WHISPERING SMITH column published in the Littlehampton Gazette September 12th. 2013

SAD to note that, after seventeen years at the helm, Littlehampton Gazette editor Roger Green is stepping down. He will be missed. He knows the town and the people therein, like the back of his hand, he knows the local community, the machinations of the various local councils, is familiar with members and with officers alike and has always shown a fair and unbiased approach. He knows the heartbeat of the town, its rhythm, and quietly, cautiously, takes its measure. He has given his valuable support and the support of the paper to many a local good cause. From this freelancer’s point of view he will be doubly missed, his curbing my excesses, while offering support where needed, have been invaluable to the success and life of the column. Happy to note that he will still be involved in the newspaper and will be covering a desk two days a week so, with a bit of luck, he will still be keeping an eye on me. I suspect the other eye will be looking towards the local birdlife, his love of walking the countryside and spending much more time with his family. Thanks, Roger, it has been fun.

OH DEAR, it would appear that my liking of gulls rather puts me very much in the minority. Perhaps it is just the ancient mariner in me, or the fact that I don’t want to kill everything that irritates me because it coos or vigorously protects its young or scavenges food that we so casually discard. I would rather awaken each morning, as I do, to the sound of the gulls on my roof than to distant rifle fire killing badgers. Culling, a euphemism for slaughtering things, seems to be the in thing at present. There are regular seal culls and whale culls in some countries, people are clamouring for fox and deer culls and the badger slaughter is already under way. There was even some crazy notion a while back about a buzzard and a cormorant cull. The big question is, are there too many of them or too many of us? Hand on heart, folks, I think we all know the answer to that one.

REACH FOR THE SKY box, well, that’s one of the few options open to you if you want to watch an up to date movie now that we have no cinema of our own. Closed now for 219 days and counting.