Bonfires a bit unique, unless you are in it its hard to understand, but courtesy of Barcombe & The Hawkhurst Gang the season went out with a big bang, in the case of Barcombe a big bang of a Tableau that would have done Lewes proud on the 5th. basically a vintage year, memberships all solid and growing, crowds receptive and welcoming, police present not overpowering and low key, and when the weather turned, who cared, we all got wet together. but it was a year bonfire became the victim of electronic media. a harmless act by an unknown person set in action a chain of reactions that spiralled unchecked for few hours causing alarm and distress to members of a society, basically what should have been a spectacular 50th birthday party was gate crashed by trolls from all points of the united kingdom, and the bouncers forgot for a while who the hosts were. Making decisions in the cold light of day it far different from trying to get a grip of unbelievable facts in the heat of the moment. Bonfire societies elect captains and committees to run the show for a year, they take the praise and get the grief, the slaps on the back and the brickbats, and at the next AGM the membership vote. the membership decide. I could go on about traditions etc, but there is no history of bonfire boys getting threat against them and their families from unknown people. there were threats from the police and investigations were launched, one society stuck up two fingers and got on with the job regardless of consequences, the other took an alternative view, irrespective of the views of others they both live with those decisions. Any attack on a bonfire society for doing what all societies do and have done since 1853 is an attack on all societies, a threat to the freedom of expression of one society is an attack against all. Anyone in bonfire knows rivalry is a good thing, independent thinking is a way of life, but at the end of the day we are all in it together. It would be very regrettable if a society suffered from internal difficulties and senior bonfire boys fell out due to the actions of outsiders and trolls. there is an old saying, act in haste, repent in leisure,. but a bonfire society was cleared of any impropriety, It would be nice to think that old friends who have been in bonfire for years past will still be old friends in bonfire future. and that a society without a fire site becomes a society with a long term fire site Bonfire and particularly lewes bonfire is a unique event, we have never needed outsiders to tell us whats whats, a situation that will not be likely to change in the foreseeable future.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 22:41:33 +0000