A MEMBER of sporting royalty once paid a visit to John Rabsons Recreation Ground, Northumberland Avenue.
On July 8, 1978, boxing legend Sir Henry Cooper opened the Grand Summer Fete, hosted by the South Reading Community Association.
Pictures from the programme that day were posted on the Whitley Community Museum’s Facebook site, which sparked many residents’ memories.
Graham Denton remembered the event well, having set up a mobile disco attraction.
He said: “I met Henry Cooper and his brother as they walked by on the day. I shook hands with Henry and asked: ‘Did you hit Cassius Marcellus Clay with that hand?’ Henry said yes.”
Sir Henry Cooper was one of the most renowned British heavyweight boxers of all-time.
He is best remembered for his 1963 showdown with a young Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay.
The programme listed the various activities taking place, which included performances from the Kennet Morris Men and Aldershot Town Band, a Scottish Dancing display and a raffle conducted by Dr Gerrard Vaughan, MP.
The advertisements on the back of the programme also provoked interest, with some residents sharing fond memories of taking their bikes for repairs at Smith’s Cycles on Whitley Wood Lane.
Others remembered shopping at Wickens General Store on Basingstoke Road.
With over 4,600 followers on Facebook, the Whitley Community Museum is an accessible online and in-person resource.
The group serves as a platform for residents past and present to share memories through photographs and comments.
It also allows group members to reconnect, with members reacquainting themselves with friends and schoolmates from decades ago.
The museum held a Whitley Way Back When event at the Community Cafe on Northumberland Avenue earlier this year to showcase its photographs and exhibits in-person.
