Retford Ladies Probus Club’s first meeting in the New Year saw a depleted membership, with 13 ladies apologising for their absence. Let’s hope that February brings renewed vigour and the confidence to embrace communal gatherings once more.
The meeting featured Dr Paul Whittaker OBE, organist, pianist, writer, Oxford graduate, and motivational speaker. He is also profoundly deaf from birth.
Paul’s life began in Huddersfield in 1964. He was initially thought to be stillborn but he both survived and thrived, somehow developing an awareness of music at an early age. Paul laces his story with humour, recalling that his mother’s efforts to procure piano lessons at first failed, due to her focusing on the negatives of teaching music to a deaf child, usually resulting with the phone going dead at the other end!
His determination also landed him a place at Wadham College, Oxford, after previously being turned down at 12 other universities, mainly due to cost. From then on he decided he wanted to help other deaf people to enjoy music too so he took the path of making videos and signing catalogues of songs, examples of which can be seen on YouTube.
In 1998 he founded ‘Music and the Deaf’, a charity to help deaf people enjoy music, and he ran it for 27 years. In 1992 he began giving signed theatre performances for many West End shows, working with famous names in musical theatre. He has also worked with classical companies such as Opera North and Aldeburgh Festivals. It was beautiful and moving to watch him shaping Any Dream Will Do, his lips perfectly synchronised with the music. Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds was our introduction to signing, an ideal song with its numerous repetitions for us to learn. Paul was ably assisted by a friend during question time, although he was deaf too! It was an inspiring talk. The fact this sometimes derided and ignored affliction is now being given prominence is long overdue. People like Paul and Rose Ayling-Ellis are becoming role models and people are finally ‘lending an ear’.
The Club’s next meeting is on Wednesday 9th February at Westhill Community Centre, Ordsall, at 10.00am for 10.30am. Patsy Rayner will be talking about ‘Images of Japan’. This is a well-ventilated room and all are welcome.