It was a bit of a surreal start. My elder brother failed the 11+ and the pressure was on me not to do the same. I didn’t. But the reward was to go to a school miles away from where all my friends were going to go because my Dad had been told it was the best place to send his kid; Isleworth Grammar School, make him for life. Huh? It was about 3 miles from touchdown on 28R, which became significant though. 
I pitched up on day one and settled in nicely, made new friends, and then for the first time I’m my life became aware of aircraft flying right over the school every couple of minutes. It helped distract me from Latin, Economics, History and by the 6th form I knew what I wanted to do. 

3 years as an ATCA at LATCC then on to 28 Cadet Course, a brand new life started in 1973. Birmingham TWR, Gatwick APP, Border Radar, Oceanic Control were all ticked off on the 28 Course journey (only blemish of the whole course was Phil Griffith knocking back this cocky kid with a 67 on the aerodrome oral. (I’m sure he’ll make up for that at the bar and tell me he meant to give me a 70). Anyway, it was the beginning of the greatest 3 years of my life. Made some fabulous friends on the way, and loved all the challenges. 
At the end of the course, where would I like to go? Well, I made a very good case for Gatwick having actually got an APP validation, but was talked into going to RAF Lindholme to facilitate the transfer of on-site ATCOs to LATCC for the Mainland Sector and then the North Sea Sector a few months later to Eastern Radar. Do that for 18 months and you can pick wherever you want to go. Straight off the course and working live traffic. Wow, how nice are these NATS people!
18 months later I was on my way to the new Scottish Centre because they needed ‘young area radar controllers’. Martin, Clint and I, (plus Gerry Nicholas from 27 course) were sent there, but only Clint and Gerry got into the radar room. Martin and I were chucked in to Oceanic Control and the door slammed shut. ‘This is a mobile grade and you go where you’re sent sonny’ was what I was told. I won’t say who but he’s no longer with us. 
I was about 23 and I brought the average age on my watch down from 73 to 72. It was not a great 3 years, 3 months, 4 days, 6 and a half hours, but late on a Friday afternoon, Ken Ibell (centre superintendent and hero of mine) called me in to his office and said you start at Heathrow on Monday. He thought I’d say, err, well, umm. I just said thank you - and got there on time. That was early 1980. 
20 years less one month at Heathrow had shaped me up and it really was the greatest job in the ATC world. I worked with some incredible people, and to this day I really mean that. The split taking away APP across to TC was a wrench and 6 years later I knew I just had to go back to my radar roots. I went over to LATCC to do LMS and LUS and validated in time for the rollercoaster ride to Swanwick. Did nearly 20 years there. Loved every minute of it too. Lucky to be able to go 2/3 part time for the last 3 years and the timing was just right for ‘the bung’. After 41 years of loving every day in this job they are now offering me money to go. Totally crazy!

Post ATC, my life has been about music. Actually that’s not really accurate, because music became the most important thing in my life (outside family and my beloved Arsenal, obviously) from about 1985 which as you can see is only just after the start of the proper career. I am very aware of how people’s musical tastes vary but my love has been for black American soul music. Soul, funk, jazz sums it up. I was a journalist for Blues & Soul magazine reviewing new releases from 1992-2010, a club DJ from 1985 to date and a radio presenter for Jazz FM (whilst I was an LHR controller for 2 years!) and Solar Radio from 2000 to date. In fact, you can still hear me every Sunday on Solar Radio from 4-6pm playing what I really love, both old and new. Never give up your dreams.