Sid led a group of hippies called The Diggers at the back end of the 1960s and was a principle figure in the Summer of Love, 1967. In 1970 John Lennon of The Beatles invited Sid and The Diggers to make use of his island retreat of Dorinish (Beatle Island) to create a commune for his 'flower power' followers. The commune survived two years before they moved back to mainland Britain.
Sid, along with Bill Dwyer, organised the 1974 Windsor Park free festival. Attempting to organise the same festival a year later Sid Rawle was arrested with Dwyer and imprisoned.
In the mid 1970s Sid helped set up a family oriented commune called Tipi Valley in West Wales. It has been described as the oldest and largest community of its type in Britain.
Just had this from Penny Kemp,
To let you know that Sid Rawle died recently. He suffered a heart attack at the Rainbow 2000 camp. Sid was a green party member and was on Green Party Council back in the 70's and 80's and a Green Party speaker. Details of the service below. I think it would be good to mention this at conference as many going would have known Sid.
Sid Rawle will be cremated at Hereford Crematorium tomorrow (family and close friends only please).
There will be a memorial gathering and celebration of his life on Saturday 11th September at 2 pm at the Rainbow 2000 site at Rodley Road, Westbury-on-Severn, Forest of Dean for all who knew him. Follow A48 through Westbury-on-Severn towards Gloucester and turn right onto Rodley Road (signposted Rodley) and continue for 2 miles to the site.
Sad he has died, I ran into him a bit on rainbow circle camps, he was most famous for the Windsor Free Festival.
He played the Ranter, full of free love and anarchy, in Winstanley the film about the Diggers during the English Civil War.
His like will not be seen again, I am very sad to say
1 comment:
Sad news this. I met Sid when I was a teenager in the 70s and a member of the fledgling Ecology Party, by which time he was already a veteran of the counter-culture. I saw him a number of times afterwards at various green gatherings and Stonehenge festivals. Sid was a significant proponent of much of what we now take for granted, possessed a magnetic personality, was a good orator and an all-round major player. It is perhaps the sign of the times that Sid's demise has made so little stir. Hopefully the passing of time will pave the way for a suitable re-evaluation of the man and his contribution to alternative living. Yes he was a contoversial type and could be a pain in the backside at times, but there's a book/film to be written about the man (I'd get Brian Blessed to play him) and a place for him at top table on the Alternative Mount Olympus.
Respect!
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