Interview- Pony Foster

Biological

1. Where and when were you born? – Wellington, Shropshire, 20th December 1947
2. Where did you grow up? – Wellington, Hadley and Edgmond, Shropshire.
3. Where have you lived? – Shropshire, North Wales, Vancouver, Spain, London and Ireland.
4. What jobs have you had? – Secretarial jobs.
5. What do you do for a living now? – Retired now.

Family Folklore

1. Are there any stories about the history or origin of your name? – Pauline became Pony because as a child couldn’t pronounce my Christian name.
2. Are there any traditional first names or nicknames in your family? – Nowill and the use of “Ganky” for grandmother.

Living

1. How did your family come to live in the area you lived in when you were growing up? – My father’s job after the war brought him to Shropshire.
2. How did your family make a living? – After the war, Daddy took a job in Shropshire with a company ran by my mother’s uncle. That is how they met and married. My mother’s family were refugees from Poland and had moved from there to Holland, then Israel and afterwards England. My mother (Loewy Hildegard) was based in Shropshire working for her uncle. My father then set up a company of his own making greenhouses and sheds.
3. What are some of your first impressions and early experiences of the place you are living in now? – The place I now live in is Achill Island, Co. Mayo. It has been my home for almost as long as I can remember. My father’s hobby was deep sea fishing and he bought a house on the island when I was small. Every summer since I was at boarding school, I spent in Achill. Achill to me is home and probably always has been.

Family Stories

1. 

   Article about Marian Nowill’s death

   What stories have come down to you about your parents and grandparents? – My father (Thomas Nowill Foster) was in Burma during the war and suffered very badly for years with malaria. His father (Major Arthur Norman Foster) was a veterinary surgeon during the 1st World War and the story “War Horse” is quite true of events. Vets were not required during the war- they shot injured horses. He got leukaemia and was dead within four weeks in his early 50s. My father was returned on compassionate leave to see him. My grandpa was based in Africa where my father and uncle were born. My mother and her family seem to have left Poland almost overnight. She did say an uncle was arrested and her father aswell, so they thought it sensible to move. They moved around 1933 to Holland.

2. What stories have you heard about your distant ancestors? – The only story I really remember is one about the beautiful Marian who met an untimely end. Nobody knows if she was murdered; if she jumped off the cliff or if she was pushed.
3. Can you tell me about what my parents were like when they were young? – Your father was obsessed with Lego, which kept him busy for hours on end. He was quiet and detached. He had quite a few friends. Your mother when we first met was vegetarian. She was quiet.

Courtship

1. Do you know any courtship stories? – I met Stuart through my next- door neighbour in Shropshire. She was fascinated by the fact that her new student- she gave lodgings to Harper Adams agricultural students- was named Foster and I was also Foster. She made it her mission to introduce them which she did eventually.

Childhood

1. What are some of your childhood memories? – As a child originally, we lived next to the redundant canal in Hadley and fished for newts constantly. Weekends were spent concreting sleepers with Daddy. Ganky, if she was staying, taught me to do jigsaws,card houses and clean silver and brasses.
2. What games did you play when you were a child? – When cousins came to stay in Edgmond, we used to do musicals, dressing up in crinoline dresses and inviting the adults to watch us. We played Jacks and hopscotch.
3. Did you sing verses when you played games and, if so, what were they? – We sang “Who wants to be a millionaire”.
4. What kind of toys did you play with? – We played with dolls and played in the garden.
5. Who made them? – Most were bought.
6. Was there music at home- did they play instruments? – No music at home- Mummy seemed to hate music, she said both she and my father were tone deaf. We didn’t play any instruments.
7. Were there any craft traditions in the household? – No craft traditions. My mother did knit and sew but she never taught me. I did a bit of sewing and knitting but it was probably self taught.
8. What family heirlooms do you have? – I have my father’s Sam Browne military belt.
9. How were they handed down to you? – It was given to me by my next door neighbour with no explanation as to how she came to be given it. All she told me was that her father had given it to her.

Local History and Community

1. What kind of local gatherings and events were there in your community? – There really weren’t many- I don’t remember any local gatherings or events we ever took part in. If we were home based, we were garden bound on good days, house bound on bad days.