Re: Can YOu Remember Your First Day At Wok
My first job was as a lab-technician in the Chemistry Dept at Birmingham University. I started on January 6th 1963, right in the middle of the worst winter in living memory. My boss was the Senior Technician Mr Ken Goodfellow, who liked to portray himself as a hard nut, but was really an old softie at heart. My first day was spent being shown around and being introduced to everyone, and making my first batch of coffee - about 25 cups if I recall. I think it was several weeks before I actually did anything remotely connected to work....
I was always glad to get to work, as the labs were lovely and warm after the freezing two-bus journey to work. They were a good bunch of guys and gals, many of them real characters, and one thing is certain - in those days nobody ever collapsed from over-work at the Uni. Outside term-time there was rarely enough to keep you busy all day, and there were all sorts of 'foreigners' going on, including the rebuilding of a car engine in one of the labs. I loved that place, and still go back from time to time, but after four years I realised that I could make a lot more money working in an industrial lab, and reluctantly left. What I really missed were the Saturday-night 'hops' at the Students Union - I saw The Who, Cream, The Animals, Alan Price, Georgie Fame, Gino Washington, John Mayall, and many, many more.
Big Gee