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I seem to remember when I arrived at Harlow College that
it was the size of the place that surprised me. I had not
been for a visit etc before joining, as I lived in West Africa
with my parents, and apart from a brief time at Parndon Hall
school, also at Harlow, I had hardly been in England.
My time at the school was very well punctuated by the cane,
both from Mr Dames and Mr Purgavie, mainly for consistently
scoring a zero in French!! I Do remember one time, just before
bonfire night, when a group of us took fireworks
to the old rectory and had a "war".. police were
called, I made a home run to the school, but several others
did'nt. I remember receiving the cane from Purgavie in the
gym in front of two complete classes... hurt a bit I seem
to remember too! I also received "six of the best"
from Purgavie for getting someone else to do my "cubes"
(remember them.. I eventually had a pretty full catalogue
of all the main ones given out).. the guy I had paid was actually
doing them in prep in the old TV room..... marvellous!!
I remember that room pretty well, trying to get a seat to
watch the Beatles on the TV etc..... and remember the fives
court and gravel playground... summer evenings playing "witches"
etc....
Well I finally managed to learn enough to get into Merchant
Navy college at Greenhithe..... must have learned something
cos I came out of there as top of my year when I left....
I stayed at sea for a couple of years, then some fool invented
the Jumbo jet, and the English merchant fleet was virtually
scrapped overnight.
Having now gone back to the drawing board, I joined the London
Fire Brigade. I served at several stations all over London,
and eventually left in 1992, as an Assistant Divisional Officer,
after having sadly failed a medical.
At that time my kids were still pretty young, so had to start
again, and managed to join Sussex Police as a communications
officer, where I still am today (sadly).
I have had a pretty interesting life in one way and the other.
I
married Liz in 1971, and we moved to Farnborough in Hampshire,
tho I continued to work for London Fire Brigade. In Nov 1972
I had an accident, fell almost 60ft from a ladder, and was
in hospital(s) for 13 months.... somehow managed to recover
and got back to work. Had three kids with Liz... eldest son
Christopher is now 29 and lives in Melbourne, Oz, Nicholas
aged 27 now a fireman in Eastbourne, and Katie,25, married
in Eastbourne with one child.
Had another serious accident in 1981 whilst on a motorbike,
resulting in another 6 months in hospital, and sadly this
time a divorce!! Managed to get back to work again, and was
steadily being promoted as I went.
Met my second wife, Jane, in 1982 and married in 1983, and
still are thankfully. Have another four kids by that marriage,
three boys and a girl. Matthew at Uni doing nursing, Tom in
the Army Air Corps training to be a helicopter pilot, eldest
James in London as a building surveyor/site manager, and Gemma
works as a nursery nurse... she's the youngest at 19 1/2 years.
Well that just about brings us up to date, hope to get to
Oz in
December as my son is getting married... had a really bad
year health wise last year and wasn't expected to make it..
confounded the buggers tho!
Now play as much golf as my shifts will allow, so if we ever
set up a golf tournament, let me know.
Funny reading thro this... that gawky kid in the photo's,
who was mates with Pat Holland, Simpkins, the Sears etc, would
go on to have 7 kids of his own, travel most of the world,
but never return to Harlow since I left the College... must
rectify that soon.
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