Even Mrs. Winter, our old headteacher, thought he were grand, and Miss Lavery seemed fair stricken. Few months earlier, Water Board had put on some lectures in the village hall to explain all about the dam, dead boring, I heard my dad say. He stood up and asked questions and it got into a row and he wanted to hit the lecturer but some of the others stopped him even though most agreed with him. Anyway, the Board asked Mrs. Winter if they could send a lecturer into the school, and she said no, it would likely just worry the children, but if they sent someone we all knew like Geordie Turnbull to explain about the dam, that would be okay.

So Geordie came.

He had a funny way of talking which Miss Lavery said was because he came from Newcastle. He didn't lecture us but just sort of chatted and answered questions. I recall him saying, "Which of you kiddies ever tried to dam a stream?" And when all the hands went up, he said, "All right, so tell me, bonnie lads and lasses, what's the best stuff to work with when you're building your dam?" And some said earth, and some said stones, and some said branches. Geordie nodded and said, "Good answer," to all of those. Then he said, "Now, here's a hard one, what's the worst stuff of all for your dam?" And while everyone was thinking, Madge yelled out, "It's the watter!" And Geordie laughed out loud, and we all laughed with him, 'cos you had to laugh when he did, and he picked her up and swung her on his shoulders and said, "Yes it's the watter"-taking her off-"the very stuff you're trying to save that fights against you saving it. So when it's hot and dry like now, building a dam's a lot easier than when it's cold and wet. In fact you might say it's a dam sight easier." We all laughed again, and even Mrs. Winter had to smile.