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David Unwin (1953-59)
I attended WCGS from 1953 to
1959. I left somewhat unexpectedly because I gained an appointment with the then
Borough of Willesden as a Trainee Technical Assistant (Local Government speak
for a Trainee Builders Surveyor) and I remained in post until 1966 when I had
qualified. I moved to the London Borough of
Camden as an Assistant Surveyor and then to London Borough of Hackney, firstly
as a Contract Surveyor, then as the Surveying Manager and finally as the No 2 of
the then biggest Building Department in London. The
remainder of my 51 year career has been as a free lance Estimator/Surveyor
mainly working for small Contractors working for Housing Associations etc.
Some might remember my interest in politics at the County. In fact when
I left I was already the Chairman of the Labour Party Youth Section
(Young Socialists)in West Willesden. Whilst active in the Labour Party
I acted as the Election Agent for the Brent South (successor to
Willesden West) Member of Parliament, Laurie Pavitt on a few occasions. I ended as the Secretary of the Brent Labour Party and my Chairman was
ex-Middlesex County Councillor, Muriel Forbes, whose husband, Charlie,
had been a Master at WCGS in the days of Mr Wallis.
In 1971 I was elected to Brent Council and one of my co-Councillors was
Tony Eaton (also ex WCGS). We had to elect Aldermen in those days and
one so elected was George Swammell whose son, Alan, was a pupil at WCGS
and sat on my table when I was 'Table Prefect' in the Dining Hall. I
attended Alan's mothers funeral a few years ago and at that time he was
about to move to Lyme Regis, so anyone who knows Alan should keep their
eyes open if in that part of the country.
In my second period of office as a Councillor my co-Councillor was
George Crane whose sister, Christine, was also at the County. During my
period as a Councillor I was at varying times the Chairman of the
Housing Management Committee and the Direct Works Committee and also
the Labour Party (Majority Party) Whip.
Initially the Boroughs Secondary Schools were divided into four groups
and the County was in the West Group and I served on the Governing Body
(and I believe that I was the ONLY ex-pupil to become a Governor). Incidentally the Chairman of the Education Committee at the time was
Len Snow whose wife, Joan, is also ex-WCGS. As a Councillor I was
invited to a virtually all School Speech Days and one year I went to
that at Kingsbury High School where the Head Master was Edgar Mitchell. He not only taught me Economics but also lodged opposite me when he
first came to the County.
For many years I withdrew from politics because I was too busy running
my own business but recently I have rejoined the Labour Party although
not as active as I was. I have always been interested in the community
and currently serve as a Board member of the Brent Housing Partnership
which looks after all Brent Council Housing and Leasehold property.
In the early eighties I met Esther, a native of Ballybunion in County
Kerry, Eire who had a teenaged son, Brendan. We married in 1988 and
about eight years ago Brendan married Helen and they live in Aldershot. Since then they have had Jack and Isabella our grand children. We enjoy
immensely being grand parents and we usually see them every fortnight.
I have not completely retired and still have one or two clients for
whom I do work - as long as it does not interfere with my reading,
model making, research into my family and learning of the troubled
history of Esthers home country and writing my 'memoirs' of the strange
and wonderful things I have seen in the Building Industry.
Having found a few years ago the cottage in Dalry in Ayrshire where my
Grandfather was born and quite recently finding my Grandmothers grave
(which I did not know existed until a few years ago) it leaves me with
just one family ambition. To go to Vancouver in Brtish Columbia, Canada
to see the city where my father was born.
In recent years my health has not been too good although I am the first
to admit that it could be a lot worse and I do my best to ensure that
it does not interfere with my retirement activities. I wear two hearing
aids (i.e - deaf in stereo) and suffer from tinitus. I have diabetes
and arthritis in my hips. Recently it has been discovered that I have
an irregular heartbeat which they seem to be unable to regularise. Now
I have been told that I have C.O.P.D. (Chronic Obstructive Pulminary
Disorder) but this generally only affects me when the weather is cold.
Otherwise, like everyone else, you just have to get on with life.
You might have worked out that I still live in the London Borough of
Brent, in Neasden. In fact only three hundred yards from where I lived
when at school. I regularly travel up Doyle Gardens and still miss 'the
County' not being there. I think that the City Academy is a monsterous
building compared to our school.
Finally a few words about my sister Elizabeth (Liz) who attended the
County from 1955 to 1962. She committed the cardinal sin of marrying
David Hughes from Harlesden who was educated at Kilburn Grammer School. Having spent most of their married life in Wotton-Under-Edge in
Gloucestershire they have now retired to Crewkerne in Somerset. They
have two sons, Tom who is single works as a Software Engineer and lives
in Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire and Rob who is married to Sam(antha) and
they own and run a florists in Bournemouth.
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