Some of the real pearls in Oystertown.net are the first hand memories of those who lived in Whitstable. These are more acute in those that moved away as they are more easily able to sub-divide their thoughts to the time they lived here.

People are often reticent to put these thoughts to paper but it is so important for the town and one's descendants to make the effort. Imagine tracing your family history, discovering people you never knew of before. Think of the awe if you found a picture of a great grandparent. Then think how it would feel to read something they had actually written about their life.

Few of us are this fortunate but maybe we can do better for the next generations and that is what this section of Oystertown is all about.

We want your memories of life in the town when you were younger. It doesn't matter what age you are now because the wider the age range the better we can together 'paint the picture' of the town and its people. Even if you haven't lived here but visited to see the place your ancestors came from then we want to know what you thought and felt whilst you were here.

We shall be collecting memories from as many sources as we can. Some examples could be:

• Worldwide on our Whitstable Memories Forum.
• From handwritten letters.
• By tape recordings at events or exhibitions.
• By talking to as many Natives as possible and taking notes.

Some may be long, whilst others just one-liners. Hopefully many will include family names and Whitstable characters. Something as seemingly insignifcant as mentioning a shop-keeper could strike a chord with a reader who could then add to the topic. The world really is your oyster!

We haven't got the foggiest idea! We probably won't even try, just present them all together like a massive feather eiderdown that you can just sink into with self indulgent nostalgia.

That's the idea. Now we just have to start collecting them, so here's a couple of pages to start you off and to see if they give you any ideas.

1959 - The Go-cart.	All our mates had go-carts and then Dad built one for us. It was the best one in Whitstable but it mysteriously left town one dark night as it embarked on a life of crime - never to return.
One Liners.	Words and sayings you seldom hear anymore but bring back evocative memories of those days and places.