Sir Geoffrey bows out

WEALDEN Conservatives gathered on Sunday to pay tribute to Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith who retired as their Member of Parliament at the last election.

Nearly 250 members representing all corners of the constituency, from Hailsham to Forest Row and Wadhurst to Isfield, were present at Barnsgate Manor for a celebratory lunch.

Sir Geoffrey marked the occasion by formally joining the party that he had worked so hard for in his 37 years in Parliament.

Reminiscing over his time in the constituency Sir Geoffrey recalled that when he was first selected back in the 1960s the then chairman recommended that he would find canvassing by horseback particularly convenient. He also said that he found his new constituents in what was then East Grinstead constituency rather different from those he had previously had in Holborn and St Pancras.

During his time in Wealden he could only recall one instance of being heckled at a public meeting; Wealden s electors were more than ready to put pen to paper if something was not pleasing them.

Lifetime s ambition

Sir Geoffrey was joined for the occasion by the two women who had acted as his secretaries during his time in Parliament. He paid tribute to both of them and particularly to his wife Jeanne. She had been a tower of support and strength but was also not averse to the occasional bout of criticism if she felt that the party s presentation was not all that it could be.

Sir Geoffrey had a lifetime s ambition fulfilled when he was presented with a set of 20 volumes of the Complete Oxford English Dictionary.

He said he would never now be lost for words!