Can't quite phrase a good thread title! I was idly wondering whether, without being too intrusive, how many of us have followed our parents or close relatives in a type of employment?
My father was a school teacher and my employment was loosely related in that I instructed, but generally not in a classroom. There seems to be a trend for this in sport, Jackie Stewart and son, Farrell and son in rugger, Union and League and so on. Anybody care to reveal an employment/profession link to their family?
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My Father was a gardener and I love gardening as a hobby:)
However I did have three brothers and two were lorry drivers and one a bus driver.
The youngest was 16 years older than me and all of them told me I'd never make a lorry driver!
My Mother was a cook, but best we don't talk about that either.
Pat
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My Father followed me.
He was a train driver, and I went into the IT game.
He stopped being a train driver and went into the telecommunication (IT In effect) game.
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>> Can't quite phrase a good thread title!
It looks OK to me. I knew what it meant.
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Interesting replies already, from Forum regulars! Keep them coming, please.
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My Father was a gardener (head gardener in open gardens no less..;) in private service, i'm surely a great disappointment to his memory as i can't garden for toffee.
My sister (though very clever and well qualified in legal work which she went back to whilst her son was young) has driven trucks for longer than i have and still does, her son now does too and continental as she did for many years and still does.
My son has followed my route and is now driving car transporters, he hates being stuck inside too...i finished with transporters two years ago.
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My Father drove Ambulances in London during WW2 picking up decapitated heads and disembowelled torso's etc.,
He cracked up eventually so they sent him out to Alexandria (REME) for the duration of the war then worked for the GPO in Mount Pleasant till he died aged 54
I drove vans and small lorries for 5 years in the 70's
I was a mobile car engine tuner for 14 years (REME connection?)
These blimmin Laptops drive me round the twist, I'm going back on the BIG machine :)
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Ggg grandfather was a country gentleman,
Gg grandfather was a brewer,
G grandfather was a rector,
grandfather was an artist in oils and watercolours,
father was a research chemist,
I'm a finance director of a SME.
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My dad was sumariner, salesman, shop manager then a owner of a manufacturing company.
Aside from self-employment, I didnt really follow him although it was his idea that I went self-employed and it wasnt an alien concept to me as in my lifetime my father had always been self-employed.
I had the option of being trained up to work in his company and become a shareholder, but despite being around the business since I was a child, I had zero interest in what they did so I took an trainee position in valeting instead.
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My father is a merchant navy officer (Captain) and is still employed so, in his 70's.
I considered that career but was not able to, not as an officer anyway, due to being colour blind, so I sneaked in to the police via the cadet system (you are not supposed to be colour blind with them either, but they've only got a week left to catch me out).
My paternal grandfather was a dentist, lived most of his life in Africa. He ran off with his dental nurse... and caused a bit of a family scandal.
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My father (b.1911), like many of his generation, was formally educated only to the age of 14. He developed an interest in art early on and after school went into a draughtsman's office in a local engineering firm, then into the well-known firm of John Dickinson, the stationer's, where they had a small design studio. From there he was fortunate enough (or talented enough) to get into Lintas, the advertising and design part of Unilever in London. For the rest of his life (apart from the war - a whole different story) he was a commercial artist, though he went free-lance quite quickly after the war.
As a boy I was horrified at the uncertainty of free-lance work - probably what I saw was in fact my father's disorganisation and lack of drive - and I vowed to do a job that had total security. I went into teaching, though I should add that my maternal grandmother and a second cousin were also teachers and so was my father's sister's husband.
It was rather later in life that I realised that my father really wanted to be an artist, not a commercial artist. The many water-colours and the three large oil paintings that hang on my walls are the reminders of his frustrated ambition.
It's odd how threads run through one's life. My father's sister combined being a housewife and mother with developing her artistic side and went on to produce a huge number of fine artworks, even managing to exhibit some of them at the Royal Academy; she always credited my father with having taught her the basics. And now my daughter is living with a very fine young artist in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who actually supports himself by selling paintings and giving private tuition.
Some of his stuff may be seen at www.davidhollidayart.co.uk
Last edited by: FocalPoint on Mon 30 Jan 12 at 12:01
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Mrs DB's mother and grandmother were both primary teachers (head and deputy head respectively). Mrs DB originally went in to architecture but decided, just before she finally qualified, she actually wanted to be a teacher. So, she retrained and is now a class teacher. I wouldn't have thought it will be too long before she progesses in to a deputyship
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>> Some of his stuff may be seen at www.davidhollidayart.co.uk
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I like what I can see - but he really needs to sort out that website!
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"...he really needs to sort out that website!"
Sorry about that! Dave is more than computer-literate, but I believe relies on a friend for the website.
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Very pleasant pictures FP. I am constantly amazed by the amount of artistic talent there is. I drop into exhibitions of small local art groups, whenever I see them, and the range is amazing, the content good and, when they are for sale, the prices are keen too.
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Grandfathers, both sides, were chippies originally. Both left the trade; one to own a second-hand furniture shop and one became a chief draughtsman at Woolwich arsenal.
Father joined the R.N. as an ERA at the age of 14, and hated being retired at 50 as a lieutenant (E).
Me, I've just drifted, really although I did serve in the Royal Marines for a time!
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 30 Jan 12 at 13:02
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On the paternal side, all our family either dug coal up or burnt it, being miners and railway workers, and my mother was 'in service'
There aren't many opportunities in any of those lines these days, and I never wanted to be an engine driver - a trip round St Helen's Junction on the footplate of Uncle Jacks' loco when I was about six absolutely terrified me
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My father was a colour chemist. His mother, father and their siblings had all worked in in Rochdale’s mills.
Worked his way through technical, sales and then sales manager roles before going into partnership with others to import and distribute dyes and finishing products. Stayed there until selling out and retiring in 1982. Even if there's been an opportunity I’d no interest in the subject and by the late seventies the writing was on the wall for large scale UK textile manufacturing and processing.
Mum was a teacher (primary, special needs). Until her brother joined the GPO males in the family worked down the pits SE of Leeds. I didn’t fancy either of those jobs at all.
At 18 in fast declining labour market I had a choice of polyversity or a management trainee post in the Civil Service. I took the bird in the hand that was the latter. Still there 34 years later but expecting redundancy before 2012 is out.
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As people have been kind enough to go back further than one generation I will add that my paternal grandfather (a Swiss man) was responsible for the acceptance of Romanche as the official 4th language of Switzerland and wrote the dictionary of it so that is in the schoolmasterly line that continued. My maternal grandfather was a vicar in Bickley, once a quiet village in Kent, now a dormitory town inside the M25.
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Family from fathers side all shipping dredgers,uncle owned a few coasters.
Mothers side from factory workers to running trucks Vos.
Me after leaving school shipping tugs coasters .Working on aircraft Hawker Sidely.
Pilot launches.BP loading and discharging chemical tankers.Joined a small company boatage on the river Humber.Retired now pottering about taking live as it comes day by day.
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Just as an aside, Dutchie - has your brother started his treatment yet? How is he?
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Hello Focal Point thanks for asking.He is starting his treatment next week.24 sessions of radiation and chemo therapy.
They will keep him in hospital for one week radiation plus chemo.Then every day radiation and final chemotherarpy again.Unfortenately the tumor is leaning against his airpipe.He is in a good hospital in Groningen.I spoke to him the other day he is scared but the treatment is his only hope.
I problaby will be going to see him soon if he feels to poorly and give him support.Jan is fit but cancer takes no prisoners.
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Very best wishes to him - as you know, chemo can make patients feel pretty unwell and radiotherapy can make one feel very tired. I'm sure he will get the support he needs.
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Thanks FocalPoint.
I was going to go and see him as soon as he mentioned what had happened.
He asked me to stay in the UK for the time being and see him went he starts to feel down.
I have gone through it myself Focal chemo, operation plus chemo.Iam worried about him we had a laugh on the phone and we try to keep a sense of humor.Whatever happens I let the forum regulars know as long nobody minds.
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Of course we don't mind Dutchie, but sometimes we don't like to ask because we don't wat to upset you, so you just tell us as and when you feel you can.
Pat
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As Pat says we are concerned and want to offer you and your brother support but don't want to make waves by asking questions. We will keep you in our thoughts and you can tell us what you want us to know
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"...sometimes we don't like to ask because we don't want to upset you..."
I hope you won't mind my saying this, Pat, but this does illustrate a problem that people sometimes have in dealing with certain topics, like bereavement, mental illness and cancer.
The older and more experienced I get the more I am convinced that it is better to say something and risk causing any upset, but at least show you care, rather than say nothing and leave the other person wondering why everyone is ignoring them, and feeling increasingly isolated.
In most cases I'm certain that, even if upset is caused, even that can be cathartic, and at least you have reached out to someone.
To be even more controversial, I sometimes wonder if the real reason these matters are not discussed is that the person avoiding them is the one with the real problem and that there's something about the topic that they cannot deal with, not a fear of the other person's reaction.
Last edited by: FocalPoint on Mon 30 Jan 12 at 17:40
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That's all good stuff FP. No one sensible would disagree.
I was going to post something to the effect that I didn't think anyone would mind Dutchie mentioning it, but Pat and Meldrew seemed to have spoken for everyone.
There is after all such a thing as taking too much notice of something. The British tendency to say less rather than more is perfectly respectable and Dutchie must be used to it by now. He doesn't want to have to thank us all for our concern after every update. He must know we feel for him.
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I agree with both you and AC focal point, and I was hoping to make it easier for others to ask.
..and I wouldn't want Dutchie to think we don't care, because we do.
Pat
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My mother was in service so thank goodness I did not follow. her.
My father was born a couple of centuries ago and was a bowler and rolled umbrella manager in London. He died young when I was young. I did not really know him because of the hours he worked. He was talented but not a very practical person. I learned to be practical and from my late teens have been in electronics /computing area so no following family profession.
My son has followed me quite independantly into management consulting so there is a sort of link there.
My daughter wanted to be a doctor from a very early age and is now a surgeon so no family link there.
It must be horrible having pressure from parents for you to follow Dad or a specified career.
I have seen my daughter when presenting to sixth formers ( with their parents present ) interested in becoming doctors say " Do not go into medicine cos dad wants you to! YOU must truly want to do it !" It was interseting to see some dads faces at that point.
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The best job in the world for me would to have been born the son of the owner of a small independent traditional boat yard. Growing up in a world of old boats, mud, old tractors, and river yarns and knowing I was going to take it all over would have been bliss.
I'd have foregone school, university, profession, just for the fun, and the certainty.
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Wouldn't have been easy - I remember Howard's Way! :-)
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Such Boatyards still exist Cliff! I was at St Just in Roseland (Cornwall) in the late 40s and there was boatyard there with the very Cornish name of Pasco. I was there again 10 years ago and it was still there, presumably a father passing on to son. Founded in 1711 and still the family!
www.pascosboatyard.co.uk/about
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Following a Family Profession - Pat
