I’ve Overcome

 

I was born of loving parents after the war in 1946. Our living room wasnt very big, and we had packing cases for furniture and little else.

By the age of three I was still not able to walk, and had to attend an orthopaedic centre. I had no strength in my leg muscles and was fitted with special boots and callipers. My mother was told I would never walk, but she had different ideas. So did I after always falling flat on my face and grazing my knees and not being able to stand upright.

 My mother sent me to ballet school as she thought the exercise would do me good. After falling over a lot and a lot of exercise, I was walking at four years old. At the age of ten I had passed five grades in ballet, and then passed bronze, silver and gold in acrobatic dancing.

 There was a carnival in Bracknell, so we all went along to dance, all the proceeds going to different charities. We all enjoyed ourselves very much and at ten years old I got a real kick out of doing this. There were clowns, sideshows and curios and we were very nervous before the show as Evelyn Laye, Frank Lawton and Katie Boyle were going to crown the Carnival Queen. I had not noticed them, so did not know if they were there. Anyway, I did my acrobatics and got a very loud applause and to my surprise I was called over to some people I did not recognise. They told me who they were - Evelyn Laye, Frank Lawton and Katie Boyle !  I was really surprised to have been given such a privilege and could not wait to tell my parents.

 At the grand age of fourteen I was in Pantomime in Reading. I remember taking my wage packet home to show everyone. The thing I did not like doing was my school homework at eleven o’clock at night.  

So to cap it all -  it can be done - and you can win.

 

 

The 'Rainbow Girl' making a cone for a pop-up dolly.