Anecdotes

Recounted by Pete Burns

I Have a Funny Story To Tell ...

It concerns the day I got my Leaver’s Prayer Book.

To appreciate the story, you need to know that I stayed away from school for most of the fifth year, basically because Mr Kilshaw told me it was better for all if I got my mark to appease the authorities and THEN went AWOL. I chose simply to go AWOL!

However, when I heard that the school was putting on a" breakfast " for the Easter Leavers - being a scran fan, I thought I will go to that!...

When I arrived, I noticed there were some builders working on a new section of the school but thought nowt of it and headed across the yard dressed in my denims and a bush hat, ( No uniform items had fit since third year - they didn’t do em big enough) and suddenly there's this geezer shouting after me, " Hey you, I told your boss no builders walking about unattended in the school.."

It was a new deputy head called Mr Gaughan: I had never met him previously, for obvious reasons. So, I introduced myself and he says,”Just let me check the register,”

“Where have you been all this term? he asks.

“I’ve had a very bad cold, Sir,” says I.

I must have looked hungry because he let me get my breakfast with the other leavers, collect the aforementioned prayer book and collect the signatures of my many friends .... happy days…

The very next day I started work in Asda’s warehouse... and in no time at all was joined by a couple of classmates once they had completed their fifth year.

What An Introduction to PE Lessons!

At the start of my very first sports lesson back in the early 1970s our teacher dropped his kecks in the changing room, showed us all his bits and said “Right have a good look! Get it out of your system. You will all look like this one day!“

I can see why he did this - and it worked; it removed all embarrassment - but my god he would be in prison these days for doing that!

Remembered by Ian Howarth

Recounted by

Helen Rochford (Billington)

Work Experience

I vividly remember how some older pupils were chosen to help the school secretary. You were taken out of all your lessons and went into the secretary's office to help her by ringing the bell, helping with the registers and answering the phone - which was in the Headmaster’s office. God I loved that job, and spent the last few weeks of my time at SJF helping the secretary. I even forfeited the last year group trip out to stay behind and help her and learnt more in those last weeks than I did during all the year in 3rd year.

One time when the phone rang in Mr Brown's office, I rushed in to answer it and there he was sitting drinking his tea out of his little white cup and saucer. The caller was a friend of mine who was on holiday and was ringing to update me. After I had put the receiver down I thought crikey I'm done for now, but dear Mr Brown just looked at me, shook his head and smiled.

I was walking on air for ages after that and I'm sure my street cred went up with the rest of the teachers too especially Sister Mary who was the bane of my life, god bless her !!

Confession Time

I want to confess something that once in a while makes me think what a nasty little so and so I could be - it sometimes makes me feel really guilty. I used to flick my fountain pen up the back of Sister Mary when she had walked past - shot her in the back so to speak. It used to make long traces all down her white habit....There I feel the weight lifted now, it’s out in the open!!!!!

A penitent Ian Howarth

More Confessions!

As recalled by

John Graham Pownall

I was a car buff at school and I used to drive at the Olympia Car Auctions on London Road - yes, underage I know. One night I bid on a 1956 Austin A35 and got it for £5. Unfortunately I only had £2. 10s. saved up. The next day I mentioned my dilemma to Mr Tom Brammer the metalwork teacher. He duly approached Bernard Brown the Headmaster and the school agree to pay for it.

Mr Brammer and I went to pick up the car from the auctions. He drove it across the main road and down Ashworth Grove then Graham and I took turns driving it along the Boulevard and into school. Today we would all end up in the House of Correction in Stanley St with the key thrown away!

It lived in between the metalwork class and woodwork class where my friend Graham Wilson and I learnt loads from tinkering with it.

So Close ... And Yet!

My SJF friend, John May, introduced me to the art of drumming. (He was way better than me). After high school, I played professionally, in the sense that I didn’t get paid from any other source, for a couple of years. This experience enabled me to meet the man who wrote Thriller, amongst other songs, for Michael Jackson, a chap called Rod Temperton just before he formed his band Heatwave. When I was in my first year at Uni I was invited to go for an audition for a band from Liverpool who wanted a drummer. I didn’t bother as I thought that Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark was a ridiculous name for a band! They subsequently used a drum machine so I probably would have been redundant in no time even if I had got the job. (Damian Baron)

The Admin Corridor

The Admin Corridor at SJF housed the Staffroom, the Sick Room and The Headmaster's Office and pupils were not allowed to use it unless on official business so to speak. In my final days as a pupil (1980) I heard that the school was putting on an Easter Leavers breakfast for those of us old enough to escape earlier than others. Now, although Easter was the earliest I could leave on paper, in reality Mr Kilshaw had turned a blind out to my failure to turn up from Christmas or thereabouts!

Once I heard talk of breakfast, I decided I was due a day at school if you see my point... so on the morning of the breakfast, I walked along THE ADMIN corridor age 16, about 13 and a half stone, wearing denims and a bush hat.

As I had entered school, I had vaguely noticed there were some scaffolders on site. I was also aware that a new Deputy Head - Mr Gaughan had started during my extended leave! Anyway, as I sauntered along the corridor the aforementioned Mr Gaughan collared me declaring, " You blokes are NOT supposed to be inside the school. Where is your boss? "

I explained who I was and gave him the name of my form - 5K. Deeply suspicious, he got the register from one of the holders on the wall, checked my story and informed me I had been absent for ten weeks! I managed to use my usual charm to persuade him I was going to miss my breakfast and he duly let me go! My last day at Fishers! (Pete Burns)

The Astronomy Club

When I was at SJF (67 - 72) we had an Astronomy Club. we were in the “Astronomy club” and the Apollo moon mission was in full swing we wrote to NASA for info etc. I got signed photos and mission reports etc.

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