READING held its first ever non-stop Country Music Festival in Caversham Court 48 years ago, with over 700 people enjoying 10 hours of musical attractions.

Labfun Promotions organiser, Tony Knott, told the Chronicle: “We were hoping for an audience of 1000, but it was very successful, and we are extremely pleased with the way things went.”

Labfun were set to go ahead with a variety of musical events during the summer of ’72 and (although no details had been announced) these were likely to include more country and folk concerts being held alongside other specialised musical attractions.

Reading Town Hall was putting its historic 19th century organ up for sale in 1972, scotching any hopes of it being transferred to a new hall.

Built in 1864, by Father Henry Willis, it had been decided by Reading Council’s Policy Committee that the organ would be ‘inappropriate for a modern building’.

The President of the Reading Organ Society told the Chronicle: “We don’t want to see it sold for spares or scrap.”

Two of Reading Racers biggest teenage fans got the chance to meet their heroes, Dag Lovaas and Anders Michanek, in the pits before a home tie at the Stadium in Tilehurst.

Earlier that day the two girls had managed to get a song request, for the two riders, on the BBC’s Jimmy Young radio programme, but unfortunately the veteran disc-jockey had trouble pronouncing their names.

Alison and Leigh Oliver, from Woodley, told the Chronicle that they were very star-struck: “We were really chuffed- but our boyfriends didn’t go much on it!”

Reading Fire Brigade gave the Chronicle a chance to get ‘up close’ to their new and most expensive piece of equipment in 1972, the Swedish-designed ‘Orbiter’ appliance.

After wowing the crowds at their recent open day, the Caversham Road station displayed their latest bit of kit, which included a special extendable ‘arm’, mounted on a Dodge chassis.

Status Quo were one of many rock groups that delighted crowds at Reading Pop Festival ’72, and they returned to play at Reading University, just a few months after, to perform their no-nonsense songs.

Despite their absence from the Top 40 singles charts, ‘The Quo’ had released two albums, very different from their five-year-old hit “Pictures of Matchstick Men.”

Forty-seven years ago, the number of computers being used in the workplace (let alone at home) was minimal, but in the “Motoring Matters” section of the Chronicle highlighted their use was becoming essential.

Ford Motor Company had sold 17,413 Cortina cars, making it the best-selling car in Britain, but satisfying the demand had now required the use of a central computer.

The ‘Vehicle Locator Inquiry Office’ was able to find a new car using a super-computer, achieving a 98 per cent success rate.