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I was fortunate enough to have an absolutely wonderful family atmosphere to be brought up in, and that stays with me today, despite having flown the nest and set up my own life and home now, and I suppose the only regret that I have in this day and age is that my partner and I cannot bring up our own family. I would have loved to have given the love that my parents gave to me to my own family, and as I say that is my only regret of being a gay man in 2000. I am lucky enough to have Jamie, and the soon-to-be new addition to my sister Donna's family to look out for, and that help take away some of the sadness I have in not being able to have my own family, but not quite all of it!
At the age of 3, my world suddenly became larger, when I joined the local play group ... I have vivid memories of a long dark corridor, with a bright room at the end that I would run down to get to play group, at the local Civic hall in Stourport. I don't remember much about the actual playgroup, but that corridor does hold nice memories for me.
Then, before I knew it, it was time to grow up, and join "proper school", as I turned 5 and enrolled at Burlish Park First School, and suddenly there was this huge and exciting world to explore. I thrived in the environment, and did well at every test and really felt good. It was the days of free milk still, but I wouldn’t drink it, instead I had orange juice, don't ask me why, but it is only in the last few years that I have actually started to drink fresh milk, and it still wouldn't be my first choice of drink.
There are so many memories I have of school, lets take them in chronological order, failing that lets try in year order … heehee
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Flash cards and the sand pit…
reading and writing. These are the first things I remember, especially being able to
impress people with my writing abilities … thanx again mum and dad! Although "my
presentation did need some improvement" … how many times was that said to me
during school! And then there was the public performance of a life time, Gareth as Pinocchio with my self-extending nose constructed by my father. "I can move, I can talk!" … not only did I learn my own lines, but every line for everybody else … and I prompted them when they forgot! As I progressed through primary school, so I discovered that I would be moving to Miss Minkjan’s class … Linda Davies as she is now. I found a large cardboard box, crawled under it and entered her classroom on the last day of term … and erupted from a trap door I had cut in the top to say hello … I never did do things by half. |
One thing did impress me at school, and that was the Christmas magic show that we would have each year … little did I know that in years to come I would revisit that show several times, but not as a member of the audience, as the magician!
It was around the end of primary school when I discovered the world of music … not the bloody recorder as most kids play (although I did do that) but the world of the piano. I began piano lessons with a little old lady up the road, Mrs Anderson. I thrived. I loved it. Mum and Dad got me an old knackered piano from Auntie Cath (now deceased) and then a little while later bought me a brand new Phaser piano for £800 … a lot of money in those days.
During the very hot summer of 1976 I developed Asthma, whilst on a farm near Hunstanton on the East Anglia coast. The asthma developed into a severe allergy to animal fur, household dust, feathers, etc. I remember standing in the doorway of a barn, whilst being shown a baby donkey, and the rest was history … swollen eyes, couldn’t breathe, I was taken to hospital, had injections etc. This was to stay with me until I was 14 years old. They say it goes in 7 year cycles, but no sign of it back again yet.
At the age of nine I moved to Burlish Middle School … we had a three-school system, all three backing onto the same playing field. Mr Checketts was my teacher, and at middle school I discovered science and mathematics … and was fascinated by both.
I continued to have piano lessons, and even played in assembly a few times! Also, there were more theatrical presentations, including Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat … with me as Joseph, some musical version of the crucifixion, with me as Jesus, various Christmas things with me as most leading roles … you get the picture … I was always centre stage, and loved every minute of it.
During my time at the middle school I went on two visits to france.
The first was excellent, I was with all my school mates, and had a whale of a time, the second was an absolute nightmare, and I hated every minute of it.
Why did I hate the second one so much, … I think it was the environment I was in. Rather than being with my school mates we were all separated out to individual families. I was good at the language at school, but when put in the environment of being on my own in a foreign country I couldn’t cope with it. I felt isolated, lonely, and stuck somewhere I didn’t want to be. I had breathing problems from the stress of it, and I missed home so very much. Then it was the weekend, and I had to spend two days away from my friends. The family (the Gaudex’s) were very nice, but I was completely out of it, I couldn’t cope at all, infact all I wanted to do was to go home.
I have never told my parents of this, but I absolutely hated my time away, and longed to be back at home. When it was time for the French to come to us that was different, and I loved it, mainly because I was back in my own environment. In fact, mum and dad invited one of the other French students to the house with their English counterpart on the Saturday night, and it totally snowballed from there. We ended up with every single French student and their English counterpart at our house … mum and dad remember Phillipe pushing the couch outside, telling them that it would be better for dancing in the black. I don’t think mum corrected his use of the language, she was just flabbergasted at the amount of people who were going to visit, and my father was concerned that the floor would support all the people!! … it did. Infact back at school the headmaster … Mr Vaughan thanked my parents for their generosity, the students had enjoyed the night more than anything else of their visit!!
What else happened to me between the ages of 9 & 12, I’m sure there must be lots of things … but nothing comes to mind other than fun at schoolwork, wiring up sound systems at school fetes and growing up.
My next stage of development occurred at the age of 13 when I moved to Stourport High School. This was a large school, a thousand or so students. And it was different. My friends were there from my previous school, but there were other feeder schools that supplied students to the High School, so there was a great new mix of people.
I thrived at school once again, and after my first year was well known by staff and students. Computer club arrived and introduced me to my first computer, a Research Machines 380Z, shortly followed by the 480Z.
And I discovered something else too, or rather I accepted something else. I finally put the word "gay" into my life, accepting that was what I was, it wasn’t an overnight decision, it was something I had always been aware of. It was only now that I put the word to it.
I made friends with a guy at school who was a rebel, someone different, a bit of a ruffian, but I liked him. He was intelligent, good looking, but a bit of a bastard really. I sort of slept with him on and off for the next twelve months, although it was strange because he never laid a finger on me … although he did encourage me.
Also around this time something else entered my life.
17th January 1983, 06.30hrs – BBC Breakfast Time
Quite bizarre, because I used to get out of bed late, and rush to get ready for school, then along came this programme that I just had to get up and watch. Three minutes into the programme, and I turned to my Dad and said "this programme is going to be a success" and it was.
Mum and Dad bought me a Commodore 64 computer, I got it before Christmas, when there was no software for it, and I learnt the computer inside out. I could make it stand on its head! I discovered Graphics, and spent time improvising and experimenting with the machine’s capabilities. Then I copied the BBC Breakfast Time opening title sequence, with its spinning logo and everything.
It was so good that I decided to write to Breakfast Time and tell them. Again and again I did this, and eventually they took notice.
On 26th June 1984 BBC Breakfast Time transmitted a film about me, and my graphics. Then I got invited down to see them, to play with their machines, to appear on the programme.
Two years later it was Breakfast Time’s 3rd Birthday. They remembered me, and contacted me. Would you like to come down and co-host the programme with us.
Yes Please!.
Read the full story on my Breakfast Time page
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