This week 10, 20, 30 years ago

10 years ago

Tributes were paid to a mother of 10 who also provided a home for dozens of foster children.

Mary Field, of Ardgowan Road, Catford, died aged 90 on August 19 after suffering a stroke.

Mrs Field settled in Britain in 1956 after travelling by boat from her home on the Caribbean island of Jamaica.

In 1964 she moved with her husband, Ferdinand, to Evelyn Street, Deptford, where the Fields were one of the first black families to live in the area.

As well as raising 10 children of her own, Mrs Field became one of the first long-term foster parents of black children in the late 1960s.

She left 22 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and one great great-grandchild.

A civil engineering student hurled abuse at a judge as he was jailed yesterday for eight months for his involvement in the London riots.

Richard Stuart, 22, took home three pairs of Nike trainers worth £220 stolen from Foot Locker and JD Sports in St John’s Road on August 9.

The Kingston University student, of Trott Street, claimed he accepted the footwear after going to watch the violence and admitted two counts of acquiring criminal property.

As the Inner London Crown Court judge jailed him, he repeatedly shouted: “Shut up you f***ing slag.”

20 years ago

A South London rock band was hoping to score with fans after recording its own unofficial World Cup song.

The five-piece Paradise On Purple recorded We Are England, ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifier against Germany.

The Fleetwood Mac-style song featured samples of the jubilant crowd at the historic 1966 World Cup final between the two nations.

Lead vocalist Nathan Preacher, from Bermondsey, said: “It’s not a Three Lions or Vindaloo claiming football’s coming home, as realistically to try and win the World Cup would be an amazing feat.”

A former overseas college pupil had seen the error of his ways and returned an overdue library book – 24 years after it was due.

A parcel containing the book was sent to South Thames College, which had campuses in Balham, Wandsworth and Tooting, with a note from Algerian Mohamed Bokreta.

He wrote: “Seeking both apologies and pardon from my dear friends, the respected college principal and his brave librarian staff.”

The book was Peasant Wars Of The Twentieth Century by American scholar Eric R Wolf.

College staff decided to let Mr Bokreta off his fine, which at 20p per week would have totalled almost £250.

South Londoner Zac Monroe proved that he had the invisible touch by winning the World Air Guitar Championships.

The 31-year-old Brixton architect clinched the title over 17 rivals with his performance of Blur’s Song 2 at the contest in Finland.

Zac, whose stage name was Magnet, wowed crowds of 2,500 with his interpretation, becoming the first Brit to win the contest.

After picking up the winner’s medal and an £800 Washburn guitar, Zac revealed that he couldn’t actually play the real thing.

30 years ago

Dreams of home ownership had turned into a nightmare for hundreds of residents.

National figures revealed mortgage arrears and repossessions were at an all-time high, with Wandsworth one of the hardest hit.

During the 1980s property boom the borough saw thousands buying in the private sector, and 17,000 council tenants and first-time buyers bought their homes from Wandsworth.

But in the first six months of the year there were 351 court orders to repossess homes in the area, compared with 169 for the same period the year before.

A Pop star who became a household name singing about the benefits of a bank found himself accused of trying to defraud it.

Detectives claimed Smiley Culture, who was famous for a NatWest advert, had tried to pay in a £30,000 forged cheque at the bank’s Brixton branch.

But he was cleared at Inner London Crown Court after a five-day trial. Smiley, 26, of Woodfield Avenue, Streatham, said he was paid the cash for music industry work.

Smiley’s version of Pass The Dutchie was used by NatWest in 1986 to advertise the bank’s online services.

A curate was urging thieves to return a 10ft tall statue of Jesus that had been stolen from a derelict church building.

The £10,000 solid bronze statue, erected in 1918 as a war memorial, was stolen from outside St George’s Church in Wells Way, Camberwell.

The curate of the new St George’s Church building in nearby Newent Close, Peckham, appealed for its return.

Christopher Harrison, 33, said: “I was shocked people could show so little respect to a memorial of this kind and I am very saddened over the loss.”

Compiled by alexandra@slpmedia.co.uk

Main Pic: Home repossessions were at an all time high 30 years ago