25 years ago – Andrew Beattie
I lost my very good friend Andrew Beattie in April 1999. It’s hard to believe it’s 25 years ago as I think of him often. Andrew had some very significant influences on my life and it’s probably because of him that I’m an atheist, a Liberal and have a love of soul music.
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Andrew (on the right) in Port Grimaud France July 1979* |
We met at Ormonde High School (now Maghull High) in 1969 and quickly became firm friends for the 30 years, up until his untimely and rather sudden death.
Andrew academically was, like me, a middling achiever at school yet he was incredibly well read and it was no surprise when he went straight from school to work in Parrys’ University bookshop in Liverpool.
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Keith Page with Andrew - Lake District 1981 |
Of course, working with books all day encouraged him to read even more and he became quite the expert on broadcasting and the BBC, on politics and art too. He got into the painting of Edward Hopper and that led to his friends buying and dedicating a reprint of Hopper’s ‘Night Hawks’ for display in Maghull Town Hall, where I think it still adorns the wall.
We discussed many things as teenagers but mostly music and politics. Our music became very much Motown, Isaac Hayes and the then emerging Smooth Jazz. Our politics developed towards Liberalism after we decided to read the 1979 manifestos of the 3 main political parties. Both music and politics then dominated our lives from the ages of 21 to when we lost Andrew.
He got himself elected to Maghull Town Council (where he spent a year as Town Mayor) as a SDP/Liberal Alliance councillor and then on to win in Sefton Council’s Sudell Ward. He was a serving Lib Dem councillor on both councils when he passed away.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Andrew was a major influence on the life I chose to lead and I can’t imagine where I would be now without that influence. I still miss him very much and often say to myself ‘what would Andrew think’ particularly with regard to political and musical developments.
I keep in touch with his Mum Audrey (also a former Lib Dem councillor) and sister Alison and once a year or so we meet up to talk about old times.
* Sadly, Tad Jarrett, who was at school with us and who is pictured above with Andrew also passed away in 1990.