Remembering Sunderland in 1978, and the intriguing connection between Oor Wullie and the area

By Chris Cordner

Published 5th Apr 2023, 04:55 BST

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What a year that was – when the Broons, a pools winner and a famous Sunderland department store shared the headlines.

Intrigued? It was 1978 and 45 years on, we are looking once more at the year when a giant puff ball mushroom and a bridge also got the spotlight.

Let’s start with the Broons, as well as Rodger the Dodger and the Numskulls.

Cartoonist Tom Lavery is the link to the North East and he was the man who brought characters such as Oor Wullie to life 45 years ago.

Stories we loved from 1978. Have a browse through our feature and re-live them all.

Stories we loved from 1978. Have a browse through our feature and re-live them all.

Roger the Dodger also used to get up to his weekly tricks thanks to Tom’s skill, as did the Numskulls in the Beezer.

The former Boldon shoe repair business boss turned to cartoons after the original Uncle Charlie cartoonist decided to give it up and offered the job to Tom.

Oor Wullie’s got Mackem links

“My drawing style was very similar to his, so I did this for two or three years. During that time I started doing work for children’s comics. I was offered the Broons and Oor Wullie when the artist died,” said Tom in 1978.

Workers were pictured painting Wearmouth Bridge 45 years ago.

Workers were pictured painting Wearmouth Bridge 45 years ago.

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The pools winner in the Echo headlines was Viv Nicholson who won a fortune on the pools in 1961 and spent £100 for charity on toys and gifts for Sunderland Children’s Hospital.

Spend, spend, spending on toys for a hospital

She loaded up two supermarket trolleys with acquisitions.

Pools winner Viv Nicholson at Sava Centre store in Washington. loading up toys for the Sunderland Children's Hospital while at the store to promote her book. She is pictured with the matron of the hospital Jean Tindill, left and Sister Valerie Whitfield.

Pools winner Viv Nicholson at Sava Centre store in Washington. loading up toys for the Sunderland Children's Hospital while at the store to promote her book. She is pictured with the matron of the hospital Jean Tindill, left and Sister Valerie Whitfield.

Staff from the hospital who helped with the spending spree were nursing officer Mrs Jean Tindill and sister Val Whitfield.

The year of 1978 was also when Blacketts finally left the Sunderland skyline. It was set up in Sunderland in 1826 by William Blackett and finally closed in 1972 when it made 150 people redundant.

Over at Wearmouth Bridge, it looked like a brush with danger for the men up on the metalwork.

But it was just another job for the men giving it a new coat of paint.

Sunderland and District Creameries at Silksworth celebrated a take-over by local dairy workers, Sunderland Bottled Milk Buyers, in 1978.

Sunderland and District Creameries at Silksworth celebrated a take-over by local dairy workers, Sunderland Bottled Milk Buyers, in 1978.

The bridge was being re-painted in Sunderland’s colours of orange, chocolate brown and light beige in its five-yearly touch up.

The old coat of arms on the side of the bridge was also due to be repainted in its original colours as part of the work.

The pub mushroom no-one would eat

What about that puff ball.

It happened at the Stapylton Arms, Hawthorn, where a giant puff ball which measured 23 inches across and weighed 23lb was on show.

Local farmer, Geoffrey Tate, dug it out of a muck heap which was on his land at East Batterlaw Farm.

The giant puff ball at the Staplyton Arms public house, Hawthorn with Geoffrey Tate, local farmer and Kenneth Rowe in the picture.

The giant puff ball at the Staplyton Arms public house, Hawthorn with Geoffrey Tate, local farmer and Kenneth Rowe in the picture.

With a circumference of 66 inches and a height of 16 inches, experts reckoned it would have fed a family of 20, but no one risked tasting the delicacy.

Champagne at the Silksworth dairy

And finally …. It rained champagne at the Sunderland and District Creameries at Silksworth as workers celebrated a takeover by local dairymen in 1978.

The takeover was completed by Sunderland Bottled Milk Buyers, a company which had been formed by local dairymen, and it saved the jobs of more than 70 workers at the dairy, which the Milk Marketing Board had planned to close.

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