Liphook Community Magazine Winter 2021

OUR GOLD
50 Years of the Liphook
There are records of a conventional Parish magazine existing
in Liphook from before World War I. It cost two or three old
pennies and was probably distributed by members of the
church community. As time went on there was a desire to
reach further into the community and to that end occasional
newsletters were produced.
John Souttar who was rector of Bramshott from 1963 to
1982, his curate and the PCC encouraged the idea of a more
general magazine. This was produced initially without
advertisements but with the aid of donations from local
business people. One of the aims of this newsletter was to
promote the appeal for the new church centre in Liphook and
later issues carried pictures of the building’s progress. The
desire behind the Church Centre was not to merely serve
church organisations but the whole community. At the
magazine’s Silver Jubilee Celebration (1996) Maline Souttar
described how her husband, the late Rev John Souttar, came
out of his study and said to her, “I’ve got it, Community, yes
that’s it, Community Magazine”. Thus the parish magazine
and newsletters were replaced by a community magazine and
John Souttar appears to have taken a step back to let the
community run the magazine.
However, the first
issue of the magazine,
in October
1971, was called
“Hook”, slightly
confusingly so as
there is a village
elsewhere in
Hampshire with
that name. The
idea behind this
name is now lost
in the mists
of time. Current
readers may recognise
the ethos
behind that early
magazine. “This
magazine exists to
help re-establish,
encourage and initiate aspects of community life in which
individuality, creativeness and mutual fellowship can flourish.”
This statement is printed to this day in the magazine.
The first editorial contains interesting references that may
still apply today such as, “Television, radio and the popular
press feed us with just enough titillation to keep us above the
level of complete boredom. Most of our physical needs are
supplied without the necessity for first hand contact with
others. Personal village shops are fast disappearing, being
replaced by impersonal supermarkets. Thus we have allowed
the qualities of life which give it meaning and satisfaction to
become debased. Do we still value human relationships and
the natural beauty of the earth? If we do, why do we continue
to trivialise our existence and convert our land into an ugly
rubbish dump for
the sake of material
wealth?” This may
be taken as being
slightly too political
for us now but it’s
interesting that 50
years on we have
the same concerns
in the world around
us.
The editor at that
time was John
Bond. Bill Organ,
who was one
of the original
team, recalls John
speaking up at a
village community
meeting chaired by
Hamden Inskip QC (who went on to become Chairman of
Hook’s management committee) to give his opinion on
editorial style so it sounds as if everybody thought he knew
what he was talking about so should become editor! He was
a young man with an art background who Bill believes would
have done all the editing, typesetting and layout. Of course,
this was long before the era of computers so would have been
a lengthy task. The second issue in November 1971 proved
rather controversial. The front cover had black and white
photos showing untidy corners of the village and the
accompanying article exhorted the inhabitants of Liphook to
become more community minded. Unfortunately, this did
not go down very well and there was an outcry. This resulted in
an apology being published in the next issue of the magazine
and subsequently John Bond was interviewed by the local
press. By January 1972 Hook was in considerable difficulties
as the formula was
not working and
production ceased.
Soon after John
Bond and others
from that original
team moved on.
John to become a
successful artist in
Norfolk and Bill
Organ moved to
Petersfield.
The magazine was
re-invented as
Liphook Community
Magazine with
the support of
Major D Hopton
and others in
Summer 1972.
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