Born on October 11, 1925, in Poringland, Eric Michael Trendell was the oldest of the rector’s two children. After boarding school, he went to the Midland Agricultural College, Sutton Bonington, Nottingham – and there met his wife-to-be, Betty. They married in 1952.
He joined the Ministry of Agriculture’s NAAS (National Agricultural Advisory Service) at Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, before promotion to Tavistock, Devon, in 1964 as a senior livestock adviser.
In September 1968, he returned to Norfolk as deputy county adviser, where he helped dozens of farmers with grant applications and improvement schemes. He was a regular contributor to the EDP’s Farm and Country pages over many years.