My life on Canvey 1948 to 1970 by Eddie Terry
CANVEY AS I REMEMBER IT - EPISODE Eight

"One thing I must stress is that during the Fifties even with all of the different groups of youths on the Island, and groups of Londoners coming down on holidays there was never any violence such as knives, kicking's or assaults, no graffiti or car stealing everybody enjoyed themselves and made their own recreation, maybe upsetting and annoying the then older residents but never resorting to viciousness, something which seems to be the in thing with the present day youngsters who after giving someone a kicking blame the government because they have nothing to do or nowhere to go!"

"There was always something to do on Canvey then, we used to go cockling, lay out a deadline which involved digging up the rag worms usually around the old wooden pier supports at the end of May Avenue, laying out the line as the tide came in then going back as the tide went out to collect your fish, we also made a quid out of it as we sold some of the catch to a builder Mr. Green and his wife who lived just off May Avenue. One of the lads who used to do a lot of fishing was called Lennie Carver
Also eeling in the small creek that ran through what is now Kismet Park I don't think I was ever bored nor had nothing to do in those days."

"I do not know how much green open space there is now on the Island but back in those days my father, brother and myself used to go collecting mushrooms in the fields down Northwick Road, also my father bought himself some ferrets and we would spend many a happy hour chasing the rabbits that had escaped the nets.
Often in the summer our mum would take us kids to Benfleet by bus, we would then walk over the railway crossing opposite the Ferry Tea Rooms turn right and walk to Hadleigh Castle collecting blackberries on the way and then when we got home a lovely blackberry and apple pie was cooked
We used to do some silly thing such as - outside of Grooms second-hand shop which was situated opposite Holmes hardware shop stood a large tractor tyre, so one Saturday evening my mate Harry and I wheeled this huge tyre down the High Street and left it outside Venables the chemist, blocking the front door."

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