THE GREAT HIGH BOARD DIVER PERRY BLAKE
Perry Blake and me Daniel Burnip at George Baines Water Follies Great Yarmouth 1959
George Baines Water Follies Great Yarmouth-Article from Eastern Evening News 1959- Interview Perry Blake.
By Daniel Burnip
Newspaper article from Rita Stone aqua belle collection featuring Perry Blake at George Baines Water Follies 1959.
As written in the Eastern Evening News. August Friday 28th interview with High Board Diver Perry Blake.
Terrified once...now dives from 70ft without a qualm.
Twice daily Perry Blake, high diving star of the George Baines Aqua Show, climbs up a 70ft tower and plunges nonchalantly into six feet of water in Yarmouth swimming pool and surfaces to the accompaniment of enthusiastic applause from a thrilled and relieved audience. But Perry has done it so often now that he feels neither concern for a dive or relief afterwards. But he remembers vividly his first high dive...It Was at Morecambe in 1952.He dived from 85ft with no audience at all and he was terrified every inch of the way-up and down! Until he joined the George Baines Aqua Show. Perry had never dived from more than 30ft.When I signed up with George Baines I asked him what he wanted me to do and he said normal dives from 30ft and one from a tower a bit higher, he recalls. LONG DROP' I didn't see the tower until the night before I dived from it, I went to the pictures with some of the others in the show, and when I came out onto Morecambe sea front there it was."I was terrified just looking at it. I sat and had a cup of tea and gazed up at it. I couldn't take my eyes off it" Next morning I got up early and went to have a look at it. I thought " well I've got to have a go , so with nobody about I went into the pool , climbed up and dived. It was quite a good dive too. Eighty-Five feet is the highest Perry has dived from. That was into 15ft of water . At Yarmouth because of the position of the tower, he dives into only six foot, which means the tower cannot be higher than 70ft. Perry began diving when he was 12 and turned professional when he was 19 after becoming the R.A.F diving champion during his National Service. He worked in two aqua shows one of them on the stage before signing up as a high diver with George Baines. Until he did that he had no intentions of becoming a high diver. Now his ambition is to dive higher much higher than 85 feet and he would dearly love to take part in the world high diving championships in America. Diving in that competition is from as high as 130 feet, and Perry is sure he could do it better than the Americans." I've seen the films of the championships," he says. I know I can do better than that." Perry who ways 17 stone prides himself on diving well." I try to make every dive perfect ," he says " Its not just a matter of hurling myself from a great height like some other high divers." What would happen if he made a mistake? I'd rather not think about it." he admits." But my insurance is pretty heavy ."
I hope you enjoyed reading this article on Perry Blake I found this cutting amongst my mums Aqua show photos and thought it would be of interest to many of you who had known or new of The Great Perry Blake.
I hope to add more photos of Perry Blake to this page soon, if you have any photos or articles on Perry you would like me to include on my Perry Blake page I will gladly include them.
I have recently set up a Just Giving page in Memory of My mum Rita Stone who met my dad at one of the George Baines aqua shows in Great Yarmouth in the 50s, in aid of The Born Free Foundation, if those of you who remember Rita would like to donate you can do so by visiting Just Giving page add Rita Burnip all donations are safe and secure, you can also donate by texting 70070 FUCR72.All donations very much appreciated. Comments can be left along with your donation if you choose.
Many Thanks for your interest.
Kind Regards.
Daniel Burnip.
Please note all photos are copyrighted and by no means should be copied.