end of the Nativity narrative,
Matthew Trick

SFHT Christmas Food & Craft Fair, Friday 10th December, 1.30pm-4.30pm,

The Stable Family Home Trust supporting adults with learning disabilities

We are delighted to welcome back our traditional Christmas Fair at The Stables this December.

Set in the beautiful old surroundings of the Stable Family Home Trust in Bisterne, Ringwood, crafters and SFHT
clients will share their wonderful Christmassy creations. From artisan crafts and gift stalls, scented melts, table
decorations, Christmas wreaths and seasonal plants, personalised gifts and wooden reindeers, there is something
for everyone including your dogs! Plus plenty of refreshments, mince pies and mulled wine, hot chocolate station,
festive cookies and cakes, hot dogs and tombola and raffle prize draw.

Plus a special Christmas performance at 2.30pm from the classically trained Soprano, Poppy Neame with carols
in the courtyard, a flurry of snow and a good ole fashioned sing song to get you in the festive spirit!
 Wild Entertainment
11th Jan 2021 – 2 Egyptian Greenfinches and so many small for food. There was a big short-
Geese in back garden, 1 Red Kite general birds they were un- age of Chaffinches along with
countable. Pair of Blackbirds I the Greenfinches but I am
th
13 Jan 2021 - Goshawk over think feeding young. Wrens in pleased to have seen a few of
back garden – headed down to wood shed, built nest in a Rob- those here recently.
the common ins next box in shed
As usual the Wrens are plenti-
1st Feb 2021 - 2 Egyptian Geese 23rd March 2021 – First report of ful, there were 8 nests under my
in paddock on flood water a Cuckoo basket stands. I am also de-
lighted to say, I still have my
6th Feb 2021 - Wren nest build- 30th March 2021 – Lovely day the Robin here and it still follows
ing in a plant stand pinching sun brought the Brimstone But- me around the garden, when I
moss from old basket terflies and a pair of Chiff Chaffs am stood still for long enough it
is often stood on top of my foot.
26th Feb 2021 – First report of st
31 March 2021 – Saw a Cuckoo It will still be there talking to
frog spawn at Kingston me long after I have told it to go
to bed as it is to dark out there
7th March 2021 – 2 Goldcrests I am afraid the rest of the year I and is waiting for me every
and a tree creeper in outback made no specific notes but I saw morning to supply breakfast.
garden a pair of Red Kites nearly daily
for a while. Many birds contin- Eileen Gowen
14th March 2021 – Hard hail ued asking for seeds etc right
storm, a pair of Siskins came through the year and now near-
into feeders along with several ly December and they are manic

BAILEYS CHOCOLATE TIFFIN

Ingredients
 100g raisins or sultanas
 6 tbsp Baileys or another Irish
cream
 250g 72% dark chocolate, small
pieces
 250g milk chocolate, small pieces
 100g unsalted butter
 300g shortbread, crumbled
 225g jar maraschino cherries ,
drained and halved
 200g white chocolate
 edible gold glitter to sprinkle
STEP 1: Line a 20-21cm square tin with
baking paper. Put the raisins in a
microwavable bowl, pour over 2
tbsp of Baileys and cover with
clingfilm, then microwave for 30
seconds. Leave covered, so that
the Baileys soaks into the fruit.
STEP 2: Melt 150g each of the dark
and milk chocolate along with
the butter in a pan until melted,
then stir in the soaked raisins,
the rest of the Baileys, the short-
bread pieces and the cherries.
Spoon into the prepared tin and
smooth the top. Put in the fridge
for 1 hour, until firm.
STEP 3: Melt the remaining dark,
milk and white chocolate sepa-
rately, then blob over the top and
swirl together, sprinkling a little
glitter here and there as you
swirl. Leave to set in the fridge
for at least 4 hours. Let it come
to room temperature before slic-
ing, so that the chocolate on top
doesn’t shatter.
 Bisterne Village Hall
We are pleased to announce that
the Hall has recently undertaken
A huge thank you to every- Group: a mini makeover and is open and
one who entered the FIRST The Sandford available for all your social oc-
Bisterne Scarecrow Fes- Grand National casions.
tival this year, what a by Liz Cox and We have also had the hall freshly
comeback! Thanks also family decorated.
to David and Joanna SECOND Avon Valley
So if you have a birthday party,
Thomas for spending YFC in Lockdown
family gathering, band practice
the time visiting every THIRD Duggee and
or dance class planned then get
exhibit and judging. the Scarecrow in touch.
Results: badge by Chris
Single: Luscombe www.bisternevillagehall.org
FIRST Santa’s Workshop
by The Joys CHAMPION: The
SECOND Bear by Saman- Sandford Grand
tha Riley National
THIRD Doctor Jock by
Chris Luscombe
Pairs:
FIRST Wish you were ‘ere
by Terri Gammon and
Emily Seagrave
SECOND Hip Hippo Ray,
the Scarecrows are
back! By the Stockley
and Walsh families
THIRD Re-use & Re-cycle
by the Brewer and Mel-
bourne families