Corry Family Tree
of
Bristol, Southampton & Dublin

I was born on Thursday 20th July 1950 at around 5:00pm I am told. The location was Southmead Hospital and home was 13 Walliscote Road, Henleaze, Bristol.

Education

I went to school firstly to Henleaze Infants School and then at the age of 5 (almost) Henleaze Junior School. This school was only a short distance from home, an easy walk - even quicker by scooter! Most days I walked home for lunch, my mother did not work at that time and hence was always there for me. The days spent at Henleaze School was very good time with plenty of football - our football teacher Mr Reed was very proud of our school team as we won all our matches except one away to Tyning.
At 10 I somehow managed to pass the 11+ exam and went to Merrywood Grammar School for Boys situated in Knowle West over the otherside of Bristol. This entailed a long two bus journey across Bristol to a part of Bristol that was as far apart from the quiet tranquility of Henleaze as you could get in Bristol. A severe culture shock to a young boy brought up in a relatively well-to-do part of Bristol.
Merrywood was a school where you learnt all about bullies, who liked nothing better than to take in out on "posh" Henleaze kids - teachers in those days just stood back and watched or so it seemed to me. The older I got the easier it was - less boys older and bigger than you! On the positive side Merrywood did make you work and the sport was also good - I played for the school football team and got my "colours" in Badminton! I also managed to get a few "O" levels (8 or 9) and went into the Sixth Form as a Prefect, where I just managed to get two "A" levels in history and economics. After Merrywood I went to Bristol Polytechnic (now called University of the West of England!) where I studied for a Higher National Diploma in Business Studies ( now called a Degree!). I went on what was known as a sandwich course - 6 months at college and 6 months working in industry. I applied to a number of companies to take this course and was successful with the South Western Electricity Board - an industry I was to stay in all my working life. I passed the exams in 1971 when I was 20 and left college to start full-time employment.

Working Life

1971 - 1973

After college I went to work full-time with SWEB at their Headquarters in the centre of Bristol to a job with the title Administrative Assistant. Here I worked with Dave Collett a very interesting person and a very talented professional musician - never really understood why he was working in an office - money I suppose. He introduced me to the guitar (at which I have no talent whatsoever) and the art of rubber band flicking!.

1973 - 1975

Moved from SWEB to CEGB (Central Electricity Genarating Board) to a job in Portishead at their Scientific Services Department (SSD). My first job with any real responsiblity looking after the departments Procurement and Stores section. My office was right on the edge of the docks/pier at Portishead, the large ships seemed to be heading right for me at times. The power station and the SSD are long since gone and my office is now a posh Cafe! The pub we used to go in, The Royal, is still there just at the top of the steps from the offices.

Portishead has changed immeasurably since the 1970s - I can remember having lunch in my MGB on the front some days with the wind rocking the car and not a sole in sight, even the ducks were nowhere to be seen.

1976 - 1987

A new job in the HQ Procurement and Stores Department in Clifton, Bristol, later moving to new offices at Bedminster Down, Bristol. My first job here was in the Contracts section, which was concerned with repair and maintenance contracts for the power stations in the South Western Region of the CEGB. I was the expert in Contract Price Adjustment claims - a time of high inflation (25% at times!) - so contracts that lasted over one year had to have a way of adjusting the price to keep up with inflation.

After a couple of years I got promoted and now was responsible for the Payments half of the Contracts section. The other half Pre-Contracts was looked after by Peter Billing a friend and colleague. The boss of the section was Peter Thomas, an engineer and keen sailing enthusiast.

A couple more years went by and I got another promotion this time to Section Head, Special Projects, still in the same Department but reporting directly to the Departmental head. This began my association with computers which was to hold me in good stead for the rest of my working life.

1987 - 1996

The CEGB was reorganised in the mid 1980s - a bid I suspect to make the looming privatisation more difficult - this resulted in my transfer to offices in Barnwood, Gloucester. It also meant my moving house from Bristol to Kingswood, Gloucestershire. Procurement computer systems implimentation was being centralised and with it my job in Bedminster Down, Bristol.

CEGB was privatised in the 1990/1 which split into four companies - National Power, Powergen, Nuclear Electric and National Grid - staff were allocated to these companies. I was "cap badged" to Nuclear Electric which entailed a move from one side of the Barnwood car park to the other.

I was not to stay on that side of the car park however, a job was adverised in National Power that was almost identical to the one I had left in CEGB. I applied and was successful (not sure there were any other candidates to be fair) - back across the car park I went! Shortly after we moved to offices in an industrial estate not far away. This did not last long as National Power was building new offices in Swindon called Trigonos and when they were complete off we went again, must have been around 1993. I was still living in Kingswood so this meant about an hour each way travelling up the M2 to Junction 16.

The CEGB and National Power were very different entities - the CEGB was organised as much for it's employees as it's customers, with splendid sports and social facilites at most locations. For example when the offices at Bedminster Down were bulit included were lavish sports and social club facilites. Skittle alley, snooker rooms, large bar and of course a swimming pool (offically called a heat sink!). It was almost Quaker it it's attitude (except of course for the bar) staff worked and played together - you were part of a large family.

Privatisation and National Power changed all that, now the word profit was heard (if CEGB made a "profit" questions were asked in the House!) and costs were being scrutinised. National Power took on around 17,500 staff were employed this was to be reduced to around 5,000. This meant massive staff cuts and a programme of severance as it was called was drawn up, bankrolled by the goverment as part of the privatisation process.

So in October 1996 at the age of 46 I left National Power and a industry I had served for 28 years . On the final day I walked out of my office (it was empty I was the last man standing) shut the door, asked the security guard if I could take my rather posh seat with me (he said yes), and left. Over the years I had seen friends and colleagues leave on retirement or for other jobs, they would have a collection, a gift and a leaving do - I just left an empty office I felt as if the world had abandoned me!

There was a plus side to it - I could retire at 50 with full pension and play a lot of golf - so I set my own company up - Sigma Associates (UK) Ltd - named after the Sigma building I last worked in - and looked to the future.

Family Life

My father died in February 1974 from a heart attack which was great blow to us, my mother, understandably was very affected. In many ways that was the day I finally grew up. My sister, Sheila, was married and living in Swindon, so I tried my best to help mother cope as well as tending a rather large garden.

My mother made a big mistake (as she agreed in hindsight) in moving to Yatton to be near Auntie Freda and Uncle Ron - my fathers sister and brother-in-law. She was not happy and wanted to return to Bristol where she felt at home. Around the time I got married she moved back to Bristol in a house in Bishopston where she made good friends with her neighbour and was a much happier time for her.

I go married in August 1975 to Mary Eileen HUMPHRIES my next door neighbour at Walliscote Road, we had two children Claire Louise and Nicola Mary. Nicola was to die aged only 23 from a rare form of cancer, something that I never really recovered from. Mary and I were divorced in 1998 around the time I was being made redundant from work, we have fortunately remained close friends.

Mother died on 19th July 2011 after a very short illness at the ripe old age of 95, she had lived for a number of years at Parsonage Court, Highworth, Swindon. This was near to my sister Sheila who looked after her, not always an easy task! In 2014 I got married again to Lillian Elaine ANDERSON after a short courtship of 18 years.