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Film-maker searching for Hexham classmate

Posted by The Journal on Jul 6, 09 11:41 AM in News

David TaylorA film-maker's quest to reunite classmates from more than 50 years ago is tantalisingly close to completion - after an appeal in Saturday's Journal uncovered two of the remaining four he had been unable to trace.

Another former student from the 1957-58 general agriculture course at Kirkley Hall college in Northumberland also emailed reunion organiser David Taylor, 69, from his home in Scotland at the weekend.

That has left the Emmy award-winning documentary maker and former Journal writer with just one person - Jenny Dodds - to find in order to have a full house.

He said: "Thanks to my old paper - which I've always believed is read by the entire farming community in Northumberland - we've almost got the whole year together. We were a pretty fit and healthy crowd and we seem to have had good lives.

"I've now traced 30 of the 31 students in 1957-58."

After reading an appeal in Saturday's paper Mike Crozier and David Broom contacted Mr Taylor and will be attending the class reunion at the Northumberland College campus on July 12 and 13.

Mr Crozier, who moved from farming to local government in the 1960s, got in touch from Morpeth and Mr Broom, who worked as a butcher in Fenham, Scotswood and Dinnington, is still living in Newcastle.

Edward Dunn, who worked as an adviser with the Scottish Agricultural College in Orkney, Shetland, the Outer Hebrides and Morayshire, will also be travelling to the event from his home in Scotland after contacting Mr Taylor by email.

Mr Taylor, who presented Tyne Tees programme Farming Outlook and is now head of Kent-based York Films, has also managed to find his two Hungarian classmates, who are now living in Sweden and Hungary.

But he is desperate to find out what happened to Jenny, pictured, who is believed to have married in the Hexham area in the early 1960s.

Jenny DoddsHe said: "She was very well spoken. She was always vivacious and fun.

"There were eight girls who all shared the same dormitory and they all knew each other very well, so it's surprising they haven't kept in touch."

He has now recruited fellow student Eileen Robson to help hunt for the final member of the class.

Mrs Robson, a farmer's wife from Kirkwhelpington, has contacted a travelling salesman who worked around farms in Northumberland in the 1960s to see whether he had any memories of Jenny.

She said: "We think she was in the amateur operatics at Hexham. It was quite a long time ago, that's the only thing. I sent her an engagement card in maybe 1960-61 and somehow Hexham was in my mind. I remember sending her the card and I've had no contact with her after that.

"I've kept in touch with one or two. They originally came from Northumberland, so you hear of them. One was my brother-in-law and one was my sister's sister-in-law.

"We were a very happy bunch - we all got on so well together."

Anyone who knows of Jenny's whereabouts can contact Mr Taylor on 07880 702969 or by emailing david@yorkfilms.com.

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