FORTY YEARS IN THURSO – Photo shows my first home, 33 Thorfinn Terrace

Blow by blow! Edited cos yer all get bored if I repeated every wee detail. For every year there is a book inside me!

1981 Arrive, get house after complaining about first choice and start at Dounreay as king glassblower. Thought people assumed I could do glass miracles and had come to save them! Ye gods not me mate. Bit of a shocker when within first month of starting to work at Dounreay a photo of me appeared on front page of Courier. Thankfully, I was only glassblowing! Up until 1993 no one questioned the value of having a scientific glassblower on their books but after ’93 that all changed and the value of paperwork over true craft grew beyond all recognition. Still got to spend £££££ on new glass working equipment, travel to various glass event UK and USA. Best bit in one way was travelling around Caithness doing glass demos to what seemed like 10000000000000s of SWRI groups. Goodness I must have judged tons of home baking contests!!!!

1981 Found St Anne’s RC ( or did it find me?). My wife Maureen became President of St Anne’s Ladies Guild for a while, and it was the first group that I gave a glass demo too. I still attend Mass even though I am not Catholic, Maureen was so in her honour I pop in most Sundays. In some way I hope that something sinks into my mind after my continued praying!!!!

1982 Joined Society of Caithness Artists on persuasion of Hetty Munro of Ships Wheel. First exhibition was in Miller Academy. The start of an exciting journey, one with no destination and one which I have no idea where the next comfort break is! The year may not be accurate but it’s art ain’t it?

1983 – 1986 Fostered 3 boys, 2 had special needs but not identified as such by social services! Felt screwed up most of time and learnt a lot about authorities. Teachers and Social workers have a lot to answer for or at least the ones I met during these years. Reckon looking back some of the advice I was given was borderline cruelty. E.g., bathe a child with their clothes on to see if he reacts!! What the f***!

1985 Start 2nd Thurso Beavers along with 3 other leaders. Still going strong. Well, when we return hopefully. Got a lot of resistance from the old Scout guard on taking kids into Movement. Was ages before we could take part in St Georges Day Parades. Couldn’t quite get to grips with pecking orders.

1986 approx. became Chair of Friends of Samaritans as Maureen was a Samaritan. Average time a person would last as a Samaritan was normally 3 years. Maureen did 12! Fun times raising money from being money man at Janet Street fayres to haggis hurling at Wester raft race. Even got on float in carnival. Loved doing the door-to-door collections and did Reay one night where took ages to walk to all the posh houses to get pennies. Next night did Halkirk and went round all the pensioners and was offered ££££ which I felt guilty but took a cup of coffee instead. Lots of lonely people me thinks. Samaritans are meant to be annon so I had idea that to protect identity Sam’s if they wanted to take part in public events then they could wear a brown bag over their head. I demoed this and walked straight into lamp post!

1990 Started “Glass Creations”. Best training module is to start yer own business. Teaches people skills, delegation, and time management. The latter I have yet to master. Had to be accepted by Caithness Crafts Association and took my glass to committee at Town Hall. They made me wait while they deliberated behind screen on stage. They told me I was accepted by majority. Hmmmm so who didn’t vote for me?

1993 Moved to “Glendale” as wanted a “real” house instead of wooden chalet although underestimated maintenance costs on ye olde olde olde olde home! One side was Mrs Gunn and other side was Woodbees. Used my garage to store Christmas trees. That’s Woodebees not Mrs Gunn!

1996 Moved into Archives at Dounreay as either a Records Manager or Archive Manager depending on which way the wind was blowing!!!!! Dead easy job if you knew what records to keep and what not. Think I did OK as got promoted. That never happen when I was glassblowing. Proves how people under value true craftmanship and the skills that are involved in creating such.

2005, Bad year as Maureen, my wife of 30 years died as did my dad and niece in same year. Bummer!!!!!! Spent (wasted?) too much time working out how to get rid of myself as not worth living. Think I was suffering from bereavement issues when it transpired, I was in shock. Shocking!

2010 Married Janice, lucky man me!!!

The rest is history. It isn’t of course unless you know me. Last few years my sister died, my Mum died, my Sister-in-Law also died but they didn’t live here so they weren’t known as much as say my Father-in-Law who also died here in Caithness. Ahhhh but trick is I had two Father-in-Laws, and both died. When my Mother-in-Law (Maureen’s Mum) died, just before she said to me that she didn’t want to be forgotten and I never have. It’s hard to try and remember all those that have died but it appears that people have here in Caithness have a fantastic memory for the important things such as who is related to who. When I first came to Caithness no one knew me. More so now perhaps and maybe some might remember me when I’ve passed on. Time will tell but not another forty years for sure”.

In the grand scheme of things forty years is nought and my contribution is zero but I, as I am sure a lot of people might think, we are more than what we really are.