Telegram_Messenger_Boys_Reunion

[Steve Taylor]

When you think about it ,I for one wonder , who in their right mind would ever give a bunch of 16 yr olds motor cycles to go out and deliver their product? Were we more responsible in those days? I doubt it, but I think we had more respect for our elders then than youngsters have nowadays , and I wonder how long the old farts of previous generations have been saying THAT!!
I was at SETDC at Sparkhill from 1960- 63ish. I remember some of the names of guys I worked with and if through this forum we can re-unite I would get a kick out of that. So, Eddy Edmonds,Chris Sullivan, Colin Powis,Ken Sutton,John Meridith,Stevie Stevenson,Alan Brown, Fitz Fitsimmons, come on in the waters warm!
All these guys will remember how every morning we would assemble on the drive of the office, or perhaps it was more like, ''Take your places on the grid''!!!To go down to Camp Hill postmans office to bunker up. The Stratford Rd. in the 60's used to be bumper to bumper traffic at 8.00 am and we would always intend to ,in an orderly fashion go to Camp Hill D.O. and draw fuel. Did we hell! Perhaps the fact that the geographical position of SETDC had a little to do with our orderly start because we were directly opposite the police station, once out of sight of that it was TALLY HO!! Up to the traffic lights with (Brighton Rd?) where we usually got the red.Here whoever had made it to the first 3 positions eased round the car or bus stopped at the lights so that we lined up abreast ready for the next stage.''Green On''!! Down to Warwick Rd roundabout where I have known guys go the wrong way round it to gain ground. Down to the Walford Rd traffic lights for a right turn into Walford Rd.The D.O. I think was about 100 yds away from the lights, but the competition was still on ,making those last 100yds perhaps the most exciting.I can't remember anyone motorist or pedestrian, (I think it was ----------- who took the high ground one morning and went down the pavement) ever reporting us.Anyway , in the 2 and a half years I spent there there were no accidents as a result of this early morning skirmish.
I do remember Fitz having a prang .He had to outshine us all and crashed into a hole they were digging on the Stratford Rd.Bike and Fitz ended up in a 6 foot deep hole.
We also used to see how high the manhole covers would go after putting petrol down the drains.When igniting the petrol you got a very good result if you waited until a mate came back from his delivery and rode into the garage , parked his bike and WHOOOMFF! Two manhole covers would lift 6 ft into the air and the poor unsuspecting would wonder what the hell had happened.
Of course this is all fiction. I had nothing to do with , and if it goes to court I will plead insanity!!
Best wishes to you all,
Steve Taylor.