Marlow record club inspires novel (From Bucks Free Press)

Marlow record club inspires novel

12:42pm Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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A RECORD club formed by a group of friends from Marlow in the 1950s is the inspiration behind a new novel.

In The Mereleigh Record Club Tour of New Zealand, written by former Marlow resident Roy Vaughan, 67, a reunion trip of the bunch of 60 somethings takes an unexpected and unwanted turn.

The group become caught up in the middle of a dangerous international drug smuggling gang's operation.

Friendships are tested and lives are threatened in the thriller – the first of a trilogy.

The idea was prompted by Roy's return to Marlow 18 months ago when he met his old friends who used to run a record club on Friday evenings from 1957 to 1964.

The music loving pals would listen to hits of the day by artists such as Elvis, Rick Nelson, The Shadows and The Rolling Stones.

A group trip to New Zealand was organised at the gathering but due to the recession the plan fell apart.

Roy, a former New Zealand Herald journalist, decided if the holiday could not actually take place, he would conjure it in his mind.

Former Merchant Navy deck officer Roy, who left Marlow for New Zealand, aged 22, said:“I think initially it was a great feeling to see all all the old friends again from so many years ago and a great expectation that they would come to New Zealand.

“But when it became impossible the next best thing is to write about it and the story just flowed, it was easy to write.”

Roy, who runs his own travel company, said he still hopes the reunion can happen one day.

“The thing is after all this time are still buddies, we still get on,” he said.

But he hopes, if it does go ahead, it will be less eventful and troublesome than for the characters in his book.

Members of the original Marlow Record Club were: Jacqui and Ken Mott, Roger and Jane Bond, Roger Byrne, Jackie Savage, Jan Caddie, Micky and Maureen Conway, Ian Conway, Terry and Jenny Pox, Clive and Linda Meadows, Peter and Linda Osborne, Alastair and Barbara Worrall, Susan Manning, Alison Randon, Mckenzie Reid and Maureen Mckeown.