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Beesa rider

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About Beesa rider

  • Rank
    Registered User
  • Birthday 25/07/1950

Personal Information

  • Location
    Coal Aston
  • Interests
    Music and classic biking
  • Occupation
    Operations Director
  1. Me and my mate John perfected the fake Fred Hartley card using our work photocopier and double sided sticky tape. We bought all manner of car related stuff from their in my case for the Morris Minor Estate. Sports steering wheel and Elpico push button radio comes to mind not to mention quilted rally jacket. Quite right that no-one seemed to worry about checking the card. I went out with a hairdresser called Susanne from Adkin Rd for a couple of years around 1967. Her old man had quite a fearsome Alsation dog.
  2. As kids we used to crawl up a small tunnel that ran under Riverdale Road from Encliffe Park. Situated on the river bank about halfway between the 2 ponds it was maybe a 2 foot square stone built construction that ran in about 25 feet to a tee junction. From that point my memory is vary vague but I suspect that we must have explored as far as possible and that both branches were blind ends. As kids we were told (by who?) that there was a tunnel leading to "The Convent" which I think now is All Saints School site. There was also a large tunnel at the back of Endcliffe Hall Army Barracks. Our Scout hut, 29th Montgomery, was situated behind the Army garages up there, the tunnel ran under the hut along the edge of the huge wall adjoining the School grounds. I'm sure we were told that it used to be a carriage access for visitors to the Hall in days gone bye. It was certainly big/grand enough for that to have been true. I expect the Army HQ is completely secure these days unlike the 60's when we had the run of the place.
  3. The Gaumont circa 62/64 ??? I can't remember much about the films other than westerns being shown but I can remember Ronaldo the accordion player who used to feature at some point and was pelted with jelly babies and the like (not in the nice way that the Beatles later enjoyed) Perhaps we also had Laurel and Hardy ? It was also scene of my first ventures into the world of girls and I do have some vivid memories of a few attempts (failed) at making new friends in those cinema seats.
  4. Backtracking on this thread I note the comment about Charlie Freeman's Banner Cross shop. It was on the opposite side to The Banner Cross pub and if my memory serves me right had bikes in the window at street level and some stairs down to a lower floor - but I have no idea whether there were bikes down their or spares. I think it was more about scooters/small Hondas etc and was open maybe 1965 - '67 ? I purchased my first "proper bike" from Grays in 1968, a '64 C15 which cost me 99 Guineas. Riding it home I noticed a horrible noise coupled with poor acceleration when I gave it some throttle . This turned out to be the rear sprocket which had virtually no teeth allowing the chain to just spin round it. Grays did replace the sprocket at no charge but fancy putting it out to a customer like that !
  5. 2 memories of Top Ranking, circa 1970 Being turned away at the door because my hair was too long and touching my collar (those were the days pre balding) and later having presumably had a hair cut rather nervously dancing with my girl to records from the likes of Desmond Dekker surrounded by skinheads.
  6. I attended the occasional ASTMS Union meeting there from Stanley Tools in the early 70's. In my memory the place was fairly run down but you could have a lager whilst lstening to the ranting of the hotheads. The Stanley staff (as opposed to the shopfloor) would get all angry from time to time and a meeting would be called by the shop steward, Vince Stainrod. "We demand 10%" was the cry from the masses, "we'll accept 1%" was the likely outcome. Actually I'm sure I remember 15% increases one year, wow ! Inflation was at the same level in those days.
  7. I spent 10 days there in 1974 having a cartilage sorted out on my knee. In those days, pre keyhole surgery, I was confined to bed for the duration with a huge wadding dressing on the offending leg. Whilst not saying I enjoyed being in hospital I can only confer that the atmosphere amongst the long term patients and staff was terrific. Even in my relatively trivial state I too remember being wheeled out onto the patio to take the air in the spring sunshine. Whenever I hear The 3 Degrees "When Will I See You" I am taken back to those few days it King Ted's.
  8. Sheaf Motors, mentioned earlier, were an official Ford Dealer at their Dyches Lane Garage at Coal Aston . I well remember the Ford Capri arriving there "The Car You've Always Promised Yourself" circa 1968. To wet the appetite for the revolutionary new fastback design the advance brochure contained a cut out cardboard version of the car. The first batch were kept hidden away for a day or 2 leading up to the launch but I, as an inquisitive 17 year old petrol head, found them under wraps in the old shed at the back of the garage.
  9. If you take a look here : - http://wogew.blogspot.com/2008/07/beatles-at-azena-sheffield.html The story of the Azena gig is told in detail including details of the set list and the conflicting dates and dodgy poster.
  10. My memories of the chippie go back to 1960/61 when we would go down there from Nether Green School for chips in a hollowed out Hovis penny loaf ! The bread came from the bakers next door. We weren't allowed out of School at lunchtime but I remember we could nip over the playground wall into a stream, usually dried out, which ran down to Hangingwater Road, there was a quick climb up over a low wall to the pavement just at the side of the chippy. On at least one occasion we were nabbed by a teacher and reported for detention or somesuch, Mr Manterfield the deputy head comes to mind as one of the spies. Happy days
  11. My Uncle Alec (Tom to some) and Auntie Margaret lived there from, I think, the early 60's until his death 1978. He was certainly involved in the Mojo closure as it used to "drive him mad" I never went there but had friends who did and who were very angry when it was closed down so I had to keep my Uncle as a secret.
  12. Many years ago (circa 70/72) in the summer months 3 or 4 of us used to park in Fitzalan Square in the early hours of a Sunday morning (usually in my Morris Minor) We would sit there for a couple of hours seeing the late night taxi queue disperse whilst we sang and played guitar, mainly Beatles songs. Often we entertained the naturally curious Bobbies who were based each night in the Police Box there. Eg. "Do you know Yellow Submarine?" On more than one occasion we went down the Hole in the Road subway to sing prompted by the fact the it formed the most amazing whispering/echo gallery - if you stood at any point under a particular part of the arched roof you could project the quietest of noise round the perimeter several times. On a full 3 part harmony the sound was quite extraordinary. Times gone by, never to return.
  13. Mine was an evening Star round circa 1962 from Herrings paper shop at Oakbrook Road. I went down Rustlings Road and up the various side streets round Peveril Rd. Then I did Sunday mornings along Oakbrook onto Riverdale Rd. I was doing that round at the time when Sunday Supplements came in, all of a sudden the paper bag weighed twice as much and it became impossible to cycle whilst carrying the full load. Happy days, and the Christmas Eve round was heaven with loads of tips !
  14. Thank goodness for that - I've known John for a good while - I trust he will be at Coal Aston Village Hall, February 7th, beating the skins behind Dave Berry! So what the heck did the RIP reference mean ?
  15. 14th December, Taylorspye has written "RIP John Firminger" - I hope I'm missing the point and am mistaken in making the literal interpretation ? But if this is a sad truth can anyone elaborate please ?
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