John & Jean Gabbitas

Click Wycombe District Council for reports by Jean when on this Council

John and Jean Gabbitas moved to Milbrook in Goodacres Lane Lacey Green in 1976.

Hallmark June 1983. A letter was published in Hallmark from Irene Tinsley, September Cottage. Little Lane, as follows :-"I am writing to say how much I enjoyed 'Worship with Mother' services at St John's Church. The services are simple, in a relaxed atmosphere which appeals to children.

We owe a great deal to Jean Gabbitas for all the hard work and organisation she puts into this. Her 'quiet time' meditations for mothers, gives me strength and resolve.

A thank you also to Pam Thomas, who plays the piano, and Linda Ashby who looks after refreshments. It would be lovely to see lots of new members during the summer term. click Rick & Pam Thomas for more about Pam.

Hallmark April 1994. Letter to the Editor from Candy Piercy, Malmsmead, Kiln Lane

Readers Letters

Dear Ted,

I was sad to read Denis Croucher's letter in your last issue regarding the Christmas Meats site. In his letter Mr Croucher criticised Councillor Jean Gabbitas and suggested she had not been involved in securing the decision to designate’ the Christmas Meats site as a ‘badly sited user’.

It is clear that Mr Croucher is unaware of the considerable time and effort Jean has put into sorting out this long-standing problem over the years. Indeed, much work was done even before The Residents Association was formed! Many meetings were held, as residents living near the site can confirm, as Jean and the Parish Council beavered away in the background. Like so much of a local councillors work, people don't know just how much is going on unless they are closely involved with a particular problem.

So how do | Know about all this activity on Jean's part? I used to be the Editor of our local FOCUS (Liberal Democrat Publication). Jean would talk over with me what was going on in the background – and what progress had been made. In the FOCUS we put out in December 1990 Jean asked people to tell her about any suggestions they had for redevelopment of the Christmas Meats site.

Far from ignoring The Residents Association, Jean attended their Public Meeting on this issue to listen to the views expressed there. It is not a surprise that Wycombe District Council did not tell them of Jean's role in this matter. The officers' job is to answer the questions put to them – not to publicise the efforts of the Councillors.

Jean Gabbitas, with the support of the Parish Council, brought the Christmas Meats problem in front of the relevant committee on a previous occasion. Unfortunately, she did not manage to convince the committee, as there was so little supporting material for her case. On that occasion no resident had written in to express their views.

This time the many letters from the local residents and the evidence from the Residents Association gave Jean the extra ammunition she needed. She spoke up in the Committee and then the Committee decided to act.

It just goes to show that the way to get things done is for everyone to work together. I hope this unfortunate misunderstanding can now be laid to rest. Then we can get on with the things that really matter – like keeping up the fight to sort out speeding traffic through the village, to name but one!

Yours sincerely,

Candy Piercy

Editor's Note

The Christmas Meats site (formerly the Poultry Packers) has been an irritant to Lower Loosley Row residents for 30 odd years, if it is moving to a satisfactory conclusion, it only highlights the slowness of local government. So we can thank both Councillor Gabbitas and the Residents Association, but not forgetting the effort of past councillors, the late Jean Hart, Geoffrey Spear and Harry Church.

Hallmark April 1994. Notice by Jean Gabbitas for Christian Aid.

When Tim Andrews, a friend of mine heard I was moving to Lacey Green from Walters Ash he said ‘Oh I haven't got a Christian Aid Door to Door organiser for that village’, so I offered to fill the bill.

In 1976 I arrived at Goodacres Lane with three young children and with many helpful pointers from local church members, recruited 18 – 20 collectors who during May each year collected a considerable sum : £100 the first year and almost £500 two years ago. This money proved to be a very worthwhile addition to many separate fundraising efforts which the village chapels and church already undertook and it extended the opportunity for the villagers of Lacey Green and Loosley Row to make a contribution.

Christian Aid week is in May and frequently comes very close to election times so I was most grateful to learn that a volunteer had been found to take over the work however, as he loves in Downley he does not have enough local contacts to recruit the 2 or 3 new members each year.

This is a plea that someone will come forward to be the organiser - someone with Christian principles which accord with the aim of Christian Aid – someone who can recruit from their network of contacts in our community.

I'd love to hear from that someone!

-

Jean Gabbitas. Obituary Tribute by John Gabbitas

Jean was born on 11th June 1939 to James and Alice Russell. She died on 11th May 2017.

After spending her early life in the Birmingham area, where she qualified as a teacher specialising in Religious Education, she moved to Walters Ash with her husband John in 1967. In the next nine years, her life was taken up, in the main, in producing and caring for her four children. ln 1976, when a larger home was required, the family moved to Lacey Green.

After moving to Bucks, jean had started teaching at what was then Hatters Lane School for Girls.  Once the children were growing up, she continued her teaching career in various local schools, at Tylers Green and Stone.

On a separate trajectory, Jean’s political career, first as a Liberal, and then as a Liberal Democrat took off.  In 1985, after a very close fight, she was elected as Councillor to Wycombe District Council. Her ward included Lacey Green, Loosley Row and the Hampdens. She held this position until 1999. During the year 1995/ 1996, she served as Chairman of Wycombe District Council. See Councillors Wycombe District Council.

One of her main interests as a Councillor was to promote the voice of the farming community in Local Government. Largely as a result of her efforts, the Council formed a Farming Forum, which still exists today. She was also active as a member of the Planning Committee, and amongst her achievements were the establishment of the Village Shop in Speen (which still thrives), and the surgery and pharmacy in Hughenden Valley. She also participated in the working party for the building of the Swan Theatre in High Wycombe.

In order to progress her musical career she became a member of Princes Risborough Music Society and was very grateful to have the fellowship and stimulation of belonging to such a friendly choir, with a distinguished record of conductors and performances of interesting music. She also supported a number of local music festivals.

She was particularly proud to be a member of St John’s Church Choir, and was involved in the significant achievements of the choir under the leaderships of Julia Beaumont, Fiona Putnam, Rosemary Mortham and Cher Mole.

The contribution she has made, over a lifetime of service, is difficult to overestimate. She will certainly be missed by those people in the village, who were touched by her. For many years she was a member of the Afternoon Women's Institute, and was its last President, until it closed in 2011. After that, she supported the Tea at Three, which was held monthly for older people in the community. She was also an active member of the Sewing Group”, and even arranged an outing for the group to her son Tom’s restaurant in the Cotswolds only a short time before she died.

She insisted on making her 50^th wedding anniversary an “event”, despite some misgivings from her husband John, and this was a great joy to everyone. Family and friends who attended the day will remember, with gratitude, a very special day.

Above all, she will be remembered as a loving and caring wife, mother and grandmother. Her devotion to her family and her Christian principles were her guiding lights.  May she rest in peace.

John Gabbitas

Appreciation by Joan West of Stocken Farm

I got to know Jean well when she was Chairman of St. John's School Parent Teachers Association.

I have three reasons to particularly appreciate her work on the Wycombe District Council.

Firstly she was instrumental in getting the Farming Forum established. A party of councillors would be hosted by a farming family and shown round the farm, explaining farming to, as a rule, people who knew nothing about it at all. This experience was then sweetened by tea and cakes while discussions continued. Before writing this I asked the opinion of several farmers. They, without exception, remembered Jean with appreciation.

Secondly and very personally, our family have reason to be grateful for her work on the planning committee. We had applied to turn an old cowshed into a home for our son, a partner in the farm, who was getting married. Without seeing the building the committee turned it down. Jean persuaded them that they should have a site meeting. The building already had doors, windows, electricity, water and drainage. It was passed. "Thank you Jean"

Thirdly and this, really just admiration. Jean and a party of I didn't know who, although I know her husband was one of them, planted hedges along the New Road to Walters Ash. It was a notoriously windy stretch of road, for many years blocked with snow in winter. My verdict - Jean was not just inspired but 'hands-on' too.

PS. On Saturday 22nd October the Local History Group held an exhibition called "Granny's Attic", which included the first demonstration of the Lacey Green Media Wiki. A daughter of John & Jean Gabbitas, reading her mother's page on the wiki, added the following information :- New Road. Re: planting of hedges. Jean was involved in the initiative of engaging young offenders to help in the community. This was one such event.