I have extracted a few good pages from the May 1985 edition of Concourse. By that time, my Education and Welfare sabbatical year was coming to an end, so the paper was interested in ushering in the new and ushering out the old. Hold the front page…
Superb picture of John White on the front page, the main (nay only) reason I have uploaded this page
There had been some sort of hoo-ha about the FY exams that Easter, so it seems that I got busy and Margaret Gordon (a lovely lass, I wonder what became of her?) interviewed me about it:
FY stands for Foundation Year, the late lamented “try a bit of everything” course, sadly no longer taught at Keele. Gresham College is perhaps the closest thing to it.
I like the next two pages – a double page spread on the new sabbaticals. Nice to still have pictures of faces I remember. Hayward Burt’s comments on my style raised a smile with me.
I don’t think the term “stress head” had been invented back then, not least because, if it had existed, I think that is exactly the term Hayward would have used to describe me.
I love this little article about John White, Kate Fricker and the Students’ Union cleaners. John looks like a rabbit startled by headlights in the picture. Little did he know that he would subsequently become seasoned for photo shoots, such as his gig as the poster boy for Food Retailer Monthly magazine (or whatever it was called, why can’t I remember?)
Top tank top, John.
Finally the following review of the UGM. These days, the (anonymous) author of this piece would surely not get away with the ethno-physiognomy remark made about me, especially in that context. Where was editor Krista Cowman’s red pen when I needed it? Surely the UGM and Concourse should have been safe space from such comments for people like me? Is it too late for me to seek redress?
Strangely, I have no recollection whatsoever of reading that comment before, although I must have read it, so it must have seemed like water of a duck’s par for the course back then.
Thursday, 21 March 1985 went to doctors and onto CGH [City General Hospital?] etc. Went to see Ashley [Fletcher] and Co – after back to office. Not feeling too good. Did some work etc.
I was working on two publications that Easter Holidays. I was completing an update of Wot Subsid, and I was also starting research into an idea of my own – a publication on sexual health for students – which gained the title Sexplanations. More on the latter publication over the coming months.
Ashley gets very uppity if his name is missing from these “40 years on” pieces for too long, so it was a relief to see him mentioned twice in the space of 10 days in late March 1985. I am trying to remember who “and Co” might have been at that time. Helen Ross? Simon Legg? Ashley might remember.
Friday, 22 March 1985 – busyish day with Wot Subsid etc – not feeling too industrious. Stayed in evening – early night.
Saturday 23 March 1985.– Worked on What Subsid – shopped and worked some more – popped in to union and met Annalisa [de Mercur].
Annalisa is one of the two people I thanked especially for helping with Wot Subsid. The other person so named in my introduction is Sarah Heatherley.
Annalisa (above) & Sarah (below). Pictures by Mark Ellicott.
Annalisa and Sarah must have been incredibly tolerant, if that thank you is anything to go by, although I cannot imagine either of those two being silently tolerant! Both of them will have been among the un-named page collators, back in the days when that sort of thing had to be done by hand. I did my fair share of the collating and I recall Graham Pitt was a great help whenever collating was needed.
Graham Pitt – again from the Mark Ellicott collection
If you want to read the whole Wot Subsid booklet – and I find it almost impossible to imagine Ogblog readers not wanting at least to have a skim of the thing – I have scanned and uploaded Wot Subsid 1985/87 in all its glory.
Sunday, 24 March 1985 – Rose quite late – worked on Wot Subsid. Played host to Margaret [Gordon] and Simon unexpectedly due to Contact lockout – fed & sheltered them and did some work.
In truth, although I remember Margaret Gordon well I don’t remember Simon. I’m not sure whether he was Margaret’s significant other at that time or a co-volunteer with her at Contact.
Contact was Keele’s Samaritans-like service managed and run by student volunteers. I’m not quite sure what went awry for Margaret & Simon that evening/night. Perhaps they had planned to use the Contact room as temporary accommodation for the night but discovered that it had been locked up for the vacation.
My little Horwood flat was not exactly proportioned for several overnight guests, so I can only wonder how we dealt with that, but there was some sort of a sofa and some floor space as well as my modestly proportioned single bed.
I also recall Margaret interviewing me at length about the Foundation Year (FY) for a piece she was writing for Concourse. Whether she took the opportunity to conduct the interview that night, or whether she just set up the interview at that time, I don’t remember. But here is the result of that piece of journalism, which was published in the May 1985 Concourse:
Let me see if I can track Margaret Gordon down and find out if she remembers anything about this.
Monday 25 March 1985 – busyish day in office today – stayed until quite late finishing Wot Subsid etc.
Tuesday 26 March 1985 – Easy sort of day in office – did very little work. Jilly nearly came to Keele, but didn’t. Had quiet evening.
Wednesday, 27 March 1985 fairly easy day in office. Jilly [Black] came today – had trauma with Kate [Fricker]’s flat etc – had nice meal tho and Kate stayed also.
I have no idea why Jilly nearly came but didn’t on the Tuesday, but clearly her change of plan was merely a delay of one day.
I also have no idea what went wrong at Kate (now Susan) Fricker’s flat to cause “trauma”, but Kate was quite a robust person, so I suspect it was something quite serious, such as a burst pipe or electricity failure, rendering the place temporarily uninhabitable.
Stretching my food supply out to feed multiple people was never too difficult in those days, as I always had plentiful supplies of grub in the flat and my choice of dishes tended to be expandable ones.
I should really produce an additional booklet for the Keele Students’ Union, full of my delicious, nutritious and eminently-expandable recipes, to assist future students in their choices of home-cooked meals. I think I shall name that booklet “Wot Subsist”:
In addition to eating, I am pretty sure that Jilly, Kate and I spent some time that evening listening to the records that Jilly had helped me to buy on my visit to Cardiff a couple of week’s earlier.
As for the sleeping arrangements in those, once again, unexpected and overcrowded circumstances, I don’t suppose any of us can remember.
Jilly – I’m pretty sure from an earlier visit to Keele – there is an autumnal look about the place.
Thursday, 28 March 1985 – Union Committee in morning – lazyish afternoon – Jilly and I went to Ashley’s for dinner. Very nice. Left quite early.
I have quite a strong memory of that very enjoyable visit to Ashley’s place for dinner. Jilly and Ashley had enjoyed meeting each other on a previous occasion. Ashley was keen to host us when he found out that Jilly was going to visit. In particular I remember a conversation about whether Marmite was a suitable product to use as “vegan stock” or not. Some elements of that conversation would not pass the student acceptability test today.
Friday 29 March 1985 – Rose early – Jilly left early – [I] tied up loose ends – came down to London – had a lazy evening in with folks.
Saturday, 30 March 1985 easy day – went to High Street – did very little today – stayed in evening.
Sunday 31 March 1985 Rose late – had nice Chinese lunch – lazy day in with folks – had a walk and watched TV.
A few days with the folks – other people spoiling me for a brief change. That Chinese meal can only possibly have been at Mrs Wong’s.
