Jan/Feb - Piddle Valley Community Website

Joan liked to be busy. Secretary of Piddletrenthide WI, helping the Saunders
family of Waterston and Wrights at nearby Waterways where she enjoyed
babysitting Liz and Mary, and much later as home-help for the Gordons in
Piddletrenthide; waitress at the Brace of Pheasants, working nights at the
Dorchester Cheshire Homes, and when the boys grew up, working full time for
Millers the pie-makers at Poole.
Family was everything, especially grandchildren Simon and Philippa, Hannah and
Daniel. In 1997 Joan and Pete celebrated their Golden Wedding but sadly Pete
died two years later. Moving to Wightmans Orchard she enthusiastically joined in
the many activities there. During the last days of her life she seemed to believe,
perhaps know, that after a separation of 13 years, she would soon be reunited
with her beloved Pete.
Tony Downton (1945-2012)
Many houses and businesses in the valley bear testament to the skill of Tony
Downton, variously described as a carpenter, joiner, builder, someone who could
turn his hand to almost anything. Dorchester-born, the second of four sons, he
attended schools at Hazelbury Bryan and Sturminster Newton. His first
employment was for Harold Mears at Melcombe Bingham, then A. Parsons and
Sons for whom he worked at the former Piddlehinton army camp for six years. In
1972 he became self-employed and with partners Alan, Paul and Jimmy, worked
on several village properties, Plush cricket pavilion and the bar in the Piddle Inn
being just two of the many, and even found time to make improvements to the
appearance of his own house at Riverside, opposite today’s valley school.
Tony and wife June met at Sturminster carnival in 1966, married in 1968 and
lived in Piddletrenthide for 42 years, where they brought up their daughters
Tracey and Jane and doted on grandchildren Harry, Emma, and Ben. Tony even
found spare time to support Manchester United and manage Piddletrenthide FC,
play cricket for Plush and assist at Point-to-Point. He became ill in June 2012 and
sadly passed away in the care of the Joseph Weld Hospice on 19 October.
Joan Hunt (1918-2012)
Joan Hunt could truly claim to be ‘Piddletrenthide born and bred’. Born on
Twelfth Night 1918, to parents, Charles and Elizabeth who were living with son
George in Kirby Cottages, Joan was educated at the village school. According to
her contemporaries, she was a very bright pupil, and aged eleven won a coveted
County Scholarship to the Grammar School in Dorchester. Alas without transport
to get there, and whilst local boys in a similar position could cycle, Joan had to
content herself with continuing at the village school, with the intention of
becoming a pupil teacher. Unfortunately the scheme folded and Joan’s parents
weren’t able to make provision for her to travel to Salisbury to further her
education at the teacher-training college, so she was obliged to leave school
without formal qualifications and her wish to teach was never fulfilled. On
leaving school she worked at the Vicarage, looking after the young daughters of
the Rev Boyer, who still remember her with great affection. With the outbreak
of WWII Joan signed up to the ATS and was sent for training in Carlisle; here she
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