Every town and village has its
characters – the people that have been
integral to the heart and history of
wherever it may be.
A Carterton Character is a series of
pieces focusing on the experiences of
a resident.
Sam Bennett visits car mechanic,
musician and rally driver Alan
Cartwright, son of the late Robin
Cartwright – a Prudential Insurance
agent eccentric to the extreme…
Alan Cartwright’s Black Bourton home
is the old school, den building, tree
climbing, sociable music lover’s ideal
environment. In a field behind the main
house is an old lorry that serves as a
stage for bands to play on, during an
event Alan holds every year attracting
200 people. A space opposite the stage
is where a huge bonfire is lit, each time
5th November swings round – a night
that sees the whole neighbourhood
flock to the Cartwright’s.
After taking this in, Alan and I
wandered through another of his
fields, and as we did so Harry the
labradoodle engaged in an unforgiving
game of chase with the pet turkey.
Then Alan placed down Bert the duck,
who had been perching on his arm,
and we exited the field.
And there we were at one of his
garages, bursting with cars he has
acquired over time. One he has done
up as a New York Police Department
vehicle and another was Carterton’s
first taxi – understandably weather-
beaten.
Next door
is a music
room
complete
with a
coffin
coffee
table
and piano
topped with
multiple
empty bottles of
Jack Daniel’s.
Everywhere you look there is
something that resonates, be it a
hearse or table made from a car
bonnet. I was somewhere eccentric…
fitting really, as eccentricity was a key
theme throughout our interview as we
talked about his family, with particular
focus on his partying, insurance-
selling father.
Alan’s great grandfather, Bill Meyson,
was one of the first settlers in
Carterton. Blinded in World War One,
he arrived in the area following a spell
at St Dunstan’s, Brighton where he
was taught how
to live day-to-
day with his
blindness.
He was
able to
walk
all
over
the
A Carterton Character
Robin Cartwright
Alan’s great grandfather
Bill Meyson stands behind Robin
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