Parent quest

In search of a childhood lost - Bob Stephens

Inside Out follows Bob Stephens on an emotional search for his father - a quest that starts in rural Australia and ends with a mysterious death on a Dorset roadside.

Bob was one of thousands of unwanted children who were sent to Australia for new lives in the 1950's.

He was brought up at the Fairbridge Farm School in New South Wales from the age of seven.

But unlike many of his classmates at the orphanage, he still had parents living in England.

Bob's mother died before he had the chance to see her again and he never knew the name of his father.

Fairbridge Farm School where Bob was brought up

When he asked for information about his dad, he was told that the Fairbridge Society didn't have any details in their records.

But decades later, Bob finally got to see his file and discovered that it had contained his father's name, John Harris, all along.

"It was one of the worst days of my life when I was given these files," Bob tells the programme.

"When I opened them the first thing that came out was my application. In that application, written in black ink by my mother's hand, was the name of my father.

"It was in the sixties that I had asked them and they had denied having the knowledge. So here we are years later with the information in front of me, that I could have had in 1964."

In the programme, Bob travels to Dorset to find the John Harris that he believes may have been his father.

Family photo - a rare shot of Bob with his mother

Unfortunately, he arrives too late. John Harris had been found dead on the roadside near Christchurch a year earlier.

The coroner doesn't know how he died, because his body was already a skeleton when it was discovered.

Bob discovers that John Harris has spent his final years sleeping rough in an underpass near Bournemouth train station.

"It's tragic to think that we have come this far only to miss out by 12 months or so," he says.

"Had they told us the information they had in 1964, I would have been much happier. But more importantly, we might have found my father and he wouldn't have led the tragic life he did, ending up a skeleton on the side of the road."

Links relating to this story:

• BBC Hampshire - Video Nation
  
• Missing Persons
  
• British Association for Adoption and Fostering
• Salvation Army

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Squirrel controversy

Grey versus red - not everyone loves grey squirrels

Inside Out presenter Chris Packham visits a secret squirrel sanctuary in Hampshire where the owner admits he is breaking the law.

Lindsey Maguire looks after injured grey squirrels, nurses them back to health and then releases them back into the wild.

But setting them free is illegal, as grey squirrels are officially classed as vermin in this country.

This means that they get put to sleep if they are taken to conventional rescue centres.

Squirrel sanctuary

Squirrel Man - champion of the grey

Lindsey keeps the address of his sanctuary a secret, as he gets hate mail from opponents.

He says that people misunderstand the work of his refuge.

"These people seem to think that we breed grey squirrels in great numbers and take them to where red squirrels live and let them out," he says.

"We basically find people who are very sympathetic who have gardens or woodland, where they will be safe and where they will have no impact on forestry, farming or any other kind of wildlife."

Grey versus red squirrels

The first grey squirrels were brought to Britain from America in 1876.

They spread rapidly across the country and quickly displaced our native red squirrels from most of the mainland.

Experts are not certain why grey squirrels have gained so much territory.

Red Squirrel - under attack by the non-native grey

But they are bigger and stronger, and some believe the greys may have passed on a deadly virus to the reds.

Attempts have been made to cull the grey population in the past, but conservationists now believe we will never wipe out our non-native squirrels.

The only surviving red squirrel colonies in the south are on the Isle of Wight and on the islands in Poole Harbour.

Locals are so concerned about their survival that they regularly check their squirrel boxes for any sign of those dreaded grey hairs.

White squirrel - a rare sighting in Hampshire

On the island, motorists are encouraged to watch out for the reds crossing the road, but the biggest threat to the population would be greys crossing the water.

There are now thought to be about 2,000 red squirrels on the island.

Back on the mainland Inside Out came across a squirrel perfectly adapted for the cold winter - an albino grey squirrel in a Hampshire garden.

Links relating to this story:

• BBC Hands on Nature
• BBC Science and Nature
• RSPCA
• Squirrels Info

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites

Red Hat Society

Enjoying their retirement - the Red Hat Society

Actress Lesley Joseph learns the art of growing old disgracefully at a Red Hat convention on the Isle of Wight.

The Red Hat Society was set up to encourage older women to put some fun and style back into their lives.

It was inspired by a poem called Warning by Jenny Joseph, which urged older ladies to ditch their sensible clothes and to start wearing purple with a red hat.

There are now more than a million red hatters around the world, even though the poet hasn't embraced the society.

Former lifeguard Olive Saunders helped set up the Isle of Wight chapter after hearing about the organisation's activities in America.

"We were the seventh chapter in England and now there are 46 chapters," she says.

"It gives me a fabulous time. You don't normally go out on your own, so it's lovely for the whole group of ladies."
Olive Saunders

New sisterhood

Where did you get that hat? Lesley Joseph tries a red hat for size

Former Birds of a Feather star Lesley Joseph joins the group in Sandown as they prepare to host a national convention.

Lesley has no qualms about joining in the outrageous behaviour:

"How could I resist? It's a group with no rules - all you have to do is have fun and of course get dressed up."

Day or night, rain or shine - you can't help but be bowled over by the colour of these ladies.

Watch out everyone - it's Sandown today but it could be a town near you tomorrow!

Links relating to this story:

• Red Hat Society
• Red Hat Society Meet Up
• BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites