Peter Carter. Eel Catcher.

Peter Carter, Eel Catcher and Willow Weaver, from Outwell, was the Guest Speaker at March Rotary Club on Monday 12th December. He was a fitting conclusion to the year, being very enthusiastically received by the audience, for his natural humour shone through, regaling those present with anecdotes on his experiences that had them in a constant fits of mirth.

Peter explained how his family ancestors had been engaged in the ancient Fenland craft of Eel catching since the late 1400's. Due to the isolated life style and secrecy in the Eel Trade, at one time in the mid 1800's 28 adults and 34 children all lived in the same abode. Though he still carries out his ancient craft, supplying Eels to markets and for smoking, much more of his time is taken up in conservation work, surveys on water voles, trapping mink, and Chinese Mitten Crabs that have begun to invade the waterways, under mining the river banks.

Another of his specialities is willow weaving and he has many thousands of willow bushes that provide the material for baskets, ornamental garden objects and increasingly willow coffins. He makes his owns willow traps to catch the eels, and only in the last few months has been called is to advise at a Bronze Age archaeological site near Whittlesea, where an extinct river bed in the clay has revealed flat bottom punt boats and eel traps that are almost identical to those used now, some 4000 years later.

His unique skills has brought him constantly into the fantasy world of Television, and his encounters with the likes of Tony Robinson, Griff Rhys Jones, Michael Portillo, Chris Evans and Ade Edmondson, gave a insight to the other side of T.V. However, a long chat with Her Majesty The Queen, on a visit to the Welney Wildlife Centre, who he asked was she 'All right?' has been the pinnacle.

Peter's visit had been eagerly anticipated, and was well worth wait, with March Rotarians still chuckling as they left. He has a book due to be published in the spring.