IS THERE LIFE AFTER A.C.C
Joined A.C.C as an apprentice in 1960, passed out 1963, posted to Neinburg /Germany, had a good time. 1967 posted to Bovington. 1969/70 slight clash of personalities with the management, (that’s putting it politely) so decided the army/catering/myself were not a good combination so got out.
Started work as a general labourer on a construction site. After a few weeks was asked if I wanted to join concrete gang. Very steep learning curve. How to do shuttering/steel fixing /read drawings etc. Hard work/good pay/ although I must admit when you are 12 stories up in the middle of winter it tended to be rather cold. After a few years I was running concrete gang but in 1979 the back started playing up so I got a job running a lathe in an iron foundry. (final turn on tank pistons)This only lasted a year because I found the unions were as bad as the army.
1980 started work for an electronics company, building/ installing/repairing electronic speech systems. Fair amount to learn about electronics/soldering/sheet metal work/welding etc.. Main clients Tesco/London underground/London bus garages.
1987 Saw a job advertised at local real ale brewery. Deliveries/ cask filling/ maintenance etc. Applied. Accepted. After a month or so the head brewer (as he was the only brewer he had to be the head brewer) handed in his notice and I was asked if I wanted the job. Three weeks to learn how to mash in/ boil /collect/ ferment /fine the brews plus washing yeast/customs forms etc.. Brewed Ringwood Best/Fortyniner and the famous Old Thumper.
When I started I was brewing 3/4000 gal a week but due to continual increase in sales we had to keep expanding the brewery. As I knew about construction work, as well as brewing I was overseeing the works but that meant that we got what we wanted not what the builders wanted.
By the time I finished I was brewing 20,000 gals. a week
2001 Slipped up on concrete floor, (sober at the time) head hit floor/brain damage/memory loss/can’t work.
To try to repair memory I am doing an O.U degree course in cosmology/quantum physics. To pass requires 360 points. I’ve got 240 so far.
No pensions but an interesting and enjoyable life so far