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When you
visit the station, you
will see various
volunteer staff who will
usually be wearing
badges to identify
themselves. However, in
case you’d like to know
in advance “who’s who”,
we invite you now to
meet the team.
This is by no means
an exhaustive list of
the faces you may see at
Shillingstone; there are
always people on site
busy with various tasks.
Whether profiled here or
not, the Trust is warmly
appreciative of all the
help given by the band
of helpers that do so
much of the restoration
work and, without whom,
the station would not
have reached its present
state of repair. |
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Toby Watkins (Chairman)
Toby joined the Trust in
2008 and took over the
role of Chairman at the
2011 AGM. As an RAF
Squadron Leader, he
manages to juggle the
equally important tasks
of helping defend this
sceptred isle with
guiding the teams
responsible for
restoring Shillingstone.
His academic
qualifications include
BA (Hons), MA, MSc and
MAPM and his speciality
is in the field of
business management.
Toby is married and
calls Lincoln his home
although with his work
and railway commitments,
we doubt he is able to
spend much time there. |
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David Mouser (Treasurer)
Originally from Norwich
(which football team he
still supports), David
has been our Treasurer
since 2008 and ably
manages to balance the
books from his home at
Wool, near Wareham. As
well as his interest in
railways, David is a
keen philatelist and
regularly attends stamp
fairs around the country
to enable him to run his
other occupation as a
stamp dealer. |
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Tony Ward (Secretary)
Originally from
Crewkerne, Tony has
lived ‘down the road’ at
Child Okeford since the
early 1980s. His
lifelong interest in all
things steam made it
inevitable that he would
end up joining the Trust
and he has been involved
with various
incarnations of
Shillingstone’s
restoration since moving
to the area. He is
married with two grown
up children and two
lively springer
spaniels, both of which
are often to be seen
cavorting in the mud
along the trailway (the
dogs that is, not the
children)! |
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Ken Merriman (General Manager) |
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Ken joined
in November
2010 an
immediately
made his
presence
felt by
masterminding
Shillingstone’s
new signal
box. His
boundless
enthusiasm
has been
much in
evidence on
site, most
visibly with
the
clearance of
the trackbed
and
preparation
for the
laying of
the track
panels. A
trained
engineer,
Ken has had
a varied
commercial
career
before
joining the
trust but as
well as his
construction
skills, Ken
has a softer
side too.
As those of
you who have
seen his
distinctive
green van
will know,
he runs a
swan rescue
centre at
Wimborne. |
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Bill Munden (Retail
Manager)
Bill has been with the
project for more years
than anyone can remember
and, as he is reluctant
to reveal his true age,
we have to resort to
carbon dating to
establish the true
facts. His working life
was always connected
with the railway and
before his retirement,
he achieved the dizzy
height of being in
charge of Bournemouth’s
train depot. |
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Alan Wiseman (Membership
Secretary)
If you’ve read issue
No.1 of 'Platform',
you’ll already know all
you need to know about
Alan. A fairly rare
visitor to the station,
he tends to work from
his studio cum office in
Plush (near Dorchester)
where he churns out
subscription renewal
letters and produces and
dispatches the
membership cards. He
admits to having a model
railway in the loft and,
if pushed, will also
admit that it is a
continental layout. Ah
well, nobody’s perfect! |
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Bob Smith (Shop Manager)
After an eventful career
in the Army, Bob became
a sales rep for a
brewery (some people
have all the luck !) and
then spent his later
years in 'Occupational
Guidance' in the Careers
Sector. He joined the
Project as Tea Boy
(First Class) in 2005
and graduated with
Honours to the role of
General Awkward Cuss! To
this day he maintains a
military presence at the
station ably assisted by
Kai, his faithful
greyhound. |
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If
you have a little time
to spare and would like
to become a member of
the team, why not join
us? |
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There is always work to
be done and don’t worry
if you do not have any
special skills; |
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guidance and training
will be given where
needed - all you need is
enthusiasm and a
practical outlook! |
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If you are interested,
please telephone the
station on 01258 860696
or
email our Chairman, Toby
Watkins by
clicking here.
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