Our photograph here shows Stuart Strong, Manager of Volks Electric Railway presenting Assistant Manager Barry Fuller, with ‘The Big Difference Award’ from Brighton City Council. The award is presented to individuals who are acknowledged as having made particularly significant contributions in their particular field.
When asked why he thought he had received this accolade, Barry said,”The award has made me look back and see why I received it and the conclusion I come to is that without the good teamwork from the staff, management and volunteers we have at the Volks railway I would not have the enthusiasm I have to find new ways of doing things. The main differences I feel that I have made are, to push for the railway to do their own track work with the use of new practices, build on the work of volunteers; build on the promotion of school visits, the liaison with the Heritage Railway Association and an enthusiasm to problem solve in a challenging environment.”
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Well done, Barry! My grandmother’s family had very strong links with Volk’s Railway. Her father, James Barker, was chief engineer in the early 1900s, and her brother Thomas was a driver at around the same time. In fact, he was driving when a little boy was killed on the line in 1912. I have copies of the inquest documents which include statements by Magnus Volk himself. It was a tragic accident, and my great-uncle was cleared of blame, but it was very sad nonetheless.
Correction to my post above! I meant to say Henry Barker (the driver).
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