11/05/11…Thame Mayor bows out in rhyme

THE outgoing Mayor of Thame, Hair salon owner, Adam Buckland, swapped cutting for couplets last night, when he delivered his Mayor’s Annual Report to the new town council in rhyme. (Prepare yourselves….)

The new Mayor of Thame is Cllr David Bretherton and his Deputy is Cllr Nigel Champken-Woods who recalled the last time he supported David Bretherton. It was in 1967 at David’s RAF Passing Out Parade at RAF Hemswell when Nigel, who joined up two weeks after David, took part in David’s support flight. The coincidence only came to light recently when the two were chatting about their days in the RAF.

He may not be a great poet, by Cllr Adam Buckland’s rhyming report brilliantly sums up the flavour of his year in office. Here it is in full:

ANNUAL REPORT 2011
Here?s my Annual report
And if you give me the time,
I will break with tradition
And do it through rhyme

I?ve written some speeches
Talked till blue in the face
Of my love of Thame Town,
Such a beautiful place

This year has been great
With some great things achieved
From libraries to football
And things in between

The new Meadow View Park
Home of the beautiful game
Built through a partnership
Who love football in Thame

Our library?s been built
But not without fight
All state of the art
A beautiful sight

Street pastors have arrived
To keep us safe out at night
It?s run through the churches
So we all ?see the light?

After the iThame app
Was the turn of Thame TV
To drag us to the future
That includes you, and of course me

More partnership working
Is our aim all along
With 21st century Thame
Still going along strong

From football to allotments
To the scouts and the guides
Working together
Let?s reach for the skies

We have festivals galore
From food to the Arts
And a new music day
Down in elms park

This year?s Carnival
Has a Mardi gras theme
With feathers and Boas
A sight to be seen

The Christmas lights switch on
Went well in the main
With rock bands and tinsel
And an absence of rain

A market from Italy
Is promised this year
To go with the French
Makes Europe feel near

We?ve seen historic blue plaques
Appear in our streets
From Boddington to Figg
And W B Yeats

We’re working in Cuttlebrook
To alleviate the flood
Dredging the stream
And moving the mud

My Mayors Ball was amazing
Up at Meadow View Park
With hundreds attending
And partying till Dark

The band were the Commitments
With some great soulful sounds
We held a charity auction
That raised 6000 big pounds

My two charities will benefit
From the cash from the Ball
It will go straight to the Wombles
And of course Thomley Hall

Sadly this year
Saw the loss of great men
Honourary Citizen, Len Webb
And from the allotments, ?our Ken?

Both worked so hard
To make our town great
Through Community Spirit
Through love and not hate

Our Civic Pride night
Was a resounding success
With me in a suit
And my wife?. A new dress

It honours the people
Who?ve got civic pride
From the postman to student
With friends by their side

Ask not what your town
Can do for you
Is a phrase I?ve used lots
To rally the troops

Our first Tidy Thame Day
Saw our town at its best
With the community together
To clean up the mess

We painted and cleaned
We repaired and we weeded
With the maintenance guys
On call if we needed

The phoenix trail sorted
And blitzed of its litter
We all came away
From the day feeling fitter

Yes our maintence team
Work their magic in parks
Jessie and Aidee
And of course the two Marks

Planting their flowers
And cutting the grass
Picking up litter
Making smiles that will last

So it?s onwards and upwards
We will sure leave our mark
With a long list of wishes
More jobs for the Clerk

A new play area we want
In Lea Park it?s our goal
At Queen Elizabeth Circle
To rival South Pole

An updated Skate park
Is high on our list
With the Mayor on a skateboard
A sight not to miss

The Youth Memorial is so close
To being complete
A place to reflect
If friends wish to meet

More Links to the rugby
Chinnor or Thame if you wish
And a nice new angling lake
In which we can fish

Our budget is small
So we?ll have to think smart
Get our ducks in a row
And the horse and the cart

Small council small budget
But with big, big ideas
A lot to achieve
In a few more short years

This all won?t be easy
There?ll be hard decisions
On housing and supermarkets
Free your minds and your visions

The Core strategy next
Is a place we will go
Locations and numbers
We still do not know

And the Sainsbury development
On the Cattle market site
Will exercise brains
Is it wrong? Is it right?

We have lost 6 good Councilors
But we have gained some 6 more
The old through the exit
The new through that door

We had Stone World Rob
Who would say what he liked
And our accountant Owen
Who?d arrive on a bike

And Peter and Cliff
Who were quiete but true
And don?t forget Lionel
Who was obsessed with the loos

Who can forget Beatrice
Our library friend
Her mission accomplished
Resolute till the end

So welcome new Councillors
Along for the ride
4 years to go
No place which to hide

Let?s roll up our sleeves
There is lots to be done
To make this town better
United as one

We have Liberals and Labour
Conservatives too
And one independent
I will let you guess who

Marius, Peter and Helena
Also Vaughan makes four
Returning Mary and Andy
Who have been here before

Nigel, Jeanette and Nicola
The 3 David?s and 2 Mikes
And of course Donald Butler
Who turns up when he likes

I have to say thank you
To my ?Deputy Don?
I?ll say something flattering
No alas?.it has gone

He?s joined me at functions
And given lifts in his car
I?ve followed his direction
Mostly straight to the Bar

He taught me all he knew
Which didn?t take to long
He understood my rules
I?m right and he is wrong

We?ve been to lots of dos
In some Oxfordshire towns
And the city of Oxford
Of the cap and of the gown

We?ve eaten lots of dinners
And drank some dodgy wine
His waist line has expanded
Thank god it?s not mine

So, it?s thanks to the clerk
And Cassie and Dee
We?ve all got to know them
As the terrible three

If you dare cross their path
I?m sure you will wince
A councilor once did
He?s not been seen since

Downstairs you?ll find Rosie
And Pauline and Jane
With Morag and Rob
All busy but sane

When I put this gold chain on
Almost a year to this day
I didn?t realize how quick
To get to this May

I could not understand
What the fuss was all for
To be the Mayor of Thame
When I walked out that door

But now I know at last
And what an honour it has been
To meet the fantastic people
And the council to be seen

It?s been a lot of hard work
And it takes over all your life
But it has also been lots of fun
With the support from my gorgeous wife

My boys have been great
Giving up on their weekends
It?s now time for their daddy
To now fully make amends

I?ve been gunged and I?ve glided
In my role as the Mayor
I?ve judged funny carrots and fairy cakes
And opened the annual fair

I judged floats and parades
At the carnival in June
I beat our MP
With an egg and a spoon

I was delighted to beat him
And give him a kickin
But alas I did not win
I came last to chicken

I?ve been called many things
The worst a lumberjack
Also a litter womble
But I will not fight back

As long as it is done
You can call me what you like
Except a blue conservative
Before you say ? Mike

So I will give this chain back
And wish it a good grace
And the next person who wears it
Puts a smile upon your face

So I?m signing off now
Putting the chain back in its sack
But in the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger
I warn you, ?I?LL BE BACK!!!!?
Thank You

Photo: Thame’s out-going Mayor, Adam Buckland wishes his successor, Cllr David Bretherton, the best of luck for his Mayoral year.