Letter from the Editor

Dear Cousins,

Quite a lot of family have indicated interesting attending the July reunion in Oxford and Marston St Lawrence and we have Peter Blencowe to thank for making it happen. It is crucial that you keep him informed of your plans.

I wish to draw your attention to the plight of some cousins in Australia. The Blincos in the tropics are coping with flooding rains whist many Blencowes of the southern states are ravaged by the worst drought in over 100 years. Over 20% of the state of Victoria has been burnt by a bushfire that raged for 50 days from mid December coming very close to Blencowe territory. Our families in rural areas, especially those relying on agriculture and associated industries, are “doing it tough”. TV reports suggest that wild weather in Europe and the Americas could have affected our northern hemisphere cousins. New Zealand seems to be the place to be!

With the help of Jack, I will have an extensive list in the next newsletter of veterans who died as a result of the various wars. Several members have already sent me information for our War Heroes profile project and hopefully many more will adopt a soldier if they haven't one of their own. In the meantime there is information on the Commonwealth War Graves site www.cwgc.org/ and in the Australian Roll of Honour www.awm.gov.au/roh/ .Remember that most died without issue so we are relying on more distant relatives to provide photos and family information.

Several of our family showed serious interest in purchasing Blencow Hall. Many have asked about the outcome of the sale and although it hasn't returned to a Blencowe owner, I think you will agree its future seems quite positive.

Thank you for the many contributions to this newsletter. I have held over several articles for future editions. Keep them rolling in along with your subscriptions so that our rather unique Association remains viable. I am encouraged by the wide range of types of articles I have been able to include in this edition so keep up the diversity. I look forward to hearing from you.

Anne Burton
February 2007
editor @ blencowefamilies.com