So yesterday….I do so love classic 60’s & 70’s quotes…. With the ‘news’ that there maybe an end to the eyesore of the old Morley’s Petrol Pump and Garage.
I take you back to some very ‘Happy ‘nearly carefree days. At 16 I make a very big deal of how hard I worked whilst still at school.
At 6am Monday to Saturday I had a paper round which entailed a total of 4 miles – 6 days a week, in the evenings I had an evening paper round.- 4 years lots of miles.
Sunday mornings, I got up rain or shine at 5:30 and cycled my Paper Bike to Whittlesey to collect some 400+ papers – starting my round a 6am and finishing around 12:30
A quick clean up (Pre-decimal money was pretty dirty stuff) a quick meal and off then to start my Sunday afternoon stint 2pm to 9pm at Morleys Petrol Pumps.
If I had chance I did ‘some’ homework – but my friends would hang out most of the afternoon, with motorbikes and scooters (we were friends not mods & rockers) back and forth.
At 9pm you could almost guarantee that someone desperate for petrol would arrive and I would unlock everything to be of help.
I’d take the Cash register back to the house (Where Rose Homes are building on Whitmore Street) and a very ‘Grumpy’ John Morley (senior) would relieve me of the takings.
He gave me a ‘small’ brown’ envelope (The only time I have received such an item) – which contained £1 for my 7 hours work (remember you could buy 4 gallons/18 Litres of petrol for £1).
He never once said – Thank you’ or anything to me except the occasional ‘Grunt’.
I worked there until I left school, I was then very lucky to be offered a job at the Eastrea Tile Factory (Where I had delivered papers too for 4 years) and they gave me employment whilst of holidays as a student and I might add paid me a mans days pay for a mans day work. Another story at another time…..
I also occasionally played my #Piano Accordion# at Pubs in/around Whittlesey on a Saturday evening.
This money I saved and helped me through my student years, I’ve still got some!!! and go on many holidays with the left over proceeds….yes really – honestly!
One of my good friends then and now was Billy Wright who married Mr Morleys daughter ‘Penny’ – her brother ‘John’ also had a motorbike and hung out with us.
Sadly John Morley (Jnr) died last year and Penny is not in the best of health.
Billy never changes!
Fantastic days they were.. Very Happy Days..
Biily & Penny 1967 Penny Morley 1967 Kim Cmmbridge & PM 67
©Photo’s taken by my father….
