40s and 50s Memories
I had finished my studies, with most afternoons
being spent learning all about its interesting
haunts, I became quite knowledgeable about it
also. It was a time when one could drive around
London and surrounds without the problems
faced by motorists today. Pubs like Dirty Dick's
and the Prospect of Whitby were regular
watering holes.
Returning to sea later, I seemed to recognise
every wave on the route. Passengers all looked
the same and I felt academic life was calling. I
considered that a career at sea was probably
not in my long term interests so I made the
decision to leave and seek a shore job.
I studied in Cardiff for my Extra Master's
Certificate and after a term teaching in Bristol
I took up pedagogy in the Welsh College of
Advanced Technology in the Department of
Navigation.
Not long afterwards, the College was upgraded
to a University so that all the short term courses
were transferred to another Cardiff College.
Virtually all I had learnt from my Extra Master's
- except for my practical experience - became
useless so that I had to develop new courses
suitable for undergraduates. Fortunately, I had
the opportunity to teach Shipping Economics
which I found to be a new, stimulating and
developing subject. I was able to help push
forward the frontiers of knowledge in the subject
and submitted a thesis on Liner freight rates for
my m.sc. degree.
In 1965 I sailed aboard a 35 ft. cutter with 'Lone
Yachtsman', Val Howells, from New York to
Milford Haven via Baltimore, Ireland, taking 26
days for the passage. This was an interesting
experience for one used more to ships of
21,000 tons.
In 1967, unlike my father who married a Port
Chalmers girl, I married a young lady, Penelope
Ann, from New Moat in Pembrokeshire. We
had two sons born in 1968 and 1970, one of
whom is now married with two children and
is Head of Mathematics at St. John's College
Johannesburg. The other who graduated
from Birmingham with a degree in Electronic
Engineering and Computer Sciences is now,
inter al, rearing sheep in Pembrokeshire coincidentally close to my wife's birthplace. He
is married with three children.
In 1978 I led a team of shipping academics to
give evidence, on behalf of CENSA (Council
for European and National Shipowners'
Associations) on Liner Shipping before the
Subcommittee on Merchant Marine and
Fisheries in Washington DC. I've never before,
or since, been surrounded by so many lawyers
all discussing in detail a report published by the
Department of Justice, called "The Regulated
Ocean Shipping Industry". I think we acquitted
ourselves with honour and the team returned to
UK on the QE2 - apart from myself, because I
had another task to fulfil for UNCTAD (The UN
Conference on Trade and Development) taking
me to Tegucigalpa (Honduras) via Geneva and
New York.
I spent 30 years altogether teaching in what
became Cardiff University. In the last ten years
I was editor of the International Journal of
Maritime Policy and Management. I also wrote,
with a colleague, a book designed for one of
my courses, called "Quantitative Methods
in Maritime Economics", which went to two
editions.
Penny and I and the young children took up
golf in 1980 as a relaxation and for exercise. As
many will be aware, one can get hooked on the
game because of the desire to 'find the secret'
of consistency. I have recently had problems
with my eyes so have been forced to give up
the game. I found I was hitting the ball out of
sight!
I have seen few OAs since leaving King's. I
remember Robin Dando, who, as did I, joined
the merchant navy. So far as I can remember
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