JANE LANG TRIBUTE ❤️🐑🙏
Didn’t realise until now Jane born same year as my sister: 1930
Last time visited her idyllic cottage was July 2011. In Somerset for Robert Mina marriage - 14 years ago. Stayed with Mike Utta.
Hold equally yoked Jane and Anthony in highest regard. First met 1968 in Curry Rivel to buy elvers from Anthony to live export to Tokyo via Heathrow, Moscow. Many challenges… Steep learning curves until used polystyrene boxes
Led to the Langs by Martin Nowell. Together at Wye College. Martin did year practical farm work at Home Farm before Wye. In 1964 lived in ‘Shep’ Bill all weather lambing hut on wheels. ‘Shep’ and Ern used to catch bucket fulls of elvers to feed to ducks 🦆
In time, Martin flew ✈️ Jane and Anthony to New Zealand to meet up with many..
Elvers started up February 1968. Then Mike joined. Then Brown & Forrest came into being.
Without Martin true to say … Clouds Farm … School House, Long Sutton … Thorney unlikely to have happened … would not have carried out research into eel capture, culture, processing, marketing in Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand.
Our Father God ♥️ Creator works in mysterious ways…
So many warm memories …
… Henry [Millfield - Anabelle], Sarah, Richard [Sarah - Bowdens]….
Dorset Down “king of the prime lamb breeds” export to France … wool washed, cleaned, blow dried in Home Farm old large shed ready to show at Bath and West …
Many times ‘chewed the cud’ around kitchen table. After each night elvering in morning while ‘chewed’ with Anthony, Jane made us eggs, bacon on Aga, then toast, marmalade. She washed, dried our sodden River Parrett muddy clothes …
Certainly tested Jane’s patience to the utmost limit many times but normal farming year chat: weather, cereals, sheep, what best to do …
Mike and I slept downstairs on hard floor at Home Farm. We didn’t have enough £££ to afford Bell 🛎️ Inn B&B.
Several times got close to being asked to leave. Outstayed their kindness, generosity, mixed with
David Forrest
15/06/2025
