In 1982 I was coming to the end of a “YOP” (Youth
Opportunities Placement) as a trainee computer operator at Dudley Council, and
I was wondering what to do next. I much preferred working in ops than programming
but times were hard for school and college leavers finding employment back
then. I’d done okay on my IT diploma course, but hardly excelled.
By serendipitous chance a mutual friend of a friend, Blott,
told me that his employer, GKN, were looking for a trainee operator and that I
should apply. It was a whole new system environment to the ICL gear I was used
to but I was desperate enough to give it a shot. My interview went well, partly because I was
such a great candidate , of course but mostly I suspect because the Ops
manager, Brian Wilson loved Rugby and knew my
club’s coach well J
In the week before I was due to start on shift at GKN I
crammed as much as I could in preparation. There was no internet then ( see
that kids?) so I visited Dudley
College
I duly showed up the following Monday, and was introduced to
my new Shift Controller: Tony Williams.
He was about six-five and reed slim. A chain smoker with a dirty laugh
and a slightly hippie mein about him. He was also an Olympic standard swearer.
 |
| Tone is his natural, smoke-wreathed habitat ! |
“So, young Ormston....” he began with an actor’s intonation; “ Why do you think we’re here?”.
“erm…high quality…value add…availability…erm…” I dribbled some soapy regurgitation of
whatever toss I’d read in Computer Weekly about Facilities Management. Tony replied:
“Get your coat on Shitstick, and follow me”. “Shitstick” was Tony’s name for newbies who
were as yet unproven. I coated up and
followed Tony out into the cold morning air. We walked together, Tony
smoker’s-coughing every step of the was as he pulled on his Marlboros. We walked to the gate, and left up Cranford street .
There was a queue of maybe twelve articulated lorries waiting at the loading
bay entrance for screws and fasteners. Back then there was not a high quality
fixing used anywhere in the automotive world that was not made in Cranford street . Doors were open, drivers were pacing up and down, smoking; cussing.
We walked along the angry line to the loading bay gate. Ten
or fifteen drivers were pushing to show their pieces of paper to the harassed
warehousemen who were rifling though large computer printouts and cross
checking with a microfiche.
Tony Williams smoked and bid us observe for a few moments
before speaking.
“The batch jobs for the warehouse deliveries failed
overnight” he told me ;“ ..and they won’t have the accurate output for another
hour. They’ll be about thirty lorries
delayed by then. Until then them poor bastards have to check last week’s fiches
against this weeks changes by hand. If
they don’t nobody will get what they’ve ordered and no Rovers, Peugeots ,
Jaguars, Fords, Vauxhalls or F*ck-all’s will be made today”.
“Whatever anybody might tell you about IT and computing or
whatever is all bollocks. Computing is about making sure people things get the
things they need to do their job. The better we are at doing it the better they do their
jobs. Got it ?”.
And I did get it.
That stuck with me for thirty years, and informed every project I ever
worked on in IT. And perhaps why I’ve done okay in this IT stuff.
I loved working for Tony. He also introduced me to some very
filthy 8mm porn movies on nightshift ( no internet kids, remember ! ) and
regaled us all with stories of what he and his then German girlfriend got up
to… a quite amazing storyteller. Our
shift worked well for Tony. That first Christmas when I’d worked for him just
under a year he took out the whole shift for a meal. Out of his own pocket. Took us to the Garden House for food and
wine, then on to Liberty ’s
nightclub. It was the very essence of sophistication to me !
Tony met a girl in England a couple of years later and softened tangibly.
It was love ! They arranged their
wedding, and when she fell pregnant during the runup time they were both very
happy about it !
By now I had moved on to become a trainee systems programmer
but was still friends with Tony. There
was a new “Shitstick” on his shift – Jon
Davis - for Tony to rib mercilessly
! Tony’s bachelor party was a very
civilised few beers with his GKN friends, then a week skiing with a couple of
close friends including Jon Davis the noob: an advanced ski-er like Tony. They had an amazing time ! Upon returning from this “Stag” vacation Tony
was driving Jon home from the airport when he felt unwell. He dropped Jon at home then drove on, just
about making it to his Mom and Dad’s house three streets away before collapsing
and dying on their drive at the wheel. He was 33.
Tony’s funeral was held a week later at the same church he
was due to be married in, on the same day.
Some folks had not heard in time and wedding flowers arrived. That
wasn’t a great day….
Tony’s daughter will be 24 now. I wonder how she’s doing and
if she knows how great her dad was ?
In a bit Tone. Love,
ShitStick.
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