1967 – A year with a ‘Feed the Minds’ event to remember
1966 had its big occasion at Wembley Stadium but another London event the following year, although of a much smaller nature, has always been memorable at least to me and maybe Rosemary Clayton too.
I was 9 in 1967 and lived in Rochdale whilst attending Lowerplace Junior School. I’ve often pondered the memorable event and wondered if there was any record of it, certainly I had nothing (or so I thought) other than what was in my now 67 year old memory. And then something quite unexpected happened as I was sorting through some old papers and family records recently.
I came across an envelope of my educational records/letters etc. kept by my Mum and Dad. I’d inherited them back in 2009 when Dad died but had just filed them away. Yes, there were school reports saying things along the lines of ‘with more effort could do better’ etc. but then two letters about me on ‘Rochdale Education Committee’ headed note paper caught my eye. They were both about the event I’d thought there was no record of and here they are:-
A chat with Sheila who’s a member of some family history organisations and has spent time looking at both our family histories and she went searching through newspaper records of the time turning up a Rochdale Observer article, dated 23rd December 1967, reporting on the London trip and award presentation and here it is:-
The photo has clearly not scanned well when the newspaper archive was digitised with just a vague outline of little me on the right. To be honest, whilst I did remember that I went to London with a little girl and a member of staff I had no recall of their names, but now I know that the girl was Rosemary Clayton and the teacher was Miss Robinshaw. I wonder what became of them both?
So a matter I’ve pondered about for many years has finally been explained in far more detail than I ever expected. I enjoyed my 4 years living in Rochdale and have fond memories of it. I was living there due to my Dad, George Robertson, being the manager (1964 – 1968) of Thomas Cook the travel agent shop in Drake Street. We left Rochdale in 1968 when he became manager of another Thomas Cook shop in Lord Street, Liverpool.
And a final thought. I was hardly a high achiever at school but was never in trouble either. I’d describe myself as a quiet lad who sat in classes daydreaming, so I wonder why I was selected to go to London to pick up a ‘Feed the Minds’ prize that the school had won?
