MESSAGE BOARD
FROM ALY BELL
FROM GRAHAM KELLY
Oh by the way its a boy & girl that Ive got!!! fooking pain in the arse they are as well...bit like me I suppose...
Cant believe Andy Holligan is a born again christian!!!! i still have the scar on my forehead from when that git threw a 1/2 niddrie at my head... did we ever tell you the story about when he welded 2 pipes together to look like a shotgun and on the journey back to edinburgh Andy ( with a full face balaclava on ) poked his head out of the back of Alan Whites Mini and pointed it at another car driver, who then veered off the road. All this unbeknown to Alan !!!! Alan was welcomed home by the police checking his car for illegal firearms!!!! I was pissing myself! I sure God has now forgiven him!!!
I will never forget that nutter.
FROM RICHARD FAIRBAIRN
I left welding early on. My last welding test was in Arderseir in maybe 1991. It was going so badly that I walked away in the middle of it and that was the end of welding for me. Eventually I ended up working as a Forklift driver before becoming a technical writer for the same company. I've had various roles in I.T. (including training - LOL!) before going self employed in 2001 as Wullie mentioned. I'm not very financially succesful, but I have freedom and thats what I always wanted. I live a very quiet life in a quiet little village with a wife, 6 year old son and a dog. I think about Seafar and the guys from those times a lot. I cringe at some of the memories, but mostly I like to think that I was a part of something that was really special. So sad to hear about "Beattie". I really liked him a lot and remember walking from Falkirk to Grangemouth with him once. He spent most of his time during that walk telling me, for some reason, to "toe the line boy, toe the line". If only I had learned from his wisdom. I still haven't. I'd always admired the serenity he showed when I knew him.
Mark, I still don't work hard enough but I can when I want to. I just don't want to all that much. But yeah, I remember those Fridays. I also remember the phone calls I'd make "I won't be in today. I'm not feeling well so I'm going home. [pause]. Oh, and James Edwards and Malcolm Chalmers are not well either and they're going home too."
I have a bebo page that you can find by Googling richybaby223. Don't be fooled by the bit about me doing karate - I am a fat person now, not just a "honey bum". He he he. Best wishes to all.
Strange to hear the nickname Effie again. I literally have not heard that said to me in about 20 years. YAHOO!
FROM KEITH SHEARLAW
hi willie & everybody else great idea hope we can all meet up one day. I now live in dunbar married with 4 step kids and 2 grand kids (thats what you call old). stopped pipefitting long time ago now driving a lorry for a living. lawson if you read this still got a sore knee after playing football against the welders if a tradesman had done it i wouldn't feels so bad about it haha. hope every body is doing well this brought back some great memories.
FROM MARK LAWSON
hello effie are you managing to do a full week at work,remember your attendance at falkirk tech,13 fridays on the trot you dipped awesome man.i am still welding how prehistoric is that,married with two grown up daughters staying in dalgety bay,when are we meeting up for a day at the gogo,s in edinburgh,i have so many great memories of being of an apprentice with you lot.i heard that jimmy edwards is a social worker,andy holligan has his own window cleaning company,derek seath is a double glazing salesman,the only person i have seen and keep in touch with is aly bell he works with fmc as a welder.hope to meet up effie.
kind regards
mark lawson.
FROM DIGGER
Comment:
Wullie further to our earlier conversation I have had a wee think aboot it all and I will contact a couple of the lads @ work who will probably be able to get me contact details for Jerry Haswell and Davie Miller from Berwick.Spoke to Keith earlier and told him Mark Lawson had made contact and Keith said that his knee has never been the same since playing football with him.As for every one else I like you am at a loss as to where they all are now however I would like to meet up and have a bit crack , So keep me posted of any updates and I will get back in touch if I get any joy for the Berwick lads.....
Mark & Effie good to see that you are all doing well..
Regards
JG
FROM MARTYN DEAKIN
Hi to one and all !,hope to find you all well and healthy and enjoying life.
What a great idea to have a reunion and see old freinds ?!.
I am well and 43( old ba****d)the oldest one of the bunch.
all the best to you all and hope to see you soon .
p.s. i have some photos of them days.
FROM GARY DONALDSON
Good to catch up yesterday, i've just been looking at the website at it looks great although I'm sorry to hear about John Beattie.
Just to fill you in on the last 20 (odd) years...
I left welding in 1988, after about a year working in Germany with Aly Bell, to join the civil service (which was a bit of a culture shock!), I then did a business degree as a mature student at uni (which was even more of a culture shock!) I'm now working as marketing manager in Edinburgh for a Canadian firm providing legal services. I've been with my partner Fiona for about 18 years now and live in the borders with our 2 daughters (10 and 6).
Reminiscing about time as an apprentice has brought back some great memories from discos at seafar house, to drinking in the newmarket bar and posing in Spikes RS2000!
Catching up was a real blast from the past, it'd be great to meet up with everyone again.
cheers
Gary
First of all very sad to hear abt John.
Live in dunfermline now and been married for 21 years and have two kids, Samantha 20 and dean 19.
Mark lawson told me a couple of weeks ago that wullie was tryin to get hold of everyone.
Good to hear frm u wullie and also that u have had a lot of interest so far.I have worked with mark quite a bit over the last few years and can tell u all that hes still daft as a brush and has a memory like an elephant.
Gary last time i saw you was a few years ago in Haddington when we both had e few too many sherries. It will be gd to get everyone together again for a sesh sometime soom i hope.