Adrian Vivian, of Munro Avenue, Yealmpton, writes:

I wholeheartedly agree with Win Brodie's call for the rebuilding of Salcombe Pier, Letters, Friday, December 16.

The pier may not have been comparable with some seaside piers, but for those of us who were fortunate enough to have been born and to grow up in Salcombe, and I am sure for many visitors, it was the starting point of an adventure.

I well remember taking the ferry from there for afternoons spent on Fishermen's Cove after school, or maybe a whole day spent at Millbay or further on at Sunnycove.

I sometimes caught the ferry to South Sands for the beach there, or for a walk around the cliff path to Starehole and Bolt Head.

At busy times the queue was often up the ferry steps past Salcombe Hotel and onto Fore Street.

Catching the ferry from the pontoon isn't quite the same.

The cost of a Portlemouth ferry crossing in my childhood was 2d – old money. Tickets could be bought from an amazing machine with a brass handle at the bottom of the steps leading down from Fore Street.

The Portlemouth ferrymen of my childhood were Victor Ford, Fred Spry, William(?) Jarvis and Arthur Quick and to South Sands, Cyril Baskerville and Henry Putt.

As ornamental harbour lights were erected on the pier in 1887 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, would it not be a suitable commemoration of our Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 to rebuild or at least begin to rebuild the pier?