THE last brushstrokes of what would become a Swindon art landmark were made this week in 1979.

Swindon Personalities was just one of more than three dozen murals created in the town between the mid seventies and late eighties, but it was easily among the greatest.

The work of a team led by major Swindon artist Ken White, its canvas was a Union Street gable end and its subjects a swathe of local celebrities, past and present.

Entertainment was heavily represented by stars including XTC, Diana Dors and Gilbert O’Sullivan, while sport was covered by Don Rogers and a hero of a previous era, Harold Fleming.

Former mayor Alf Bown and late town clerk David Murray John, credited as having shaped much of modern Swindon, also took their places, as did Swindon Advertiser founder William Morris and his descendant, zoologist and TV star Desmond.

Assisting Ken White as the Adver arrived to capture the newly-completed piece for posterity were art students Adrian Carruthers, Steve Bateman, Ian Standfast, Gordon Jeffrey, Dexter Fry and Kim Draper.

One of the most prominent Swindon celebrities on the wall was Rick Davies, then at the height of his global fame with Supertramp, but he wasn’t the only member of the Davies family mentioned in his home town newspaper that week.

As anybody with a decent grasp of Swindonian general knowledge is aware, Rick’s mum, Elizabeth, was a hair stylist. Almost exactly 36 years ago we reported that the 66-year-old would now be able to visit her son at his Californian base more often, as she was retiring after more than 50 years in the trade.

“She served her apprenticeship in Bath, her home town,” we added, “and when she met Gloucester girl Greta Fowler they decided to set up on their own.”

It was Elizabeth’s father who suggested Swindon, seeing it as a busy and growing town. In 1933 the two young women opened their shop, not far from Elizabeth’s later salon, Anne’s, in Regent Circus. The business partnership with Greta ended when Greta joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service during World War Two.

In 1933 a perm had cost 12s6d (62½p), but by 1979 that had risen to £5.

We added that she was now looking forward to having time to paint her house in Eastcott Hill – and to seeing Rick when Supertramp come over for four concerts at Wembley that October.

Other music-related news that week came courtesy of Tony Blackburn and some disgruntled rock’n’roll devotees.

National treasure Blackburn was at the Brunel Centre to host a Radio One Roadshow, a touring live event which in those days was as much a part of summer as ‘Kiss Me Quick’ hats.

Radio One, whether broadcasting from its London base or a portable studio, centred its playlist firmly around the Top 30, which in early July of 1979 included Are Friends Electric? by Tubeway Army, Ring My Bell by Anita Ward, Sunday Girl by Blondie, Who Were You With In The Moonlight by Dollar and Wanted by The Dooleys.

Such fare was anathema to Swindon’s young hard core rockers, known as Teds because many of the men kept to the 1950s British fashion of Edwardian-style suits and crepe soles.

They turned out in force at the roadshow to demand that the DJ ditch the latest hits in favour of Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley and the like.

We said: “There must have been some empty places in the classrooms as the now famous Swindon rock’n’roll revival went out to the rest of Britain.

“More than 2,000 crowded round the Roadshow’s caravan, including the Teds, to catch a glimpse of the trendy man from the Beeb.

“Mr Blackburn himself didn’t seem to enjoy the latest demands on his time and seemed to be more at home with the mums than the kids.”

Eventually he agreed to play a few rock’n’roll tracks including Spinning Rock Boogie by Swedish retro artist Hank C Burnette.

Enthusiastic dancing then broke out and harmony was restored.

It was all good clean fun, which was a lot more than could be said about something which was happening in Old Town.

The former Richman’s grocery shop at 7 Devizes Road, we announced, was to become Swindon’s first sex shop and offer a range of publications, films and other items.

With the internet not due for another two decades or so, local smut fans had previously faced either a walk of shame to the newsagent’s or using mail order and hoping the postman didn’t guess what they were up to.

The London-based company behind the new venture promised that nothing offensive would be visible to passers-by.

The shop survived until the mid-2000s before standing empty for several years.

Then, gutted to its brickwork and completely refurbished, it re-opened in 2012 as a pub, the Hop Inn.