Son follows dad as Austerlands clog mayor

FLASHBACK . . . Mayor Gerry De Maine at his inauguration

A 60-year-old tradition has become a family affair for the new Mayor of Austerlands.

Roger Fielding will follow in his father Ben’s footsteps when he is bestowed the title at the village’s Red Lion pub on Sunday.

It is only the second time that the honour has passed through two generations, with Ben Fielding serving as Mayor in 1977.

Mr Fielding will become the village’s 12th mayor since the quirky custom was reintroduced.

The inauguration will see retiring Mayor Gerry De Maine hand over the position, complete with the clog-iron chain of office, to one of the pub’s most popular regulars.

Mr Fielding spent his early years living in Austerlands until the family moved to the sister village of Hey, where he has lived for the past 50 years.

A chartered secretary, he is company secretary to a group of companies based in Manchester, yet still finds time to be an active Freemason in Rochdale and Saddleworth.

Looking forward to his year in office, Mr Fielding intends to do some fundraising.

He said: “Like many people I was impressed during the winter with the sterling efforts of Oldham Mountain Rescue in helping people in the remotest outposts of Saddleworth.

“They were a lifeline to many, and during the year ahead I shall be looking for fundraising opportunities to support them in their future work.”

The Mayor of Austerlands title is said to date back to the late 1940s and Mr Fielding is now the civic head of Oldham’s smallest municipality.

The quaint tradition was re-introduced in 1998 after an old clog-iron was found behind a beer barrel.

In keeping with tradition, the new mayor will lead a band along Huddersfield Road to Dawson’s Field at the Scouthead and Austerlands Whit-Friday brass band contest.