About Me

After schooldays - the late 70's

Started my temporary position in the Rates Department at Camden Council on the Monday after my exams finished - fairly straightforward journey (although quite long) - but the job is mind blowingly dull. Filing is a very important job - but doing it all day everyday becomes a chore. Only saving grace is Tuesdays when I have to help putting letters into envelopes - which is the arrears letters, and there are normally hundreds on letters on that day! The phones appear to be busy on a Thursday because of this.

In the first couple of weeks I get a phone call at home - asking me to go for an interview with the international bank. I take a day off from Camden Council and go to Tower Hill for the interview. During the conversation I am offered the job!  Funny thing is that it just so happens to be the same bank that dad works for - as well as my granddad did previously The money is slightly worse than Camden were currently paying me - but as far as I knew that was only a temporary job! Decide that the bank has better prospects and surely cannot as boring - so I accepted and was given a start date about a month ahead! I had to sign a lot of documents, which somehow had been prepared before I got there!

I returned to Camden the following day to be taken into the big chief's office to be asked if I fancied working full time on the court team, as I had impressed everyone there, when we had crossed paths on Tuesdays. It would be more money and definitely less boring - only two days too late! Oh well that's life!

I left Camden and on Tuesday 29 August 1978 went on a two week induction course for the bank - where those that had done "O" levels went into one group, and the "A" levels into a second. I was put in the second group even though I had not passed. Yes I had had my results and they were not good reading......although that in itself was not surprising given my somewhat lack of attendance at classes!! The induction course was supposed to be two weeks but it was only 9 days given that the Monday had been Summer Bank Holiday. The induction course was a good grounding, and duiring it everyone was reviewed and final postings within International Division were allocated.

I was sent to the international branch in the West End, in Hanover Square by Oxford Circus - although I was due to transfer to the City branch when it opened in November in the same year.

It was here that my first mentor in my banking life helped me. Alan was a good northern lad - and knew everyone and everything. On my first day there we went out to lunch - he took me to a local hostelry where we had a few beers! He put a pound in the juke box - and selected the same song 10 times (yes it was that cheap!) a song by Jilted John called Jilted John. Now if you have never heard this the chorus consists of "Gordon is a moron!" ooh wonder why he put that on. It made me very uncomfortable to say the least.

During the two months working at the West End branch it was decided that the Christmas party would be held in the staff rest room there and would consist of both West End and City staff - as City had yet to begin,and trying to put something toegther in two months would be a near impossibility. I made what might have been a mistake when I mentioned that I was a DJ and had equipment - only no driver! The committee decided that I could do the music, that they would find a driver, and everything would be good. I was told I could bring some help (you need someone to look after stuff while you have a slash) - and Kate volunteered.

Once City opened my working life changed - Alan remained in the West End - so I was put into a team of 3 in a team that was called Rems (remittances) - both the others being ladies. I immediately had a crush on my boss - Sue - who was a West Country lass slightly older - with something that just took my breath away. Yes I fancied her something bad - even being with Kate! She did not dress overly sexy - but there was something about her.......might have been the power thing (mmmm does that make me less of a man????) but she pushed the right buttons with out actually pushing them! Rems is basically the balancing of the branches daily "books" - and we couldnt leave until everythung balanced!

Come the day of the Christmas party and I go to work as usual - and at midday John and I head off in the van to collect the equipment and Kate! All packed and back to set up - and at 6 pm the festivities begin - and so it was that the first rumour in the bank about me occurred.

Apparently during the trip back home after the party, as Kate and I were in the back together, we did the horizontal mamba (had sex for those with a less dodgy mind) and after I handed John a used jonny (sorry had to use that word somewhere) for him to throw away as we drive.... only problem with that rumour - one with the equipment not enough space in the van, two we didn't use that type of protection (we had been together six months - and it was pre HIV days......) so for the first time I had a bit of a reputation - but in this case totally unfounded!

Kate and I went away on our first holiday together - flying to Majorca for two weeks. The first week was a series of adventures for us both - neither having been away with any one apart from family before. We hired a bike which was two bikes together side by side - and we (OK I guess I was in charge so I...) managed to crash it into a car. Fortunately the bike hire company had insurance which covered us! The main trouble was we had very limited money at the time - we were both working but the money had run out by the middle of the second week. So we really had to reign back - and found ourselves only eating the breakfasts and dinners which were included - and making do. We had taken a pack of cards with us, and played German Whist all day. On the Wednesday a young foreign couple came over and asked what we were playing - we explained and they asked if they could join in. We taught them how to play - and they bought us a few drinks. They came from Holland - and were really nice. They proceeded to spend most of the rest of the week playing cards with us - and giving us drinks - even though they knew we couldn't reciprocate. The holiday was good - and we got to teach a card game to a country…. Hahahahaha

Kate and I also went down to the south coast a lot - to Brighton, where her mum had a flat. We had some good times down there ;-)  One weekend we went down with her mum - and we went for a drink in a special pub (Dee's words - Dee being Kate's mum). Walked in - and nothing that different about the pub - loads of guys with drinks, and although I could not put my finger on it something was a little strange. It took a few minutes and then it hit me! Normally when we went anywhere it was Kate who got the looks - (I was so batting over my average... ha ha) - only here they weren't even taking any notice of her. They were looking at me! Yes it was a gay pub although I guess they should have gone to specsavers! hee hee

Life was fairly good and even though work was hard - we played hard as well. It was during these first months of working life that a tradition was started - my father (who we had christened as "Pop" - which was the name he was allowed to call his dad when he became an adult) and I began to meet every Thursday for lunch - although this did not begin until I was in City Branch. This tradition remained until the beginning of 2014 when he became too ill to travel to Docklands where I was working - in fact I still was there until January 2023.

The Disco business was not too great - but I was performing every so often - and the Bank knew of this - and provided it did not effect my work was happy for me to continue. I remember one evening that would have an effect upon my life.

I had been booked at the evening's entertainment for an Irish Wedding. Everything was going well - until the Bridegroom and the Bride's father had a slight disagreement. A few punches were traded - and then others got involved. It looked like it was going to get nasty. Don't ask me why but I pulled down the volume on the record I was playing and yelled "stop it - don't spoil a good evening - what the f**k do you think you are doing……"

Everyone stopped - you could hear a pin drop - and then almost as one they both came towards me. At this point I saw that the bridegroom must have been at least 10 foot tall etc…… They stepped up onto the stage and I felt a little queasy. Then they both smiled - and slapped me on the back and told me that I was right - and they would not spoil the night. Also from that point on I was not allowed to buy a drink, and when we were packing up the Bride's father gave me a very big tip (double the agreed price!) and told me that I would be hearing from someone, who might change my life a lot shortly.

Two days later I got a call from the manager of the "Room at the Top" which was the top club in the area and asked to audition. I went to the audition and did really well but was informed that they had the required number of DJs but would ring me if anything came up. I am still awaiting that call although pretty sure the club doesn't exist anymore - hahahahahahahahaha

I attempted to pass my driving for the first time in the late 70's - followed quickly by the second, third and fourth times. On my fourth attempt I drove as well as anyone could (in my mind at least) - and as we approached the test center for the third time (seemed to be going round in circles) the examiner requested I turned right across the traffic, and enter the center - but pull out the other side. I indicated, and when a gap appeared I turned the car. He slammed on the breaks - and then told me to continue without advising me why. As we pulled out of the center, with the road clear he again applied the brakes, without reason. I began to shake - and then as we pulled away clipped two or three cars' wing mirrors. Funnily enough I failed. I did not wait to find out what I did - but stormed off - advising anyone who could hear that I would never drive. I have kept that promise to this day....

The Marquee Club was still a major attraction in my life - bands that ring major bells were still the Motors (although they were now playing larger venues) and Eddie and the Hot Rods! We were going out to the Marquee less and less - Kate was a major time consumer for me although work was the biggest draw on my time…..

It was also this year that one of the my old school friends Graeme asked if i would like a ticket to go and see a band he liked. Now i know i wasnt the first person he asked, but as it was music I almost bit his hand of. I had not heard a lot fo the band's music - so went with an open mind. Thing is i was totally blown away. Bruce Springseetn and the East Side Band were aboslutley brilliant. I was dancing almost from the first song - and the following day went out and bought a few of their albums!

Couple of events that also stick in the old memory banks here - going out to a local restaurant where they did the most wonderful Steak Diane. First time Kate had eaten a steak and it was wonderful. Another one was going to the pub with my sister and her boyfriend who was a close buddy of mine. They were both under 18 - whereas I was over 18. The local constabulary decided to raid the place on this night (lots of underage drinking taking place…. naughty). Now if they had arrived a few minutes earlier they would have caught my sister and her boyfriend both with vodka and orange, but the last drink I bought had no vodka in it as they wanted a refreshing drink…. So try as they might they had to let them go - although I was only ok as I had my passport on me……  

Workwise after a couple of months on the remittence section (as mentioned also known as waste) - one month with me in charge of running the team - I moved into the foreign cashiers area - which was now the excepted career pathway (rems > foreign cashiers > cashiers > general jobs in the branch). It was a real fun time - and I got to "play" with lots of strange notes from different currencies. You quickly got used to the general types - and also sometimes we found the odd forgery - whihc also caused a lot of issues. You started out just opening envelopes and then counting or confirming the amounts of certain notes, and then at the end of the day closing and sealing other envelopes ready to be stamped and sent out. It was a fun time - and like rems at the end of the day you had to balance the books!

After about six montsh of this - and i am off to join cashiers - becoming the face of the bank to the customers. It was funny but again I enjoyed my time on cashiers especially when i was number one cashier - which was a very stressful time - but definitely a career boost. One of the things that really was frustrating on cashiers was the dress code. Men had to wear jackets and ties - but if it got really hot and the ladies agreed - we could remove our jackets. at one point, before i was the number one, that position was in the hands of a really annoying lady, who even in midsummer refused to allow the removal of jackets, using the ethos of it looks more professional! On one very hot day, one of the male cahiers with me fainted as he was seriously overheating. Even then she was saying jackets to remain - until the big manager came out to cash a cheque. He asked why the cashier was sitting in the back out of sight of the customers, and when we mentioned having to wear our jackets he stated very loudly that we should remove them. Although she was not happy, she had to agree. The following week she was moved on - and a certain amount of humanity came to the cashiers!

During this period of my life - I was going to a local pub come club called the Green Man who had a resident band called Deep Feeling who covered all the big songs of the time. It was here that I was first referred to as the "Milky Bar Kid" due to my blonde hair and gold-rimmed glasses. As you might have realised i enjoyed dancing at the time - and often when i was there i would be found on the dancefloor - hence the band "knew" me. Depending on the night of the week there was different themes - Sunday being chart stuff from a DJ, Monday go-go dancers, Tuesday - heavy rock, Wednesday American rock, Thursday - grab a granny (OK over 30's), Fridays and Saturdays were chart stuff from the band. Strippers were also on the cards on Sunday Mornings…. More to follow…

Summer of 1979 saw Kate go away with her mum to Crete - and things begin to change for us. The Crete holiday was good for her, and her mum talked her into leaving work, and going back to college so that she could improve her exam results. Kate began college in the following term and we saw less and less of each other. She was on the committee for the Christmas party and got me the gig, and I was due to do the City Branch one for the Bank as well (by this time I had a driver in place, and was doing more discos).

Just before Christmas we had a major heart to heart together - and in a kind of grown-up way decided that once New Year was celebrated we would break up, and go our separate ways. We had a blast that Christmas - really enjoying ourselves and partying - but without any pressures of trying to maintain the relationship. Her Christmas party was good - but the City Branch party was great. As I was DJing I did not drink very much - whereas the others really let things rip. I got to watch everyone else make fools of themselves - just wish we had had phones with cameras then…. Oh and Facebook and X (the app formerly know as Twitter) hehehehehehehe

Being held in the branch (we were over the lower three floors in a large building, and with a little desk reorganisation managed to get a great area for dancing) people really let their haid down. Now I could mention the lady that went into the storeroom twice with different guys (I could see it from where I set up), or the two guys that went in together (both who I knew were married) - but of course I wont lol.

The decade came to an end, and Kate and I parted - although on good terms. Life was going to be different, so very different…