THURROCK’S DEFINITELY GOT IT!

Britain’s got Talent – like it or loath it, you can’t ignore it! But did you notice this year how many of the acts came from Essex and, more particularly, from Thurrock? Say what you like about our borough, it has many highly talented and powerfully motivated people. We can learn a lot from Russell, Stacy and Rylan and not just fashion tips!

Thurrock is a unique and exciting place with many challenges for its residents with a massive port development in the west and a rapidly changing socio-economic culture in the east. From Purfleet to Fobbing and Orsett to Tilbury, the name of the game is Diversity. There you are … yet more talent show stars!

Yet it is our very diversity that brings our most fundamental challenge – we need to embrace not only changing culture but the difference that is at the very heart of our local scene. Our different races, creeds and values are what make our local borough so exciting.

Walking through Grays town centre the other day, I couldn’t fail to see the different shades of skin and hues and style of garment and hear the different languages being spoken. Some people would stir up suspicion and promote fear of difference. Some would even cause us to retreat into our ghettoes of ignorance and intolerance but we dare not let that happen.

In this small but beautiful South Essex region, we have a real opportunity to make a lasting difference and set a stirring example. You don’t have to be a singer or dancer or comedian or even a vicar … you just need to care.

I believe Thurrock’s got talent; bags of it. We have the stars – you’re one of them – let’s make sure they shine!

 

 

What Couldn't be Done

Many years ago an old friend of mine wrote a song about me. The words went something like John A K Guest, we love John A K Guest … first you’ll say “no”, then he’ll have a go, then you’ll say “yes”. I may have lost some hair, gained a few wrinkles and several pounds but in at least one respect I haven’t changed: I still don’t like to give up!

 

Strangely enough, a namesake of mine wrote a poem about not giving up and having a go at something others said couldn’t be done. Eddie Guest was born in Birmingham on 20th August 1881 and later moved to Detroit, Michigan where he made his name as “The People’s Poet” writing over 11,000 poems in newspapers and books and in hosting a weekly radio show. He was later made Michigan’s poet laureate and he wrote the following verse.

 

It Couldn’t Be Done by Edgar Albert Guest

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done but he with a chuckle replied

That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin on his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing that couldn’t be done, and he did it!

 

Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that; at least no one ever has done it;”

But he took off his coat and he took off his hat and the first thing we knew he’d begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin, without any doubting or quiddit,

He started to sing as he tackled the thing that couldn’t be done, and he did it.

 

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done, there are thousands to prophesy failure,

There are thousands to point out to you one by one, the dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin, just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing that “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.

 

In this life there is very little that really couldn’t be done and, in any case, you won’t know till you try. So let’s run this race with perseverance!