Just About Me 14

The years 1977 to 1979 were a bit depressing for me, I had to find a job and the only work I could find, as an unqualified in anything person, was as a counter hand in a betting shop. William Hills to be exact in North End Road, SW6, the job also entailed me writing the prices for each race on a flip chart, this was known as writing the board. It also taught me how many different bets people can have ie Patents. Yankees, Doubles etc, it also amazed me how many pensioners like a gamble, they only seemed to bet in pennies but sometimes to see there smiling faces was wonderful as they picked up there winnings, and they always knew to the penny how much to collect. One day they sent me to work in the Knightsbridge Branch, SW7, the contrast was unbelievable, I remember a Chinese guy placing a single bet of £5,000 on the nose of a horse whose name escapes me, the horse lost and he did not bat an eyelid.
I then moved onto Mecca Bookmakers which was also in North End Road, SW6 because they paid £5 a week more, I have to say they were two of the worst jobs I have ever had, and a big drop in wages from LT.

In 1979, I had a brainwave, I had no driving licence so the obvious job to apply for was to apply to be a Milkman, off I went to the Co-Op on the off chance, not once did they ask if I could drive and I got the job, my first day I was out with a guy who was training me, we were chatting in general, I mentioned the fact that I did not have a driving licence, "Don't worry about that" he said "I only have a provisional, just apply for one and say no more" so I did. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Co-Op, I worked with a great bunch of blokes and we used to do so much together. We played football matches against other depot's and Cricket matches, Dart Matches and days out, we never had to take time off to do this as we could be finished work by 9.30am. We had so many laughs, we would play practical jokes on the poor yard boy one of which was to lock him in the funeral parlour next door with all the stiffs, he would be white as a ghost when he came out.
I met people on that job that would become life long friends and relations, namely my brothers in law, Dennis Sime and Paul Sime.

It was via the Co-Op that my next job came along, a guy I worked with Ralph Guyan worked part time as assistant manager at Hammersmith Odeon, he asked me if I fancied working part time as a bouncer at the pop concerts for a guy he knew called Keith Ruddock, Keith ran a company called ESS Security. My first show was at the Dominion Theatre in Tottenham Court Road, W1, in December 1980 Elvis Costello and the Attractions were playing 3 nights, I was put on an exit door and told that no one was to come past me either through the door or down the aisle, the show started fine but after about 3 songs one guy decided he would jump out of his seat and run towards the stage in the section I was in, I stood in front of him and he ran full on into my arms, I don't know who was more surprised him or me but he stopped dead in his track's, I told him in a very brusque manor to return to his seat, and he did. I thought, that's handy, I can do this. Mr Costello kept on singing about Oliver's Army and How he did not want to go to Chelsea, which I found strange as I could not wait to get there.