Living And Working In Great Yarmouth
A Memory of Great Yarmouth.
Back in 1976 I moved away from home to work as a photographic salesman at Debenhams in Great Yarmouth. I also helped out at the Norwich branch. I found a 'home from home' at Pavilion Road in Gorleston with a middle-aged couple - Jack and Hilda Kemp. My manager at Debenhams was Tony Wright and both him and his familly are still very special friends today. Sadly,Tony passed away a few years ago.
When I moved back to Leeds, Tony and his family moved back into the pub trade and took on the Cherry Tree at Diss. I visited them on my holidays. They then moved to Dickleborough and out of the pub trade, where I still visited. In 1987-88 they moved to North Lopham, where our special friendship continued. My last visit was in 2003, but I have managed to keep in touch. After a few 'difficult' and unsettled years for me, I hope to visit again, but it will seem strange without Tony.
Not only did I make some very special friends all those years ago, but I still have a strong affinity for all things East Anglian and thanks to offering my services to the proposed new hospital radio service-Radio Yare, I have spent the last 31 years back here in Leeds broadcasting on hospital radio, starting my own station in 1985 and today running it on the web.
A year before I moved to Great Yarmouth I spent a week's holiday in the town at a guest house on Salisbury Road - Mauriel and Norman Spanton ran the establishment and I guess that's how I 'discovered' Norfolk. When I returned to Leeds I still spent some holidays with them,up until 1981. I remember while working at Debenhams they both came into the department with a faulty flashgun. I had some 'hassle' with the manufacturer, but because I knew both Mauriel and Norman, decided not to take any 'flannel' from the company!
I have not been to Great Yarmouth since 1981 and I believe those wonderful blue buses are now 'Barbie pink'. First clones! I wonder if the old number 10 still goes to Gorleston?
Stephen Smith,
Leeds.
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