Legendary disc jockey Emperor Rosko – one of the best known voices on radio of the 1960s and 70s – will be at Felixstowe this weekend for a special celebration of Radio Caroline.
Rosko, who worked on Caroline, Radio Luxembourg and Radio 1, presenting the Friday Roundtable new release preview show, will be part of a mix of DJs with links to the pirate station attending two days of events.
The weekend will commemorate the pirate station’s early years on the airwaves off Felixstowe, where listeners first heard the sounds that caused a broadcasting revolution.
The highlight of the celebration will take place on Saturday at 2.30pm when the Felixstowe Society and Felixstowe and Offshore Radio Facebook group will unveil a commemorative stone at the clifftop viewing area in Wolsey Gardens, above South Cliff Gardens.
Brian Nichols, of the radio group, said: “We believe that this is the first civic recognition of the station, and comes soon after the award of a licence by Ofcom for them to broadcast on 648kHz medium wave to Suffolk and north Essex.
“Emperor Rosko will be arriving from London around midday, in a convoy of Mini Mokes, which will then be on display near the seafront, and will return back there after the stone unveiling.
“This will be a great opportunity to meet up with Rosko, who is in the UK for the first time in 10 years from his home in the USA .
“We also hope to have in attendance Alan ‘Neddy’ Turner, one of the few people remaining who worked on board the MV Caroline whilst she was anchored off Felixstowe in 1964, together with Radio Caroline and BBC Essex presenter Ray Clark, who will be representing the station.
“There will also be other DJ’s who worked on the offshore stations from the 1960s through to the 1980s.”
These will include ‘The Royal Ruler’ Tony Prince, Mark Wesley, DJ and author Paul Rusling, and Chuck Reynolds.
Trinity Methodist Church Hall will host an exhibition on Saturday from 9am to 6pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm including displays of national offshore radio material by the Flashback 67 Exhibition plus local material, CD and record fair, vintage radios and technology, and Radio Caroline memorabilia.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here