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David Turner's Page
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Dec. 20, 2007
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Dec. 18, 2007
Profile
- Relationship Status:
- Married
- About Me:
- The Shorter Turner
To begin at the beginning, I was born in Romford Essex
22/10/48, and brought up in Dagenham Essex, a suburb of East London. We
lived in a small terraced house with an outside loo and a tin bath, so
I have the proper credentials for a working class hero (failed) and for
all those conversations beginning - "When I were a lad .... " My mother
was a true cockney and my father a Ford worker, but he came from a
Middle class family, my Grandfather being Captain Henry Farmer Turner,
a Clipper Ship captain. He despised my mother, and cut his son from his
life. Sadly my father died when I was two and just after my sister was
born. I realise that this has had a great influence upon my life, and
you will see it in some of the poems that will come later. I went to a
Catholic Prinary school, passed the 11+ then went first to a Technical
School then to a Jesuit Grammar School. Fortunately I was too old for
them to make me theirs for life and lost my faith (as Catholics say)
when I was about 17 and became an Anarchist! Started writing poetry
about then too, mainly because I was in love with my friends sister and
thought it would impress her but it didn't. I became very interested in
Science and Chemistry when I was about 13 and did Maths Physics and
Chemistry at A level. Went to Exeter University, met some more
anarchists and Mavis my wife. Had a spectacularly unsuccessful career as an
anarchist, which consisted of reading a few books by Prodhon and
Kropotkin and buying a Red Top called 'Freedom'. Had a good time in
between some bad depressions, made some good friends who I still see
and got an Honours degree (II II).
I then had the silly idea of becoming a teacher. I decided to
do Primary Education as I thought it would be more fun to teach
English and poetry and music etc than Chemistry to a lot of reluctant
adolescents. Mavis and I went to Education College to do a Post
Graduate Teaching Certificate, but she had more sense and decided to
leave and be a computer programmer instead. At College I met some
Revolutionary Socialists (Militant) and so became one of them, starting
my lifelong drift to the right! I qualified as a Teacher and went to
teach in County Durham then Gateshead (but same school). Teaching was
indeed at that time fun, I landed in a nice school, became the
favourite teacher for the girls because I was young hairy and very
bearded, and the favourite teacher for the balls because I was the
Football Team Manager. I drifted further to the right into the left
wing of the Labour Party (Michal Foot's gang and the longest suicide
note in history - Labour Manifesto 1983, do you remember
that ?)
Mavis and I bought a terraced house, then Frances came along, 3 months
later we got married, 6 months later Frances was born and after nearly
5 years, Danny.
After he was born I moved schools to a larger Primary School in
Blaydon, different type of kids, different type of head and not so much
fun. Things became more stressfull, after 19 nervous breakdowns (one
for each year of teaching) , 2 psychiatrists and a wonderful
psychotherapist I gave up teaching and went back to University to do an
MSc in Software engineering, while Mavis went back to computer
programming (Software Engineering) full time. As I expect you can
imagine those years were a hard time, but I was writing poetry all the
way through them. I was still drifting to the right, secretary of
Newcastle Labour Party and now in Neil Kinnocks gang (Do you remember
him - he lost the 1992 election for us in one night of madness and I
was depressed for about 3 months solid afterwards) After that I was a
house husband for a while, mostly enjoyable, got some nice poem from those
times.
Then I went back to University again to do a PhD in computing. After
nearly 3 years I got a PhD (failed) - its called an MPhil. I used to
say I had 3 useless degrees, but after being house husband for about a
year again, I got a job at Sun Microsystems and was happy working
on network switches. That was difficult too at first, I was old and had
a lot too learn that all these young guys knew inside out. I would be
deceiving you if I said the depressions went away then, but it is
easier to cope with a computer if you are feeling low than a class full
of kids. It is only in the last few years that I have felt on top of
things most of the time, so if I ever give the impression that I have
the solution to all life's problems it is not true. I know the theory
but putting it into practice is hard. I am only in fairly spherical
shape now thanks to another psychiatrist, that wonderful therapist
again and of course some happy pills, (Keep taking the pills David!).
Not sure if I have any further to drift to the right, I am now in the
Liberal
Democrats, but that is mainly I think because Tony Blair is paddling a
lot faster than the Gulf Stream is drifting and the Labour party have
left me and and the Lib Dems far to the West (left).
In 2004 Sun Microsystems offered me compulsory early retirement so I
took it.I am now a happy Internet poet, part time professional croquet
player (gains so far 2 glass decanters and about £15) Amateur Actor -
http://www.gosforth-theatre.co.uk and Literature Student at the Center for
Lifelong Learning in Newcastle but run by Sunderland University :-
http://education.sunderland.ac.uk/
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Very glad you have joined the niche or common grave. Your submissions have been well received.