Ah the good ol’ days of being approved by Harold Armstrong to drive an ancient bus carrying workshop participants. I can’t imagine me being passed by any insurance company, let alone H&S in this day and age!

It’s interesting to watch the families currently parenting wee ones at the Park. They seem to be just as dedicated as my generation was, equally torn between serving the Planet and rearing their young. Communication amongst them is greatly served by Apps but they’re not congregating at the CC the way we did, which amounted to almost the same thing.

In the 80s I struggled to identify ways to work in the Community with a single small child and, because few were close in age it was rare to to be able to share childcare. So driving the guests to Randolphs’ Leap was a perfect way to have a fabulous Nature outing with my daughter, and free up for a half day whoever else may have acted as driver.

Daphne was a funny old bus, yellow(-ish), very shaky as if many screws were loose, and with a gear stick that looked like a pingpong ball on the end of a long, wobbly, bent golf club. And what a racket when changing some gears! The feel and sound are forever lodged in my memory.

Dear Daphne barely served our needs beyond 1984, and her remains probably still lurk in obscure parts of a junkyard. Who named her and after whom? Nowadays’ smart Mercedes busses serve commuting coworkers and guests and are called Sir George, Joanie and Tom. After Trevelyan, Hartnell-Beavis and Welch. Such beloved, devoted, inspiring early days pillars of our precious Community. They carry us still in many ways and on many levels.

Amanda Haworth