Parrakeet

A Memory of Cliftonville.

Hello everyone, I've read memories about Cliftonville and the Parrakeet and suddenly my heart start jumping, going back of about 50 years, and still remembering - that's not bad! My name is Giovanni but everybody used to call me John and I spent three of the summers of my life in Cliftonville. I was an Italian student so I was there to learn english, doing some practice and in the meantime doing some work to keep my vices alive! I still living in Italy now, part in Rome and part in Tuscany. The Parrakeet was a meeting place for all of us, if you were in company or not. The Parrakeet was a place to go, somehow something could happen, a girl looking for a new love, a boy in the mood to pick un a new girl - that's was the place.
I was a very good friend of Brian Cowley, the photographer, a couple of times I've helped him in his work and I still have a splendid photo album with the girl I was in love with at that time; Yvonne a dancer at the Winter Gardens. Brian was driving a red Sumbean and his parents were the owners of the Oval Hotel. Now Brian, as far as i know, is still doing the photography in is own shop in Canterbury, Bryan Cowley Photographics.
At that time I used to work for Butlin's, Butlin's Queens with a friend of mine, Franco, we both were from Siena, now he lives in Florence.
Joanne was for me the trasgression, I've loved that girl, her name was Joanne Victoria Gale, red hair, green beautiful eyes (like a cat), she used to live at 41 Warwick Road, a couple of roads ahead of the Parrakeet. Joanne was the only person who used to call me Giovanni instead of John and she had a yellow car; if i remember well an Anglia. One day we went to Ramsgate with that car, to a pub, and on the way back........discretion!
Remember the terrace were we used to go to get some tan?I mean the terrace on the beach with all those steps to descend and to climb up.The Cavern at the Lido? The Golden Garter Saloon? The Winter Gardens? In the evening i used to go also to a club called Olimpic Club, there was some drinking, dancing and gambling too. Brenda always smiling with that beautiful chubby face, she was so gentle and kind! Some time ago I was in London so I took the train at Victoria St. and went to Margate. I walked all the seafront from the station till Cliftonville and went to see Joanne. I've met her and she was so kind to me, she invite me for supper and wanted me to remain for the night, she was really nice - still a wonderful person. Next morning I had to go back to London as I had my flight in the evening to Zambia.
Many years has passed, but I still remember everything. Cliftonville is part of me and one day, I hope not too far, I will come back again, but let me tell you with a bit of fear, I know that many things has changed. But as the french says "c'est la vie!".
My best regards to all of you, and excuse me for my not too good english!

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