Memories, Emotions and tales that should be told

Just been reading Erimus 74's tale about waiting for Graeme Souness in the rain when he was Blackburn manager.

Couple of memories I have from waiting for players outside the changies at Ayresome was seeing Stuart Boam coming out and everybody pleading 'Youre not going to Newcastle are you Stuart' and him saying no, I'm going nowhere lads. Guess what happened the next week.

Also waiting outside when we played Forest (they won) for the players autographs. Really wanted Brian Cloughs as he was and remains one of my all time favourite players/managers/people. I got a few Forest players as they boarded the bus, and then out came Brian and Peter Taylor. My mates dad (who new some of the Clough family) said be polite and respectful, call him Mr Clough. Still didn't get it but I did get Jimmy Gordons who was a lovely bloke.

First time I saw Souness was when the Boro did a trip to Oz.
I can't remember if the game was in Sydney or not, it could well have taken place in Newcastle on the NSW mid coast.
But he was immense, he ran the show and scored as well. I think we won about 8-0
You couldn't help but think what a player we have on our hands.

It was Newcastle now I think of it and the reason I've just remembered is that on that very same day, a young man on
crutches went to see Mr Jack Charlton and asked him if he could have atrial with the Boro.
Jacks reply was " well son once you get that leg sorted, come over th England and I promise that I will give you that trial"

That player happened to be a local boy, none other than Craig Johnston.

Stay safe all.
Love from Oz.
UTB
 
First time I saw Souness was when the Boro did a trip to Oz.
I can't remember if the game was in Sydney or not, it could well have taken place in Newcastle on the NSW mid coast.
But he was immense, he ran the show and scored as well. I think we won about 8-0
You couldn't help but think what a player we have on our hands.

It was Newcastle now I think of it and the reason I've just remembered is that on that very same day, a young man on
crutches went to see Mr Jack Charlton and asked him if he could have atrial with the Boro.
Jacks reply was " well son once you get that leg sorted, come over th England and I promise that I will give you that trial"

That player happened to be a local boy, none other than Craig Johnston.

Stay safe all.
Love from Oz.
UTB
Brilliant & yes Craig Johnston had seen the Boro play over there on TV while in hospital

Big Jack got a couple that day too
 

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Brilliant & yes Craig Johnston had seen the Boro play over there on TV while in hospital

Big Jack got a couple that day too

Thanks for that Erimus74. Was sure that he scored but nonetheless, he played a blinder.
So wasn't Craig at the match?
I know the Boro plyed elsewhere in Oz, maybe a game in Perth and Melbourne as well. Maybe it was one of those
matches he saw on TV, I would've thought that if the Boro were on TV that I would have known about it.
It was a long time ago probably your user name 74ish.
For whatever reason though, I'm sure he was at the Newcastle game when he approached Jack, and he was a local lad after all.
 
Thanks for that Erimus74. Was sure that he scored but nonetheless, he played a blinder.
So wasn't Craig at the match?
I know the Boro plyed elsewhere in Oz, maybe a game in Perth and Melbourne as well. Maybe it was one of those
matches he saw on TV, I would've thought that if the Boro were on TV that I would have known about it.
It was a long time ago probably your user name 74ish.
For whatever reason though, I'm sure he was at the Newcastle game when he approached Jack, and he was a local lad after all.
Wore these shorts there too redblood
 

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Before setting sail once again for the shores of OZ, I was in my last year of school who had already taken us to ICI and the steelworks to show me what future lay ahead.
It was Dec 69 and I only had several months to go before gaining a school certificate.
My parents were insisting that when we get to Oz I am going to have to go back to school for another whole year as the school over here finishes in Dec and restarts late Jan.
I was aghast at the thought. By the time I was fifteen I had already been to six schools. England, Perth, Sydney England, Philadelphia and back to England and now they wanted me to
go to another in Sydney.

We arrived in Sydney and within days I was off to the beach, a 2km downhill walk. Not only for the swim but there was money to be had by returning soft drink bottles to the shops and Coogee beach
and building sites were awash with them. You could within fifteen minutes have enough money to by oneself a burger with chips, play the pinball machines for a few hours as well as the bus fare home.

When I got to the shop precinct in Coogee, I was walking past a butcher shop when I noticed on the door saying first year apprentice wanted apply within.
I walked in to be greeted with, Yes young man, what can I get you? I said I've come to apply for the apprentices job. He asked, so you want to be a butcher do you?
I never in my entire life had given it any thought whatsoever except perhaps for the last fifteen seconds or so. I think I just nodded and his reply was Are you sure ?
Yes, Yes, I'm sure. How old are you and what's your name. I told him and he offered his hand and I shook it and he said see you 7am Monday.

I didn't catch the bus home that day,even though I had the fare, I needed to climb that long uphill road to give me plenty of time to figure out how to avoid being murdered when
I break the news to my oldies.
I got home and Mam said Hi son how was the beach?. I told her that I'd had a great day and the water was fantastic. She said your Dads had a good day too he's had a good win at
Randwick races. He looked at me and said he'd backed a few winners and also got a trifecta up. It meant little to me but the smile on his face told me all I needed to know.

I thought there will be no better time to break the news than now.

( You can only post so much here so part two shortly)
 
I said. Oh there's something else that I have to tell you. I've got a job I start on Monday. I can't print here what my mother said but thankfully my Dad intervened.
So, what's the job? A butchers apprentice. What time do you start? 7am. He howled with laughter. So you're telling me that you're going to get yourself up, have breakfast,
get dressed and be at work by 7am. He howled again with laughter before I even had the chance to respond. And what time do you finish? I didn't know, I hadn't even asked that question.
The look on my face told him all that he needed to know. Well they close at 5.30 son and they work Saturdays too. More laughter from him until my Mam piped up with I'm not having it, he's
not going to be leaving school without a school certificate.

My Dad was loving this, I've never seen him laugh so much or so loudly and with a nice win up his sleeve, it would've taken a death in the family for him to change his mood.
He said let him be pet, let him go, he will be pig sick in a few days and he will be first in line when school enrolment comes around.

How wrong he was, I was loving it, the guys that I worked with were a great bunch of lads except for all the pommie bashing and mocking and imitating of my Redcar accent that I endured daily. I had money and I had a job with an hour lunch break where I could have lunch on the beach and plenty of time for a swim to be refreshed for the remainder of the day.
And the bikinis, boy, they were everywhere, including our shop. There was more meat in that shop than any fifteen year old boy could have imagined or hoped for.

A couple of weeks later the shop owner handed me my apprenticeship papers to be taken home for my parents to witness and sign.
My Mam was livid. My Dad said look love, to my Mam, we know he's no Einstein but at least he's got a job that will always be in demand, I mean we've all got to eat.
I was about to intervene myself especially after the Einstein remark but I decided not to as I could see that he was on the verge of signing. Which he did.

Thanks Dad, love you and so glad that you had me in your back pocket , concerning the Boro.
Many years later when I thanked him properly he said son I never wanted you to follow in my footstep and be stood over a lathe all day.
But I was seasick for twelve thousand bloody miles to get you a better life. But a butcher son, a bloody butcher, christ you could've done that in Redcar.
Now it was my turn to howl with laughter.

UTB
 
Nobody else have any stories to tell?

Not a story to tell per se, but thank you fellas for putting me in psychological striking distance of Oamaru and Motueka in New Zealand and Murwillumbah and Bondi in Oz, places which have profound resonance in my life.
 
Not a story to tell per se, but thank you fellas for putting me in psychological striking distance of Oamaru and Motueka in New Zealand and Murwillumbah and Bondi in Oz, places which have profound resonance in my life.
How is that then rkangel?
 
How is that then rkangel?

Places that I've visited and loved and where people still important to me still live. Places I've promised myself I'll visit again. Especially a restaurant in Motueka, which was closed when I was there, but I've been told does some of the finest seafood known to man.
 
rkangel.

I'm Intrigued, Murwillumbah? Surely to visit Nimbin? ;)(y)

No, Murwillumbah itself. Actually a wedding that found me sleeping on a bench after the wedding and being helped by a policeman to break into the hotel I was staying in. A great memory.
 
No, Murwillumbah itself. Actually a wedding that found me sleeping on a bench after the wedding and being helped by a policeman to break into the hotel I was staying in. A great memory.
The coppers up there these days are pretty good and shut their eyes to a lot of what is going on around them.
It was different in the early seventies when the hippies moved into the region en masse. Busting them for marijuana growing and avoiding conscription to Vietnam.
It's funny as the hippies were all anti anything and now they own most the hemp clothes shops cafe's etc.:D(y)
 
The coppers up there these days are pretty good and shut their eyes to a lot of what is going on around them.
It was different in the early seventies when the hippies moved into the region en masse. Busting them for marijuana growing and avoiding conscription to Vietnam.
It's funny as the hippies were all anti anything and now they own most the hemp clothes shops cafe's etc.:D(y)


The copper was a nice bloke indeed. He'd driven past me on the bench a few times before he decided to stop and talk to me. I suppose because I was still wearing my suit from the wedding, rather than looking like a ne'erdowell.

I'd been to Nimbin on a previous trip to Oz and never found it especially friendly.
 
The copper was a nice bloke indeed. He'd driven past me on the bench a few times before he decided to stop and talk to me. I suppose because I was still wearing my suit from the wedding, rather than looking like a ne'erdowell.

I'd been to Nimbin on a previous trip to Oz and never found it especially friendly.

I think the locals have always been somewhat wary of new faces due to the amount of undercover cops keeping tabs on things. Hence the
feeling of unfriendliness. They are a closely guarded community and with reason.
The term Mullumbimby madness was a well known term over here for the locally produced green stuff.
 
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