Christopher Cape: Of Brewers and Holy Orders
24 Jan, 2021 10:40 PM
6 minutes to read
Wanganui Midweek
The Cape family, Peter, Barbara, Stephanie and Christopher, arrived in England on April 29, 1962 on board the MS Oranje.
My father Peter, a television producer with the fledgling NZBC, trained with the BBC in London for two months.
The Imperial Relations Trust had granted the trip funding, with a brief to study the history, lifestyles, arts and crafts of British society and report back. We found accommodation, a flat in Stoke Newington, and a car was purchased – a 1948 Ford Anglia in good condition.
On July 18 we began our 9000km journey through the British Isles, from Lands End to John O'Groats. There were four of us and nine pet mice. For the record the car was "MPJ", I was "Kit", my sister "Fani", my mother Barbara was "B" and our original two mice were "Moopid" and "Stoopid". I pick up my father's diary account after socialising and folk singing the previous evening with woodcarvers Angela Pruden and husband in High Wycombe.