A decades-old tradition dating back to the 1940s is alive and kicking in the Austerlands area of Saddleworth as it announces a new honorary Mayor.
Susan Smith was appointed the new Mayor of Austerlands during a special ceremony at the Three Crows Inn in Scouthead on March 27.
Though born in St Helens in 1956, Susan has lived in Higher Springhead for more than 40 years after she moved out of Liverpool to Oldham in the mid-1970s to take up employment with the Civil Service at Manchester and Oldham County Courts for seven years.
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With young children, Susan then took on some part-time jobs, including processing and cataloguing finds from the Roman Forts at Castleshaw, followed by casual work at the Oldham Museum and Art Gallery and various roles in the borough's libraries.
In 1993, Susan gained a permanent post at Oldham Local Studies and Archives where she worked for almost three decades before retiring in 2023.
Since retiring, Susan is "busier than ever" as she sings with the Oldham Choral Society, sits on the committee of the Friends of Castleshaw Roman Forts and is a member of the Saddleworth Historical Society and also the Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society.
She is also a member of the congregation and CAFOD group of St. Edwards, Lees.
Susan then became the civic head of Oldham's smallest municipality as the retiring mayor, Stuart Cook, passed on the silver clog iron in its ceremonial chain.
Though estimated to have started in the late 1940s or early 1950s, the title has had some dormant periods over the years, most notably between 1982 and 1998.
It wasn't until Ben Lees "discovered" the clog iron at the former Red Lion pub on Huddersfield Road in the late 1990s and reintroduced the title, where the landlord, Barrie Robinson, was crowned the Mayor.
Clogs are associated with the textile workers of Lancashire and Yorkshire, with the inspiration for ‘clog dancing’ said to have been derived from the noise made by clog wearers on cobblestone setts.
The skilful toe-and-heel tapping of the clog irons to make sound patterns of varying rhythm and volume is a tradition that could be said to be closely aligned with brass band music.
So, the tradition was born in 1999 to take place before the annual Whit Friday brass band contest with the new Mayor tasked to lead the first band on Dawson's Field which, this year, takes place on May 24.
It means Susan is now the 22nd Mayor of Austerlands and is the fifth woman to hold the title.
The formal proceedings were conducted by ex-mayor Roger Fielding, complete with red tailcoat and white bow tie, and was attended by previous Austerlands mayors who wore miniature clog-irons that were given to them on their retirement.
On receiving the invitation to be mayor Susan said: “I am most honoured and feel privileged to be asked and, not to say, a little surprised.
"But I am proud to be one of a select number following a tradition first established in the 1940/50s with George Corbett.”
As part of the proceedings, Susan also became an Honorary Yorkshire Lass, when she received a white rose emblem infinity scarf presented on behalf of Saddleworth’s White Rose Society.
If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.
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