Committee of the Sunday School Centenary Jubilee photograph in the Sunday School Centenary Jubilee 1857 to 1956 booklet"

July 1956

The following is an extract from the Bistre Emmanuel Parish Church Magazine August 1964. It contains a description of the achievements of Mr Horace F. Beavan, seen in the front row of this photo.

At the time of adding this to the archive, the following entries also contain a reference to him:

42.111 Wilfred Owens' letter 56, which mentions his enlistment in WWI.

91.7 George Lewis' Diary 10th July 1956 - he presented the Jubilee centenary shield to Saint John's Church.

AUGUST 1964

GRATITUDE

I would like to convey through the medium of our magazine my sincere thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Horace F. Beavan for accepting so willingly our invitation to open our Garden Fete for 1964.

Mr. H. F. Beavan is a Buckley Boy, and as he has said in his opening speech - "Proud of it".

Why is he proud of being Buckley born? The answer is because he loves it and he loves because he has served it. He is a personification of a principle which I have always advocated in our Magazine and in all my teaching as your Vicar, that you get out what you put in. Put money in the Bank and you will get it out when you need it. But there is something more, much more valuable than money to put in during our lives, and that is our service. Those who we serve the Church or a community draw out their reward in their hour of need and if anyone in Buckley has served the town then it is Mr. Horace F. Beavan.

May I briefly state some of the things he has done. Start with the Sunday School - for twenty-five years he has been Sunday School Secretary. His interest in children is obvious in the way he has looked after us in the Jubilee. He was appointed Hon. Secretary of the Jubilee Committee in 1917 following the death of his brother and has served on it very conscientiously ever since with the exception of the time he spent fighting for our freedom in the Great War 1914-1918. He organised the Centenary Celebrations of the Jubilee in 1957. So for nearly half a century he has been quietly but efficiently working for Buckley.

The famous Buckley Pantomime Company benefited by his services for three years as Hon. Secretary.

His name is well known amongst Buckley cricketers for he has played and captained their team and also played for the County on many occasions. He is also known to the world of sport through his hockey activities and in after his active playing days he umpired for nine International cricket games in which England, Scotland, Ireland and Holland took part. He has served on the Flintshire and North Wales Hockey Association and is still Match Secretary for Flintshire and Hon. Secretary for North Wales and has been the President of the Hockey Association.

These are some of his activities and one thing characterises the whole - the tiny word Hon. It is an abbreviation of the word Honorary which means in this respect NON-PAID. It is what he has GIVEN. What has he received? That love for Buckley which no one can take from him.

Christ has promised us something like that if we serve Him. The world may destroy our bodies; death may take us away from this world, but that which Christ can give to those who give themselves to Him - NO man, nothing can take from you.

I do hope that Mr. Beavan will be spared to complete his half century on the Jubilee Committee and that that Committee will in some proper manner express their appreciation of this service of love when the time comes.