Grostenquin France

The following is a transcript of the first CFGT radio show called "The Small Fry Take Over". It was intended to air this programme on a weekly basis but we are unable to confirm whether there was any more than the initial show to be completed on the air.

Good evening, boys and girls. This is Jerry Jenkins with YOUR programme – fifteen minutes of news and information gathered from the Trailer Camp and the PMQs Playground.

(Theme music)

Now that school is over for a couple of months, we find that we have some spare time on our hands. So we thought it would be a rather prima idea to keep in touch with each other by having a radio programme done by kids for kids. We thought that perhaps a Thursday night was the best time – it gives us a chance to get the programme under way early in the week, and you won’t kiss it by going away on those weekends with the family.

But this is going to be your programme. We want to hear about you, what you are planning for the summer, if you’re having a birthday, and we would welcome suggestions for future broadcasts. What we hope to do, in a couple of weeks when things get a bit more settled down, is to bring you a half hour programme. We plan on acting various fairy tales – and if you let us know which ones are your favourites, there’s a pretty good chance that we will include it in our planning.

But I have done enough talking already. In the studio at CFGT are boys and girls from the Trailer Camp and PMQs who will bring you up to date on what is doing on the other side of the fence. So here are Margaret Mosher and William Gordon who will tell us what has been happening since school finished at the PMQs.

OK – tell us what’s going on Margaret.

This is the first summer that there has been a Playground as such at the PMQs. Last year we all came into the station, but this year, we have two Playground Supervisors who have come over from Canada for the summer, specially for us. I guess they know by now that they have a big job on their hands, but we are certainly pleased to have them. Already they have got all kinds of things going – and there are a couple of teenagers who are also helping. I think perhaps Bill Gordon can say something about the baseball.

Well, we have our Little League – that’s for boys between 8 – 12 and we play each other. We’ve got four teams, the Tigers, the Lions, the Bears and the Cubs.

And which one is the best?

What a question! But there is no reason why you just can’t find out for yourself. There’s a game scheduled for tomorrow night at 6:30 at the PMQ diamond – so here’s your opportunity to see some good playing between excellent teams.

I wish that we could have some kind of a softball team! The girls are left out of everything.

Well, why not do something about it? If there are enough girls interested, why not talk to the Playground Supervisor – I bet she’d arrange something for you.

Good idea – it would really be fun, and maybe we could play the Trailer Site girls, but tell us a little more about the Little League. Have you got uniforms and everything?

Not yet, but we are hoping that we might be able to get them pretty soon. But while we are on the subject, for all four teams there is only one bat-boy – we sure could use some more. And we are very badly off for mascots. Any suggestions or offers would be very welcome.

Exactly what kind of mascots did you have in mind – a live bear, a lion or what?

Oh, I don’t know – maybe we’d better wait to see what offers are forthcoming – what say?

I suppose.

But what do the girls do all day, Margaret?

Well for the past little while they have been taking advantage of all the sun – but that’s because it is still a rather wonderful feeling to be able to sit and do nothing. The playground supervisors have got some wonderful things in mind for us though. Any girl who hasn’t been around yet to the playground is missing a lot of fun.

Well, I guess PMQs are pretty well fixed for the summer – but let’s hear what goes on at the Trailer Park playground.

To tell us about Trailer Camps playground we have Mary Anne Reynolds and David Harrison.

I guess we are rather lucky because the last couple of days the band have been practicing on our playground, and it’s a lot of fun to watch them. They are in a competition this weekend at one of the other Wings, and I bet they will do rather well too.

How they carry those drums around I just don’t know – and they march with them too. I tried one of the trumpets the other day – you sure have to have a lot of wind to make any noise.

Well, you don’t seem to be lacking the wind because you certainly make enough noise, David Harrison!

Now you listen here ……..

Hum hem (cough)

No, this is no place for arguing. At the Trailer Camp there wasn’t as many kids as there are at the PMQs so we haven’t got the teams that Bill Gordon was talking about. We’re hoping to get something going soon though. It would be rather fun.

And I like Margaret Mosher’s suggestion of getting a girl’s team started. Maybe some of us aren’t really very good yet, but we can learn! And we could do with a bat-girl and a mascot as well. Maybe by next week we will have something to report on it.

But in the meantime, we seem to have enough to keep us going. The other day, we all brought a cake of soap and a knife to the playground and carved out various things. It’s hard to do because the soap keeps cracking. Paul Freeman carved a model of a sports car – if we have a hobby show I hope he enters it. It was really swell. And out of the whole group, there was not one cut finger!

And now we are making puppets out of paper mache. It’s a lot of fun too. We started them on Tuesday. They don’t take too long, but they have to dry before you can paint faces on them.

In the mornings some of us go to the Rec. Hall and help get the right kids into the right swimming class. We run messages out to the playground when the next class should go in and change.

Now that brings up a very interesting subject. The swimming classes. Pat Smith is trying her Intermediate Test this summer. She’s really almost ready to try her Senior, but the age limit was raised this year to 13, and as she is only 12, she’ll have to wait for another year. Pat, will you tell us something about what is going on at the pool every morning, please?

Well, there are about 125 children registered for July, and that runs from the earliest beginners to the Senior Class. The Intermediates and Seniors come in from PMQs on the early bus for their class at 9 – the others take the special bus at 9. While some of the children are having their classes, the rest go out to the Playground for games and things. When it is time for their class, people like David Harrison – the messengers – go out and tell the next class to come in and get ready. Tomorrow, some of the children are trying their Beginner’s test, but the rest of us have to wait until the end of July for our test. I think that the awards are going to be given out at a Weiner roast or something.

Pat, I understand that there are some people called Junior Lifeguards. What exactly is that?

Well Jerry, in the afternoons anyone who has a green or a silver tag are allowed to go in and swim in the pool. And there just aren’t enough life guards to watch that many kids. The Junior Lifeguards stand at the shallow end of the pool and watch the ones who can’t swim too well.

What do you mean, watch them?

Well, we see there is no ducking and pushing – and if someone is being particularly objectionable, we tell the Senior Lifeguard. We also watch to see that no one without a green or silver tag gets into the pool.

What do the green and silver tags stand for?

Well, the green tag means that the water at the shallowest end is not over the kids head, and the silver tag means that he can swim one length of the pool, and is allowed in the deep end.

Doesn’t that mean then, that a lot of kids can’t go into the pool in the afternoons? That doesn’t seem fair, somehow.

It is so fair. If a Mother or Father wants to take their kids into the pool, then that’s different. But when there are so many children in the water, it just isn’t safe to have the little ones there.

Well, then, a parent can take the younger ones in?

Oh yes, and the kids then wear a red tag. But no one is allowed in the pool without a tag of some kind or another.

Do you like your job of Junior Lifeguard? How often do you do it?

I think it is a terrific idea. We only do it for about an hour or so at a time, and then we can get in and swim and have fun. But while we are on duty, so that the other kids know what we are doing we wear a Tee-shirt with lifeguard written on it. And when we get more people for the Junior Lifeguard Club we will probably only help out about two days a week.

I guess you rather like the water, don’t you, Pat?

I guess so, and it is rather fun to be working toward something, like the Red Cross tests. And for fun, I’ve joined the Synchronized Swimming group on Wednesdays at 5:30. It’s only for girls, and we swim and do tricks and things to music. So – the boys have their baseball but we’ve got synchronized swimming.

Can any girl join this class?

Hum. As long as she can swim well enough. The classes are from 5.30 – 6.30 on Wednesdays. And there’s a swimming class for women and the teenagers helping out on the Playgrounds at 5.30 on Tuesday and Life Saving at 6.30. So I guess we’re really using the pool.

Well, thank you Pat Smith, for telling us about the Swimming programme – and we shall be meeting the Junior Lifeguards at the GT pool. And now, we hear from David Lawton, who has a rather special announcement about the Pony League.

You know we have a team that’s pretty good. Only last Saturday when the Pony League visited Verdun, they walked off with the honours by bringing in a score of 11-7. Good for our team! But you know, a team needs supporters, and the Pony League would be rather pleased if you could get around to watch them play. There are always people around for their Home games, but it can get a bit lonely on the out of town trips. Their next game is at Etaine on Friday. It’s only about an hour and a half drive from GT, and the roads are good. It would be a mighty fine thing if you kids could encourage your parents to fill up the car and go for a drive on Friday afternoon. The game starts at 2.30, so there’s no rush. The team always seem to have a certain amount of difficulty in getting transportation, and it would show them how much we admire them, and what they are doing if we could have a few people on the cheering side. Let’s see what we can do, kids – eh?

Thanks David and let us hope that a big crowd will be there. And before closing, we have a few other announcements:

(Happy Birthday music)

Happy birthday to Bonnie McKenzie who is 10 today, and to Richard Gordon who will be 6 next Wednesday.

We hope that Mary Ann Reynolds enjoys her three week trip to Spain, and that David Lawton gets to see the Queen when he is in England for the next two weeks. Barbara and Judy Easton have just left for a week in Garmische.

(music)

This programme has been first in a series "The Small Fry Take Over". Listen again next Thursday at 6 o’clock to hear what is going on amongst the younger inhabitants of GT. We want to hear from YOU, because this is your programme. Any news of birthdays, trips and holidays should be given to your Playground Supervisor before Monday so it can be included in the next broadcast of SMALL FRY TAKE OVER. And don’t forget to let us know your favourite fairy tale.

Taking part in tonight’s programme were William Gordon and Margaret Mosher, speaking to you from PMQs, Mary Anne Reynolds and David Harrison from the Trailer Camp, Pat Smith reporting from the Swimming Pool, and your Sports Announcer David Lawton. Your announcer is Jerry Jenkins. This program was produced and directed by Miss Charlotte Keens, and brought to you through the courtesy and the kind assistance of the technical staff of CFGT.