Africa

My family were originally from Essex in the UK. On my Dad's side they were from Thurrock and the family has been traced back to the 1700's in the village of Orsett which is also where I was born. Mum's side were from Thurrock and Dagenham although by the time I came along most of both sides of the family lived in Grays.
I always heard that my parents met at a bus stop in Grays in 1963. My Dad, who was working in the Merchant Navy, was on leave. Mum worked in an office as a typist and they obviously hit it off enough to get married in March 1964. The next two years saw our little family staying in Thurrock with me being born in 1964 and my brother, Ian, coming along at the end of 1965. The world at that time was an optimistic place for young people and many were looking abroad for their futures. the ten pound Pom scheme attracted many to Australia, but my parents decided to head for South Africa.
Trade qualified from Ford at Dagenham, my dad had skillsets which were highly in demand in South Africa and we soon found ourselves heading for sunnier climes onboard the SS Southern Cross from Southampton to Cape Town. Not for the first time, my father travelled ahead leaving my mother with the kids following up behind.

SS Southern Cross 

Life in South Africa in the mid-60's was good and bad. I was very young and had no idea of the issues related to apartheid which were being raised. I have vague memories of us being in temporary accommodation whilst we waited to find a house. Running to meet my dad one day when he returned from work and standing on a board with a nail sticking up (I still have the scar). Our first Great Dane, a huge Brindle Bitch called Tina ( a name we liked and proceeded to use frequently with subsequent pets). South Africa back then was very westernised, developed and popular with expats with good salaries and an excellent standard of living. We lived in Klerksdorp for two years before we moved to a place called Mano River in Liberia. This was a whole different kettle of fish.
Liberia in 1969 was dependent on two resouces; rubber and iron ore. Everything in the country was dependent on the long term links Liberia enjoyed with the United States. My father's new role was on an iron ore mine in the West of Liberia in the middle of the jungle.

Mano River 

Lower Camp, Mano River

I can't even imagine what the culture shock must have been like for my mother going from a highly developed western environment to an isolated basic bush set-up in the wilds of West Africa! For my brother and I though, it was heaven! Plenty of kids to play with, safe environment (not counting the scorpions, snakes, centipedes, crocodiles, etc.) and as much freedom to explore as you could handle. By now we had another addition to the family, my sister Tracey-Anne, she was a cute little button and spoilt by everyone. The other families at Mano River were truly international; Philipinos, Americans, Dutch, Indonesian, British, Irish, Spanish and of course the Liberian nationals themselves. Going to school with children from so many different cultures and backgrounds made for a very enlightened situation.

Me, Ian and Tracey-Anne with friends around 1974

My earliest memories of reading are those basic American primers used in the US in the 50's and 60's. We poured over Sears catalogues (everything had to be shipped in) looking at toys for our Christmas wishlists, swapped dog-eared comics with each other. british kids had Warlord, Commando, Beano and Dandy, our American cousins had Superman, Batman, Ironman, Thor and many others. The American ones were the most sought after.
Our groceries came from an on-mine commissary which provided the basics. You could also buy fresh food in the local village Kongo Town, where there were also a couple of Lebanese run stores (where Ian and I got our first pocket knives) and local tailors where my father had a great fondness for the ubiquitous safari suit had sky blue suits made for my brother and I. I have never been able to see a safari suit since without wincing inside.

The beginning

Now 50 years old, grizzled, unfit, overweight and with too great a fondness for things which are unhealthy for me I believe it is time to try and record the life which has led me to this point. Apologies for any boring bits, as there no doubt will be, but some of my life has been interesting and hopefully a pre-cursor to a equally exciting second half century.