I started work at Laurence Prust and it went well. Liz and I had created an absolute jewel in our house in Sebright Road. I am confident that if we entered it today as it was then we would be very proud. We lived in a predominantly working class family area. The majority of terraced house in our road were homes to plumbers and carpenters and bus drivers. I made it my business to only wear a tie when I was not in the road and no one ever asked me what I did. We fitted in and we love it. Our next door neighbours Kay and Ken and their lovely labrador Amber seems to take great delight in being our neighbours. They were like second parents to us. Ken persuaded me to take on a an allotment-oh what a mistake that was.
My job was essentially to form relationships with as many Fund managers as I practically could and advise them as to their investment policy in shipping shares. Dan would write reports and commentaries and on occasion change his recommendations on the various shares. I would ring the fund managers, update them as to our thoughts and if they were happy to follow our advise I would manage their transaction via my walkie talkie to my ‘dealer’ on the floor of the house who would in turn deal with either my old jobbing form or one of the others. In time my client list grew. Relatively speaking it was way less stressful than working on the floor. It was an office job yes so the company was my immediate colleagues but soon clients became friends and the whole circle of business fed on itself. I met a man called David Lis who was a fund manager in a small company in Newcastle. Over the years we formed a great friendship and relationship. In the end David became one of the best known and most powerful figures in the City and became the Chief Investment Officer of the mighty Aviva insurance company.
As time went by I began to understand way more than the shipping sector. Laurence Prust specialised in Food Retailing companies as well and defence companies were a particular strength. Technology was on the horizon too and two of the firm’s analysts were trail blazers in this area. My brief spread as a quiet time in shipping shares would cause me to start opining on the nature of food retailing price wars and the likely winners and losers. For some reason I became infatuated with a company called GEC which was at the time one of the UK’s most undervalued conglomerates led by a shadowy figure called Arnold Winestock. Our analyst in the stock, Gerry Crowly, constantly fed me a stream of information. Bits of knowledge and insight and before long I was persuading all sorts of clients to but shares in the company. Every time I received a buy or sell order my firm would charge a commission. The commission rate fell as the size of the transaction increased but size definitely mattered. My own performance was measured by the amount of commission I generated and in no time at all I was nearing the top of Laurence Prust’s list of high performing salesmen. I suppose my biggest strength came about when there was a ‘market event’ be it company specific or economic in its nature. In the ensuing chaos, the more chaos the better as far as I was concerned, most panicked and became like rabbits in the headlights. Because of my experience i was calm as ice and I loved the panic and my relative calm. Whilst most would stand idly by I would pick up my phone and call clients offering words of calm or encouraging the opportunity to trade. This ability to stay calm under extreme pressure was a huge advantage and served me well as my career progressed. All good so far and then one day it got even better.
In the 1970s, not to put to fine point on it, inter uterine devices were a recognised form of contraception. Liz was working for the ICRF in the centre of London by this time in Lincoln Ins Field. The now Doctor Elliott she was engaged in research into breast cancer with one of the worlds top teams in the field. Liz was earning a good salary too and we would often meet in town and go to a fine restaurant. Although in truth we never really appreciated the experience.
Liz became unwell and I encouraged her to see the doctor. I arrived home one October evening to be greeted by my grinning wife. ‘I am pregnant’ she said and about 8 months later my darling daughter Joanne was born with the dreaded coil in her hand.
We had bought our first ever new car a green Citroen 2CV. cant really say why but we did. I have over the years made some curious car decisions and this was certainly one of them. Despite being brand new it still struggled with hills. We once took it to the South Of France.The trip was memorable fo the fat that i got badly sunburnt driving with the top down, unfortunately the seatbelt left stripe across my body. We stayed at a beautiful hotel in Cassis having abandoned our plans to camp and we were most affronted when on enquiring as to garage facilities we were told in no uncertain terms. ‘There is no room for a 2CV in the garage, the seafront will do”!!
On June the 18th 1980 Joanne Louise came into the world. She was utterly beautiful. Liz of course played a blinder. In those days new Mums would spend several days in hospital learning the ropes, recuperating and generally bonding with their baby. I returned home sat on the bed and cried my eyes out. I could not have been happier or more proud but I was now a proper ‘grown up’. The following day at work I was bought champagne and a number of former ‘floor colleagues’ came to say hello. The words of a certain Michael Mckee have stuck in my mind. on that day he advised me of one thing. ‘Children are only lent to you, soon they will be gone, treasure every minute of your time with them’. I took his advice and I so happy to record that Jo’s arrival created the happiest period of my own mothers life. She adored her grand daughter beyond words. Jo loved her Nana too. It was special to see them together.
Tales of a Life Well Lived 