‘Drop ten, turn and face.’ Quilty’s Football Yarns 34 Living the life

‘Drop ten, turn and face.’ 

Quilty’s Football Yarns 34

Living the life

As I came to the end of my degree in 1982 I was quite aware of the privileged life I’d been living. Regardless of no real cash, life in a share house and playing football only two days a week, I was grateful for what I had. The UK economy was limping out of a recession, unemployment had reached 3m or 12.5%, in January 1982. Inflation was coming down from a figure of 16%, so being able ‘sit-out’ from the mainstream in our part of Headingly wasn’t so bad. The six year ‘teacher training’ course I was doing was in its fifth year. My mum Maureen wasn’t that impressed or convinced that I was pursuing the right career. A favourite of hers was. “Those poor teachers (she worked at Hackney College) the kids there are little f—kers! Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” Encouraged by her confidence I pressed on hoping to be admitted to a place, at the of the year, on the ‘One year Post Graduate Certificate of Education: ‘Majoring in History with Games as a Minor’. This would be at the University of Leeds, School of Education.

Brian Beacom had by this time gone off to do Teacher training up in Newcastle, while Brendan McLaughlin was doing Accounting back in Manchester. Paddy Galvin had also gone back across the Pennines to pursue Business. My football team Spurs was outperforming expectations by making and winning the FA Cup once again, so all in the world was good, on that level.

Brian had had a major escape that year. For some reason known only to himself he had gone skydiving up on Tyneside and the parachute had failed to open to its full extent. He hit the ground damaging his knee but on impact the reserve chute opened too, the buckle cutting his face. Brian spent weeks in hospital. Because his accident made the local TV and media, several old flames rushed to the hospital to be at his side. He was always one to play the eternal sympathy card!

Having lived in the old house Brudenell Mount house for three years, we had a minor disaster when returning from holiday to find the whole place had flooded. The University were very good and immediately moved all five of us into Garstang Flats, on campus, for a couple of months. This was my only time in the whole four years to be living in the University grounds.

During this year, one of the quite memorable things I did, was to sign up for an ‘extra’ non-counting unit of study. ‘Ancient Hebrew’. The reason I did it, was to get an insight into the language that I had learned in its colloquial Modern form, whilst on the Kibbutz in Israel. What transpired was that I got a ‘fly on the wall’ insight into the fantastic mind of Professor David Isolin, a brilliant multi-lingual scholar of Middle Eastern Ancient Languages. The course, although language based, was also built around Ancient History and how it related to many Biblical stories. It was fascinating and enabled me to gain some insight into the way the Ancient and Modern Hebrew languages related to each other.

As the University year came to an end, I submitted my thesis on ‘The Origins of Political Debate in Great Britain”. Funny enough one of my minor History units probably gave me more trouble. I actually forgot that is was one that had a ‘final’ examination linked to it. Thus, I had a mad rush to do it to be cleared to Graduate. Such was the trauma around this near miss, that even today, I wake up from dreams where I have forgotten about the need to do such an examination. I’m always relieved that it was only a dream!

As June approached Terrie and I agreed to go away to Camp America together. In later years she became Programme Co-ordinator for Camp America in London. At this time, I was the one most connected because I was the Leeds University student interviewer for that programme. We went back out to Camp Delaware in Connecticut. I worked with the 13 year old boys, while Terrie took the 15 year old girls. Groups with just a two year difference in physical age but more like five mentally. The two sides of camp were divided by ‘main street’, a dirt road that went across camp. There was a tradition of ‘raids’ by the boys over to girls-side. My 13 year old’s knew about raids but didn’t really know why they were going. One night, three boys confided in me that they intended to go raiding at 2-00am. 

Boys: “Steve, what do you think is the best route to go raiding girls-side would be?”

Me: (After a bit of thought) “Go straight down main street, no one, especially the mean security guard and his dog, would possibly expect you to go that way”.

And they did. I knew they did because at 2.05am I heard the sound of feet running into our wooden bunk. It was clear that whoever was running had slipped under a bed before being hauled out again. The security guard had not fallen for their devious plan.

When camp finished in its usual crescendo of happiness and despair, around the inevitable Colour War, Terrie and I went down to New York to stay a few days. We stayed with her family in the North Bronx. Aunt Kathleen and her husband Paddy. He worked for years at the famous Bronx zoo while Kathleen worked in a local Bank. It was great to get a chance to stay a while in that neighbourhood with its deep Irish association. One of the memorable things in this short stay was going to see an early screening of the film ET. This was wonderful, especially as we had had no real expectation with it, missing out on much of the media hype that surrounded the film. 

After New York, we flew south to Florida and stayed in West Palm Beach with my uncle Micky and his wife Brenda. They had four young children and had only emigrated a few years earlier from London. My cousin Michael, Micky’s older son, was also in Florida on holiday at the time. 

My uncle Micky had a business involving the home delivery of videos. He was (is) a very talented woodworker. Thus, to meet a need he had fitted out his delivery vans with an elaborate shelving system. Amazingly, a businessman had spotted what he had created and from that, a whole side business was created as people paid him to customise their vehicles as well.

Leaving the family, we hired a car and drove up to Daytona Beach. Terrie was the driver because I at this time had not taken my driving test! We drove up to Daytona then across to Orlando and Disneyworld. The Epcot Centre wasn’t open until later in September. Fortunately, we got a chance to visit Camp Delaware counsellor Mitch Lemus in Gainesville while up that way. The ‘Orange Bowl’ College American Football game was in town that week. Florida v Miami a big draw. One of Mitch’s mates, Dick Singer invited us up to his parents place in New York and we did so on our return north., flying out of Jacksonville on the budget airline People Express. As our American trip came to an end we indeed visited Dick Singer in Mamaroneck. He lived in a very unusual house with a tower. Dick also had a three-legged dog. It was an interesting stay. His parents were writers. His mum Loren Singer wrote a well-known book, ‘The Parallax View” which was made into a film starring Warren Beatty.

Arriving back in the UK, I prepared myself for a final year up in Leeds. Just before I went back, I went to work with old mates Gary Collins and Johnny Colbert who had taken over a sandwich shop opposite Leadenhall Market in the City. What an experience. The shop was called ‘Doorstep’s which described the ample sandwiches the store was renowned for. This store was potentially a gold-mine. Unfortunately, it was so busy that the new owners had no real settling in period to learn the ropes. I worked alongside Gary at the front of the shop making and serving the food. Big Johnny was toward the back making hot drinks. One funny episode involving Johnny epitomised the miss-fit in this whole situation.

A customer ordered a tea and a mushroom omelette to take away. We at the front of the shop took only a passing interest on what was going on. Then after a little commotion the customer stormed out. Asking Johnny what had happened he said,

“The bloke ordered a mushroom omelette and a cup of tea”

Gary looked quizzically and said, “So what did you do?”

Johnny replied with, “I left him standing there for ten minutes and then when he asked for his food, I denied he had ordered it!”. Puzzled we asked him why he did it. Johnny answered by saying,

“I didn’t know how to make a mushroom omelette, so couldn’t make it for him!”

Gary and Johnny’s ‘Doorsteps’ was probably an opportunity missed for them, but such is life.

I headed back north to start my PGCE in Leeds having discovered yet another thing I wasn’t very good at, but then again nor was Johnny