Exhibition offers snapshot of Wem and its residents in the 1980s - and its first female mayor's year in office
An exhibition and talk will offer a snapshot of 1980s life in Wem - through the eyes of longstanding former Councillor Pauline Dee.
Pauline, who is 84, represented the town for 40 years, first joining the town council back in 1981 when there was a vacancy.
Wem Town Hall is now hosting an exhibition focused on Pauline's 1985/86 mayoral year, featuring the people she met during her term as the town's first ever female mayor.
As well as the free exhibition, which features more than 50 photographs and is on show at the town hall until October 30, the venue will also be holding a special event this Friday (September 12) evening.
The event, which starts at 7pm, will give people a chance to view the exhibition, before a big screen showing, including photos, funny moments and memorabilia of hundreds of Wemians in some key moments before, during, and following Pauline’s 1985/86 mayoral year.
Titled '400 Wemians 40 Years Ago' it will include photos from 1977’s Great Fire of Wem Tercentenary Exhibition, organised by Pauline's husband, Terry Dee.
The evening will be hosted by Pauline's son, Julian, who said: “We hope this will be only one of many opportunities to celebrate the contributions of so many ‘Women of Wem’ and men from before and after the turn of the century."
A small number of tickets are still available and can be booked through the town hall website.
Pauline said the 1985/86 term was a "wonderful year of my life and you really felt the whole town came together", and said she had been persuaded to put her collection of photos on show by Julian.
She said: "I was the first female mayor in Wem and this is 40 years ago - can you believe it? - and I was the only woman on Wem Town Council with 11 men for several years.
"So people have said they always wanted to see these photographs, which I have got in this big album, which I was very kindly donated by the local press, so my son persuaded me to let them be shown."
A number of the items have come from the collection of journalist John Dromgool, who worked for the North Shropshire Journal, the Shrewsbury Chronicle and the Whitchurch Herald.
Mr Dromgool ran a press office in Wem and dedicated his life to the town, reporting on the area for decades.
