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Comber
Rec' (Recreational Football Club) was formed around 50 years ago
between the area once known as the 'council dump' to the east, the old
'market house' to the west, and the 'upper distillery' to the north. The
land for the football club originally beionged to Lord and lady Bury, and was presented to 'the people of Comber' with a 999 year lease for recrational use. Early trustees were Mr Norman Nevin (schoolteacher and local Army Cadet commander), Mr Cameron (principal of Comber Primary School), Sir John Andrews (dep. Prime Minister for N.1.) and Rev. McKean and Rev. Jones (local church ministers). Originally a corrugated iron building was erected as a changing room for the club. I remember as a child playing at the dump which reached accross to the Enler River, and hunting for big pram wheels and wood to build 'guiders' or racing carts! An old tramp by the name of Willie Lundy lived on the dump in an old wooden shack, and survived on money from collecting car batteries, old copper, and jam jars etc. when the bin lorries arrived with 'fresh' deliveries! When the dump expired, the ground was left for some years to settle, before being levelled into the present playing fields. The market house was built around 1850, where all manner of commodfties were sold including livestock on certain market days. Around 1920 when no longer required, the distillery acquired it and used it as a joiner's shop and stores. |
