What is The Luther Gorf Award?The Luther Gorf Award is given by the HRGS for services to the community's history or heritage. Nominations for the award are made by the local community and voted for by our members and sponsors.
The nominee can be a school, group, individual or business.
If you'd like to nominate someone for the next Luther Gorf Award please click here to print out a nomination form.
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This year's winner, Terry Matson (far right) and the First World War Memorial he restored at Milton Court School.After forty years of the memorial board being taken down and left to deteriorate, the board has been fully restored and is now back in Milton Court school. During the ceremony to reinstall the memorial, the opening speech gave the history of the memorial. It told of the inspiration to learn more about the memorial after learning of a fourteen year old boy who lied about his age to join the army but was killed before he even reached France.
The first hymn sung was All things bright and beautiful and this was followed by the first prayer by the Padre. A naval bugler in full uniform played the Last Post followed by the Reveille.
The restored memorial was unveiled by two of the school children, who removed a white ensign flag, and two descendants of Private Edgar Dutnall who appears on the memorial, who removed a Union Flag. Once unveiled, four wreaths were laid before the memorial whilst children read out the names and laid individual poppies.
The school’s head teacher read Psalm 46, which was read during the very first unveiling of the memorial on the 4th of June, 1921. This was followed by the hymn Valiant Hearts and a brief history of five of those commemorated, their lives and families.
The Lord is my Shepherd was then sung before the Padre’s closing prayers. The ceremony was closed by the children singing their school song. After two hours the children had behaved and carried out their duties in a splendid manner and were a credit to the school.
The final words of the day thanked those who had helped in anyway to commemorate the eighty old boys who gave their lives during the Great War.
- Terry Matson
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This Year's Nominees(L-R)
Peter Morgan
Jonathan Carey
(Alan Abbey)
Luther Gorf
Helen Allison
Terry Matson |
Jonathan CareyJonathan received multiple nominations for his design for the newest building in Sittingbourne High Street. He created a period style structure that compliments well the many current period buildings and has provided the town with an attractive view for many years to come.
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Malcolm MooreNominated for his many years of involvement with the history and heritage of Sittingbourne. Malcolm has been involved with many projects including the Periwinkle Mill, Court Hall and both Swale and Sittingbourne in Bloom competitions. Malcolm has also been very involved with planning issues and ensuring the interests of the town were considered. |
Peter MorganPeter was nominated for his efforts for local history and heritage. Peter was instrumental in setting up the Sittingbourne Heritage Museum, of which he is currently the Chairman, and was involved in the Dolphin Barge Museum too. Peter is also Chairman of the Swale Museums Group.
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Helen AllinsonHelen was nominated for her continuing research and publication of various local histories, including the histories of Bredgar, Borden, the Milton Union Workhouse, Hollingbourne and many others. Helen has become the premier author of local history in north Kent |
Terry MatsonTerry gained his nomination for personally taking responsibility for the rescue, repair, restoration and re-hanging of the Milton Regis memorial to those local men killed during the Great War. Terry has organised the work and fund raising himself. |
Nomination FormIf you'd like to nominate someone for the next Luther Gorf Award please click here to print out a nomination form. |
Who is Luther Gorf?Luther was born in Murston in 1911 but has lived most of his life in Sittingbourne. His father and grandfather were bargemen working the coast and Thames and Medway estuaries whilst his mother came from local farming people but, Luther always wanted to be an actor! On leaving school he worked in the Mill for 13 years until in 1938 he won a scholarship to RADA. With the outbreak of WWII RADA moved to Oxford but since Luther knew he would soon be called up he decided to stay in Sittingbourne with his family until then.
He joined the Royal Navy and served with the DEMS (gunners on Merchant Navy convoy ships) until ill health forced his discharge. Eventually back to work he spent 27 years in the office at Keycol Hospital seeing it through many changes and by then was actively involved in amateur dramatics.
Whilst this became his major interest he was also very keen on photography, art, history, and the countryside. These "other" interests have provided many photographs of now long gone buildings and old corners in Sittingbourne and the surrounding areas. Many of these he turned into paintings so preserving bits of our heritage that might otherwise have been overlooked. But it is his amateur dramatics which covered many years of acting, writing and producing and gave so many people so much pleasure and many happy memories.
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