Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2010 | Page 40

interview

Island Life - October/November 2010

Main photo: Terry (navigator) with his driver
rallying in England 1973.
Below, Terry pictured in Belguim.
Below right, Terry the navigator in his
early days 1976.

“There is still a manhole cover up

could never really speak English well,

was a builder and a funeral director.

at the church in Bembridge which

saved up the money - because she was

The funeral side of the business

has his name on it. Henry had quite a

pretty ‘hard-nosed’ -. and bought the

started back with Henry, my great

big family, and three of his sons, my

yard that we still operate from in Lane

grandfather.”

grandfather Percy, and his brothers

End Road.

Terry attended Ryde School, and then

Harry and Alf formed Weaver Brothers

“She bought two acres for £290

went to the building school in Cowes,

in the late 1800s, a continuation of the

– good business. My father kept it

followed by two years working for Ken

previous business.

going in the depression and when

Souter, an architect in Ryde. After that

the war came he ran the fire brigade

he left the Island to do his National

father Arthur, who was also known to

in Bembridge, was heavily involved

Service for two years, near Stratford

everyone as Percy, and he took it over

with the lifeboat, and did agriculture

on Avon, before coming back at the

because the only other son, Ron, was

contracting because there was no

age of 20 to join his dad in the family

killed in Gallipoli in the First World War.

building work at the time.

business.

“The only surviving son was my

“Percy took the firm on in the 1930s,

“Then in 1945 he got going with the

He continued: “In 1965 we started

and in the depression in 1932, my

building again, operating from the yard

developing the yard. At the time it was

grandmother, a Belgian woman, who

we had already bought. Basically he

just a gravel pit with copse in front of

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