This month it’s time to celebrate Joe Davidson’s 80th birthday. Anyone who knows Joe just wouldn’t believe his age, he is still very active and involved with CLASP and his local community.
Joe has been a CLASP Trustee for some years, including being Chairman, and has been a member of CLASP since the start so is a familiar face to many CLASP members.
Joe has volunteered at a local school, Evendons Primary, two days a week for about 11 years and loves it! He volunteers on a Wednesday and Friday lunchtime and has recently got involved with the school gardening club.
Joe enjoys helping the children look after the plants as gardening is one of his hobbies. He
keeps the playground and classrooms tidy, assists the staff on playground duties and generally helps wherever he’s needed.
Joe was born on 17th June 1944, just after the Allied forces landed in France on D-Day to
liberate Europe during the Second world War, in Newbury, Berkshire so it’s fair to say he’s a local Berkshire boy! Joe has lived in quite a few locations in Berkshire, especially during his early years but can’t remember for sure when he moved to Wokingham as it was so long ago.
During his life Joe has done many varied and interesting jobs. He’s been a farm labourer in Scotland, a landscape gardener, a general building labourer, a kitchen assistant at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and a care assistant in care homes in Frimley and Wokingham. Some of the work, especially in the army kitchens at Sandhurst were very hard work, sometimes working 7 days a week.
When Joe was younger, he was fortunate to visit Belgium and spend a month in Austria with a group of other youngsters and had a great time.
Joe likes gardening, occasionally watching cricket and having done a catering course in his youth prides himself on his Sunday roast. He’s recently been with friends on a steam train between Reading and Minehead which was a lovely way to spend the day. It took him back to when he was a kid watching and travelling on the steam trains.
The children at Evendons school will be holding a celebration for Joe’s 80th on Friday 14th June. All of us at CLASP would also like to wish Joe a very happy 80th birthday.