Bretton Hall 1973 'Anarchy on the Lake'

It was 4th June, 1973, the first day of the mid-summer celebrations at Bretton Hall College of Education. The Students Union Entertainments Committee had challenged students to build imaginative craft and sail them across the college lake and back again. The gauntlet was quickly taken up! I took my 'vessel' down to the lakeside where shipmates were mustering, preparing for the great voyage that lay ahead. That imaginative genius, Heath Robinson, would have been impressed by the sight! The journey was to be eventful but little did voyagers know that a hidden peril would emerge from the depths to add more chaos to the event. The signal was given and we paddled out into the blue yonder. Ashore there was as much excitement as there was on the water. Vessels were drifting, darting, ducking and diving. Then, from the depths emerged Neptune, quickly recognised as that notorious Cornish pirate, Petroc Dan! Propelling himself amongst the unsuspecting vessels the sea raider drenched crews and scuppered craft. Without doubt the pirate was guilty of entertainment and causing laughter!! I had borrowed a cine camera, bought a reel of film for it and asked my friend, Marten Gallagher, to record the event for me. This he did, for which I remain grateful; attempting to focus the camera, correctly expose the film, prevent 'camera shake' and stop blurring was not an easy task!! The original film has been digitalised and edited to make this little video. The soundtrack is Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries' (Act3) Performed by the Berliner Philharmonika/Klaus Tennstedt