What do you remember about the early 60s?

Perhaps you were just leaving school and starting out in the big wide world or maybe you had left school at the end of the 50s and already had a few years’ work experience under your belt.

Maybe you attended one of the secondary schools in the Weymouth area at the time, All Saints at Wyke Regis, for example, or maybe the Weymouth Grammar School as it was in those days.

Whatever your schooling background the one thing that must stick in the minds of those so lucky to be around at the time was the music. It was arguably the best music ever.

Remember the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, Searchers, and Hollies to name but a few.

Short names and long names, remember Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky Mick and Titch, they were all plying their trade on the circuit in the UK and around Europe.

Weymouth too had its own groups playing both locally and not so locally at the time: The Modern Trend and The Conquerors to name just two.

The Modern Trend, who were originally formed by friends Christopher Dean (rhythm guitar and vocals), Terry McElwee (bass), Willie Godfrey (drums) and Robert Watling (lead guitar and vocals) were playing at many venues in and around the Weymouth area.

The Sydney Hall (where Asda is now), The Rock Hotel, The Butchers Arms and the Steering Wheel clubs in both Weymouth and Dorchester come to mind as too do the paddle steamer sailings in Weymouth Bay where the Modern Trend would play to audiences while gently sailing across the bay as the sun was going down.

Chris and Willie still both live in Weymouth whilst Terry and Robert both moved to pastures new.

There comes a time in every band’s existence however when individual members want to do things differently and go their own way and this was no exception in the story of The Modern Trend.

The Modern Trend disbanded around 1964/1965 and Willie, with some other musical talent, formed the group Trend 66.

Chris and Terry did their own thing at the time and Robert joined the Conquerors as their new lead guitarist.

The Conquerors disbanded around 1967 and Robert Watling, now known as Bob, left Weymouth and moved to London in search of a career outside of music and became a computer operator at the London Electricity Board.

Bob moved to Portsmouth in 1969 where he joined and worked for IBM and eventually became an IT specialist consultant.

After 37 years at IBM, Bob retired and moved to Wales and, around three years ago, at the age of 63, Bob got interested in playing guitar again after more than 40 years.

Bob, along with two friends, Martin Cochraine and Kim Fielding, formed a three-piece band called the Dukes of Cymru.

The band have utilised Bob’s PC skills and they now entertain audiences around the UK with their own version and style of classic songs from the 60s.

The band have featured on UK radio and do a lot of work for charity.

In 2012 they recorded a song written by Bob, called Neighbourhood Girl, which was available for download on ITunes, Amazon and CDBaby with all the proceeds from sales going to UK charities.

It is a remarkable fact that Bob, who left Weymouth and was playing the band scene in 1966 is now 66 years of age himself and is returning to Weymouth with The Dukes of Cymru, on Friday, March 28, at the New Vic bar on Weymouth esplanade.

If you want to relive, for a few hours at least, those 60s moments, or you just want to see what Bob looks like now, then please join The Dukes of Cymru at the New Vic on Weymouth Esplande for what looks like being a great night.