| M845 |
Well they, I was born in Sandyhills in the east end of Glasgow |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
and eh earliest memories, [inaudible] I was thinkin that on the way in today that you would probably ask me that, my earliest memory was as a, a small under-five child being taken along for the wee sugar cube, if you remember ye got a dot of |
| F606 |
Oh yeah! [laugh] |
| M845 |
eh medicine on a sugar cube for some disease
//whether// |
| F606 |
//Yeah.// |
| M845 |
diptheria or whatever.
//An I remember goin// |
| F606 |
//Yeah uh-huh.// |
| M845 |
along there to the, the medical centre wi my mum. |
| F606 |
Yeah. |
| M845 |
So that, that's probably my earliest memory but eh very happy days and eh unlike these days it was always, ye always stayed in the one house.
//We only// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
ever moved once and eh we were in council housing and it was a swap
//with a lady we knew// |
| F606 |
//ah// |
| M845 |
who had a, a two-bedroomed house
//an we had a one-// |
| F606 |
//Yeah.// |
| M845 |
bedroomed house so it was a, in fact it's the other way rou-, she'd a three, we'd a two, beg your pardon
//an we s- we did a// |
| F606 |
//mm// |
| M845 |
swap as you used to do in those days. |
| F606 |
Yeah? |
| M845 |
But we stayed with my granny, she was in the house, she stayed with us |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
and eh the whole family unit was there. |
| F606 |
Yeah. |
| M845 |
I mean in terms o- of language eh the- there were certainly words that, that my grandmother used which eh we don't
//but we're aware of them,// |
| F606 |
//Yeah.// |
| M845 |
eh words like 'ben', ben the
//ben the lobby, ben the hoose// |
| F606 |
//ben [inaudible]//
mmhm |
| M845 |
we, we know what they mean but we just don't use them anymore. |
| F606 |
Yeah. |
| M845 |
Eh 'doon the water' was a phrase which we all understand tae mean a, a sail on a, an old paddle
//steamer down the water.// |
| F606 |
//Yeah [laugh]// |
| M845 |
We know it existed but we just don't refer to it cause they don't exist anymore |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
and, ye know, an it's noticeable that my children now haven't a clue
//and, they don't understand these things anymore.// |
| F606 |
//They don't understand the words, mm.// |
| M845 |
So it is gradually being lost, there's no doubt |
| F606 |
Yeah. |
| M845 |
ehm |
| F606 |
So when did you move north? |
| M845 |
Well eh when I married which was eh nineteen eighty-three eh, our first house was in Hillington in the, the south side of Glasgow, |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
and it was two years after that I got my first promotion to Argyll |
| F606 |
oh aye. |
| M845 |
in the west coast. |
| F606 |
Yeah. |
| M845 |
and we were there for over seven years and I remember eh one of the local's saying there that I've never lost my dialect
//eh while a lot o// |
| F606 |
//Yeah.// |
| M845 |
people have been integrated and obviously pickin up the west coast lilt |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
eh I never seemed to,
Um but then eh moved back to south Lanarkshire, various jobs eh to Perth and Kinross and Crieff and finally up here
//eh// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
five, six years ago now. |
| F606 |
Right, yeah. |
| M845 |
Eh I mean in terms of my, my speech if you like, I, I notice and it has been remarked, when I go back and I speak to my brothers
//I do become// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
broader Glaswegian. |
| F606 |
Yeah [laugh] |
| M845 |
Eh, however, when I'm out, you know, obviously working but eh in other areas of the country, I assume this much more Sunday, dignified |
| F606 |
[laugh] yeah. |
| M845 |
speech. |
| F606 |
Right [laugh] |
| M845 |
ehm |
| F606 |
I mean, because the dialect seems to be stronger up here than it is in
//Glasgow.// |
| M845 |
//Oh it is//
eh and I've noticed that, that, that we have picked up one or two phrases
//eh// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
ye know, may-, maybe it's a Perthshire phrase but 'the morn's morn'
//instead of 'tomorrow'// |
| F606 |
//Yeah//
uh-huh |
| M845 |
is one that, that we now naturally use |
| F606 |
Yeah. |
| M845 |
an it's, ye know, it's difficult to say when ye, ye begin tae change but
//it jist kinda// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
by osmosis |
| F606 |
yeah [laugh] |
| M845 |
you find yourself adopting new words and phrases. |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
um |
| F606 |
What about your own children, do they? |
| M845 |
Yeah ehm [inaudible] they, because we've moved around so much they don't really have any strong association with any particular area |
| F606 |
mm |
| M845 |
eh the- their births are registered in Argyll,
//eh their// |
| F606 |
//Yeah.// |
| M845 |
fondest memories were, of growing up, were probably in Crieff,
//and here they are in// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
in Angus, living in Angus now. |
| F606 |
Yeah. |
| M845 |
Eh so, so they are eh kinda mixed-up kids
//um// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
they, they, they've sort of adopted the, the same eh speech as, as me, my wife and I, my wife comes from Johnstone,
//out// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
by Paisley and fairly indistinguishable, eh just the same as myself,
//a-, and my, the// |
| F606 |
//Yeah.// |
| M845 |
children are the same, |
| F606 |
Yeah. |
| M845 |
ehm you know, the- there is a,
The- there is a sort of language that, that Angus people u- there i-, use, there is a, a lilt to their voice particularly and, and my children haven't picked that up. |
| F606 |
mmhm
//[laugh]// |
| M845 |
//I don't know why.// |
| F606 |
Depends what age they were when you came up here,
//I suppose, yeah.// |
| M845 |
//Yeah.//
Eh my daughter was just starting secondary school so she was eh eleven
and my son would have been much younger so he would have been seven |
| F606 |
uh-huh |
| M845 |
but again no real, no real distinctive
//north-eastern// |
| F606 |
//mm// |
| M845 |
speech.
Probably because they, so much time with us of course. |
| F606 |
Yeah [laugh] |
| M845 |
ehm |
| F606 |
So how do you like living up here then? |
| M845 |
Smashing, yes it's, it's great, um, you know, the proximity to the hills is, is super, the space |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
ah it's far enough away from Glasgow and the south that you don't get pestered by people but
//it's near enough// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
that they can visit if they want.
//Ehm// |
| F606 |
//Yeah [laugh]// |
| M845 |
no, the quality o life is super an, ye know, ye, ye see the number of eh people that have arrived from all over
//Britain,// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
ye know? We've got staff here from Shetland, all the way down to England,
//Leeds,// |
| F606 |
//Yeah.// |
| M845 |
and beyond. |
| F606 |
uh-huh |
| M845 |
Eh, ye know, people are attracted here by the same things as we are, |
| F606 |
Yeah. |
| M845 |
quality o life it's, it's really good. |
| F606 |
Cause this, they're building quite a lot of new houses, yeah? |
| M845 |
They are eh all over the place, eh within Laurencekirk they are
//and eh// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
ye know, we stay in Kirriemuir |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
and the only thing that's holding it up there is the, the, the limitations of the, the public amenities,
//ye know, the,// |
| F606 |
//Yeah.// |
| M845 |
they really need to upgrade the water and sewerage before they can add any more onto the system. |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
So eh, yeah, building all over the place |
| F606 |
Yeah. |
| M845 |
and eh lots of people coming in, which is good. |
| F606 |
So the school roll's gone up then? |
| M845 |
It certainly has, yeah ehm when I arrived here in May nineteen ninety-nine the, the roll was four hundred and forty, four hundred and fifty
//an// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
now, it's six hundred and s- fifty-four this year,
//due to go up next year to around s-, just under six seventy we think.// |
| F606 |
//[laugh]//
Yeah? |
| M845 |
So, yeah it's, it's, but, but next year will be the, the most, thereafter it will be falling, |
| F606 |
mmhm
//[laugh]// |
| M845 |
//we just don't think it'll be falling as much as Aberdeenshire think it will// |
| F606 |
Right [laugh] |
| M845 |
ehm |
| F606 |
So are you very overcrowded or |
| M845 |
Very much so. |
| F606 |
uh-huh |
| M845 |
Uh we've had four huts or as they like to call them, 'relocatables'
//but they're, but they're huts,// |
| F606 |
//Is that ah so?//
Yeah [laugh] |
| M845 |
eh four huts stuck on to the back o the school to cope. |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
But it's really in terms of the, the specialist rooms, the computin rooms and technical rooms an |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
eh home economics that we really need additional rooms but they, these just won't be provided anymore. |
| F606 |
No. |
| M845 |
Eh in fact there's a public meeting tonight to look at the, the new school which is being
//talked about,// |
| F606 |
//ah//
//yeah.// |
| M845 |
//one of//
twenty-four projects by Aberdeenshire,
//so we// |
| F606 |
//Yeah.// |
| M845 |
we hope to be part of that twenty point three million quoted as being the most expensive
//option,// |
| F606 |
//Yeah [laugh]// |
| M845 |
so we hope to be that. |
| F606 |
For one building or |
| M845 |
For one building,
//yeah.// |
| F606 |
//uh-huh// |
| M845 |
I mean I notice eh you have here eh, 'early days and teaching',
//my, my first teaching// |
| F606 |
//Yeah.// |
| M845 |
post was in Easterhouse in Glasgow
//at Lochend Secondary// |
| F606 |
//Oh, was it? [laugh]// |
| M845 |
so I was there for five years, |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
um
//a-// |
| F606 |
//it's quite// |
| M845 |
and I remember s- know, teachers saying there's almost a subculture there within Easterhouse
//ehm// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
i- it was a remarkable place at the time, it certainly has changed I know
//eh// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
but at that time which was early ninteen-eighties, I was told it had the population of Perth |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
and almost no facilities,
//[inaudible] ye know?// |
| F606 |
//Yeah, that's// |
| M845 |
It had one shopping area |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
and one pub and that was it. |
| F606 |
Yeah. |
| M845 |
Essentially there were three roads in |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
to Easterhouse, eh one down to Edinburgh Road
well, two down to Edinburgh Road in different directions, eh one out towards ehm oh there's a loch out by Lochend Secondary, a- and it really was a self-contained community, it was a remarkable place. |
| F606 |
mmhm
//Mm but.// |
| M845 |
//Just//
just heavin.
//[laugh]// |
| F606 |
//[laugh]//
//So what was your subject?// |
| M845 |
//[laugh]//
eh Maths.
//eh// |
| F606 |
//Oh right, yeah.// |
| M845 |
I taught maths there for, for five years. |
| F606 |
That's quite challenging I should think. |
| M845 |
Yes ehm, but having said that there were many many good families there at the time,
//ye know?// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
Clearly it was an area of deprivation, but I remember one girl in particular who came to school every day with her, the old-fashioned white hose as we used to call them, |
| F606 |
uh-huh? |
| M845 |
eh school uniform, very smartly turned out because the family wanted her to do well. |
| F606 |
Yeah. |
| M845 |
And it was the sort of place, ye, much like Mearns in some ways, ye know, you could be different and you weren't really at the butt end of a lot of leg-pulling, |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
ye know, people allowed ye tae be the way ye were
//if that's how ye were.// |
| F606 |
//Yeah.//
uh-huh |
| M845 |
Um i- it, it was a happy school; you obviously ha- didn't have as much of a top end |
| F606 |
No. |
| M845 |
of
ability as you would do in some places,
//but// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
I really enjoyed my time there,
//and eh// |
| F606 |
//mm// |
| M845 |
kids were great. |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
Ehm [inaudible] ye know and th- they used to, out on the pitches, there was an area of, outside the school about nine or ten blaze pitches, a huge area
//and one// |
| F606 |
//Yeah.// |
| M845 |
grass pitch for rugby, |
| F606 |
uh-huh [laugh] |
| M845 |
so they, they used to go out there wi their golf clubs at the weekend or during the week and they'd hit golf balls from one end of the, the rugby pitch to the other, |
| F606 |
mmhm? |
| M845 |
an when they were finished what the sport was that ye just fired the golf ball straight in the school,
//so you, I mean, the glaziers were out// |
| F606 |
//[laugh]//
//[laugh]// |
| M845 |
//three times a week,//
//eh// |
| F606 |
//Yes [laugh]// |
| M845 |
repairing windows; it was an astonishing amount o money was paid out in broken windows.
And eh, ye know, it wasn't unusual to find golf balls in your room in the morning.
//[laugh]// |
| F606 |
//[laugh] [sigh]// |
| M845 |
Ehm, ye know, the, the more bizarre one was ehm I, I was team teaching with a, a teacher an she says, eh, "Gordon", she says, "come over here an see this", she says, "is that legal?"
I says, "What?", she says, "Look oot there", and on the pitches there was a guy wi a, a whippet dog and he had a big sack so he reached into the sack and pulled out a rabbit
//so.// |
| F606 |
//What, live?//
//uh-huh?// |
| M845 |
//Aye!//
Waved it in front o the dog an let it off an, holding the dog for a few seconds, set the dog off to chase the rabbit.
Once it had run it down, brought it back, he pulled another one out and I don't know how many he had in his sack
//but that [laugh]// |
| F606 |
//Good grief! [laugh]// |
| M845 |
that was him amusement f-
//his amusement of a morning.// |
| F606 |
//Yeah [laugh]//
In training his whippet
//presuma- [laugh]// |
| M845 |
//Training a whippet for chasin, for chasin rabbits.// |
| F606 |
Oh that's a real community school
//[laugh]// |
| M845 |
//Oh absolutely.//
//So ye saw// |
| F606 |
//Yeah.// |
| M845 |
ye saw eh all of life there, that's for sure. |
| F606 |
Yeah. |
| M845 |
Ehm
The school was, was eh just over the road from one row of shops which was the main post office for the, for Easterhouse,
and it wasn't again unusual eh tae find, particularly elderly people taking the shortcut
//between the// |
| F606 |
//mmhm// |
| M845 |
shops and the post office, havin picked up their pension
to go home. |
| F606 |
mmhm |
| M845 |
So you'd find them walkin through the school
//[laugh]// |
| F606 |
//[laugh]// |
| M845 |
"Can I help ye?"
"Ah it's alright son, I'm, I'm just on ma way home,
//I'll no be botherin ye",// |
| F606 |
//[laugh]//
//Right [laugh].// |
| M845 |
//and they'd just toddle through and walk out the back door!//
//[laugh]// |
| F606 |
//Fair enough, yeah [laugh].// |
| M845 |
So they, it was before Dunblane and security measures,
//and so on.// |
| F606 |
//Yes, that's right,//
yeah, you're much, ye have to be more careful now,
//yeah.// |
| M845 |
//Aye, that's right.// |
| F606 |
uh-huh |
| M845 |
So. |
| F606 |
[tut] Well thanks
//very much.// |
| M845 |
//So is that enough?//
//Yeah?// |
| F606 |
//Yeah, that's fine,//
yes, that's good. |
Top
