Reprinted from The Packet, August 6, 2009
by Gavin Simms
A fishing stage becomes a museum in Southport
(click on photos to enlarge)
It all started with driftwood.
Alvin Lambert often combs along the beaches of Southport. Over the years he’s come across many peculiar sticks of wood; one shaped like a swan, another like an octopus – according to your own imagination.
He’s also stumbled upon numerous antiques just sitting, waiting to be valued; old fishing gear and tools from back in the day.
Naturally, he began a collection. He stored the little treasures in his shed down by the water, until eventually the place began to fill.
It became obvious to the retired fisherman he had to make some sort of museum out of it, in time for the Southport reunion.
So he set up temporary shop in his shed.
“It was rush job. It’s officially opened now. I’m doing this just to test the water, to see what the response is. If it works out then I’ll look at another location.”
He touts it as the most humorous museum on the island. He’s written funny poems and posted them to the walls. And for each old item there’s a story he can tell.
He’s had one visitor who said he should be a poet. It’s something Alvin always knew he had in him.
“I knew 25 years ago I could write sons, but I didn’t know until I started this that I could make up a poem about just about anything.”
In just the past few weeks, he’s had several antiques donated to the museum by Southport locals. Come next year he should have enough to fill a house.
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Transcribed by Wanda Garrett, September 2019
These transcriptions may contain human errors. As always, confirm these as you would any other source material.