Marketeers Carnival Club

1996 "Cyberstar" - "WATCH THIS SPACE"
After last year successes the club thought they would try an idea that had being floating round the club for a few years now "space". From this Cyberstar was born. The idea for the cart was a giant robot leading his troops. The stage show was light-hearted look at the space age in the same vein as Forbidden Planet.

Taken from the Bridgwater Carnival Programme 1996
Chunky Dunster - Carnival character

FOUNDER member of Marketeers Carnival Club, Chunky Dunster, will ensure the procession passes through the route safely tonight in his role as steward.
After 40 years in Bridgwater Carnival, Chunky can afford to share the limelight, preferring to give younger members a taste of glory. Chunky, who at the age of 50 is proud to be Bridgwater born and bred, is determined only to set foot on the Marketeers CC's entry in an emergency if someone else pulls out. Since helping to found one of Bridgwater's top clubs in 1960 at the age of 15, he has played a vital part in the membership with periods as captain and chairman:
Emergency Ward Ten was the club's first walking entry followed by their first entry on a cart, Gay Hawaiians.'" We had so much interest the first year, we decided to form a bigger club and have a float," said Chunky. Their first "home" was the Commercial Inn, before moving to The Market House -- now the Valiant Soldier -- where the
Marketeers went from strength to strength. November 1974 saw the Marketeers' first win with John Bull: "It was absolutely brilliant to come first in Bridgwater," said
Chunky, who is married and has two grown-up children, "That was a night to remember. Our first win in the stage show was in 1978." Those were the days before floats cost members, who now number about 40, up to f 20,000 to make.
Everyone has their favorites including Chunky: "The entries that stick in my mind are The Sun Lords, The Land of Make Believe and The Clowns.
"The Land of Make Believe was the most atmospheric cart I have ever been on because it appealed to most people - everybody, kids and grannies, had their favorite toys." Chunky has spent most of this year as stage captain preparing members for the October's Carnival Concerts and the Marketeers' light-hearted look at the space age. "It is a spacey theme in the same vein as Forbidden Planet. It has got a lot of go, it's quite fun, with a lot of dance and movement." He added: "Winning is a bonus but it is not the over-riding factor." But readers would be wrong to assume he had not been involved in the months of work, which went into the entry due to wow the 100,000 plus crowd tonight.
This article comes from an interview slotted between Chunky's day job as a painter and decorator for Sedgemoor Services and a meeting at the Marketeers' Bridgwater headquarters at the White Hart Hotel. And it is a shame the yard at the now abandoned Half Way Inn, near ·n Westonzoyland, does not have a few more creature comforts because that is where he has helped in the months of hard labour putting the float together. Chunky, whose wife, daughter and son have all been Carnivalites would not have it any other way. He said: "I just think Carnival is such an incredible thing. It is the biggest youth club Bridgwater has ever had. "The friends you make throughout the years, not only in your own club but in others as well, make it worthwhile. It gives a lot of people a purpose."
Chunky also recommends; it to anyone interested in developing friendships and new skills: "There is a lot of fun, a lot of enjoyment and lot of satisfaction with the end product whether it is on stage or on the road." Wife Suzette, known as Suze, agrees: "I have always supported him whole-heartedly, "Carnival has been as much my life as his, it is our social life, all our friends are Carnival people."
Beyond Carnival there is only one other major interest for Chunky and that is soccer. But he never strays far from his Carnival roots as player-manager for Marketeers CC's own football club.
And what about Chunky's real name? "It's Gerrard," he revealed." But I've been called
Chunks ever since I was a young lad. I don't know why. I was quite thin at school!

1996 STAGE 3rd POSITION
"WATCH THIS SPACE"

Songs on stage this year where
1. Wipe Out
2. We Gotta Get Out Into Space
3. 54321
4. Good Vibrations
5. My Generation
6. Great Balls of Fire
7. Time Warp
8. Bat Out Of Hell

1986 CART 3rd POSITION
"Cyberstar"

Marketeers CC of Bridgwater provided a futuristic entry with Cyberstar. There were plenty of space men, storm trooper guards and robots to mesmerise the crowds.
Heading for the stars were
Dave Bell, Matt Bell, Darren Cross, lan Barber, Lee Dickinson, Jason Downton, Ben Branson, Dean Waite, Phil New, Kev Matthews,
Steve Parker, Sumo Date, Jock "King P.S." Haley, Lee Savage, Matt Knapp, Steve Adlam, Adrian Home, Darren Bennett, Rob
Williams, Shaun Ford, Steve Payne and Stuart Reading

Officials of the club Marketeers CC President, Terry Wood; Chairman, Neil Carter; Secretary, Jon Horsey; Captain, Phil Bayley; Treasurer, Allan Elson; Choreographers, Teresa Moretti and Kerrie Elson; Dressmakers, Myra Ball, Nicky Stone and Terry Morley; Tractor drivers, Charlie and Richard Radford and Ken Marsh; Electricians, Andy Brown, Dave Kirk and the sad gang Road crew, Rich Radford, Charlie Radford, Bob Baker, John Harper Jon Horsey, Paul Brazwell, Chris Mockridge, Derek Marsden, Dave Kirk and Ken Marsh; Other personnel not on float, Allan Elson, Neil Carter, Phil Bayley, Chunky Dunster, Phil Dunster, John Freud, Dan Robinson, Dave Palmer, Jamie Turner, Adrian "Ghandi" Howells, Carl Bishop, Carry Chidgey, Pete Hallet and Spud Podeski.

This information was Taken fom the Bridgwater Mercury Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival

CARNIVAL CHRONICLE WEBSITE GROUP
Marketeers would like to thank them