Burning Bright

People of Anfield

Self-portrait

I was born 66 years ago in the Women’s Hospital, Mill Road with a medical problem breathing so I had to have throat surgery. I would never be Brian Blessed! My vocal range is low. But I never let that stop me. So don’t expect long speeches. I prefer to listen anyway.

My early years were spent living in the Willows off Breck Road which was really a bad place to live – a cockroach infested property.  I resided there for four years. When I was about five I moved to Rothwell Place. I know that because my mum made me remember it in case I got lost which my younger brother had managed to do when he was four after deciding to visit the garage that was opposite the old Hippodrome cinema. We moved out of Anfield when I was eight, to rural Norris Green, in stark contrast to the Anfield bomb site area.

     I left Ellergreen Comprehensive school, not much of a school as most of the time the teachers never turned up for the lessons they were supposed to do. I taught myself by reading the set books and finding stuff out for myself. I left school with five O levels which came as a surprise to my English teacher who had me down for another term of O level study. She never bothered to find out our results beforehand. Maybe that’s why I’m good at finding things out.

     At 18 I started a job with the civil service and worked for 30 years in the Social Security/ Benefits Agency. My occupation taught me to be a good listener and I had to retain a lot of information from work and find and locate data from various sources. I was always able to find things out and when they eventually converted to a computerised system I was able to slot into the job of computer expert.  I sorted out the problems caused by other users entering data, or logging system failures.  I have met a few interesting people when working at the Benefits Agency including Jennifer Moss, the actress from Coronation Street, Jane Casey from Big in Japan, Pete Byrne from Dead or Alive. Listening to people’s stories always fascinated me. I am good at that. You learn a lot from other people if you take time to do it.

     I was made redundant and retired early in 2005. Adapt and Survive is my motto.

     I was always interested in music and for many years I used to go to Eric’s in Mathew St. I have seen most of the famous groups: The Clash, Sex Pistols, OMD, Echo and the Bunnymen and most of the late 70s music artists. So you could say I was a punk but that would not be true as my musical taste is quite varied. I like vintage music from different periods –20s, 30s, 40s, even mediaeval music. I think the term ‘music generalist’ would cover it.

     I love historic things, the older the better. I used to travel a lot when I was younger. I have been to Florence, Rome, Pompeii. I also did a tour of the cathedrals in England only missing Peterborough, Bury St Edmunds and Rochester which were too far out to visit but I might see them one day.  I like investigating local history to find out what was there before. A local example being the quarry on Belmont Rd or the mansion house on Lower Breck Road that is now on the site of the Liverpool supporter’s pub and shops: and the boundary marker that remains behind the bus stop giving directions on the distance to West Derby, now a long-neglected relic is worth noting.

      I’m also an amateur photographer. I like taking pictures of unusual things and sometimes I edit them to make art. Usually it’s about finding the picture within the picture or taking out an element. I never try to be an expert. But you should not take too much notice of those who discourage you. Try what you want to do anyway – it will work believe me. It just takes a leap of faith.

      I collect antiquities which include Victorian, Edwardian, post de cartes, a form of visiting card, and I also have a collection of Anglo-Saxon Roman pottery and a few kohl pots which were cosmetic holders of Egyptian eyeliner. I also have a few Shabiti figures which means ‘answerer’ in Egyptian – they are those little man-like figures shown in mummy horror pictures along with various other relics. I have a little museum you might say. Maybe I should have been a museum curator.

      I spent my later years working nights part-time with the passport office for two years and looking after my disabled mother who had two hips replaced. And later, I looked after my father who had vascular dementia until last year.

      I’ve been told that I suit hats, so I have a collection of hats to which I attach enamel pin badges.  I’ve collected a lot of badges over the years ranging from music to quirky and they add weight to the hat which helps in windy weather.

      So, a bit eccentric, that’s me.

John Murray