| Description | Tape 1 Side A: KATHLEEN ALLAN (KATE) GRAHAM born 14 March 1951 Aberdeen. Has elder brother. Details. Paternal family: from Inverness. Grandfather a barber. Maternal family: from Dundee. Grandfather, a Gellatly, a foreman in jute mills. Example of his character. Recollections of grandparents, their lack of opportunities. Father went to war days after marriage. Strong awareness in family of need for opportunity for children. Recalls political awareness in family, importance of music. Describes childhood neighbourhood in Aberdeen. Mentions war damage in area. Went to Causewayend Primary School. Describes home, a tenement flat, garden, air raid shelter. Details re Aberdeen roads, railway bombing targets. Father worked with Corporation Transport as tram driver etc. He died early, partly result of war service. Details. Mother worked in Northern Cooperative Society shops. Parents interested in all sorts of music. Recalls their attitude to buying on tic. Details re music record collection. Parents both readers. Didn't have TV. Recalls social life, attitudes of parents to children. Reference to Dougal Baird. Got 11-plus, won bursary. Recalls own reading interests. Explains politics in family, parents' attitudes. Describes parents' personalities, appearances. Possibility of gypsy background. Interested in languages at school, no career aspirations. Did commercial subjects. Mentions health problems in family. Joined Clydesdale Bank. Details re banking exams, attitudes in bank to women's promotion. Joined Aberdeen Journals. Details re father's heart attacks, brother's kidney transplant. Top of class at primary school. Went to Academy. Explains attitude, progress there. Liked language, literature. Recalls Aberdeen in childhood, e.g. fish market, smells, strangling of George Street, harbour, Union Street shops before 'development', beach, chemicals works. Describes Aberdonians, their reputation, parochialism.
Tape 1 Side B: No awareness of oil during childhood or till after trip to Australia 1972-5. Recalls educational institutions in Aberdeen during childhood, thriving market. Recalls new fish market, demise of fishing in Aberdeen, rise of fishing in Peterhead before advent of oil. Oil caused increase in house prices in Aberdeen but not responsible for end of fishing. Lot of former shipbuilders, fishermen went to oil industry, supply boats. Background to immigration for £10 to Australia. Describes job in advertising with Aberdeen Journals 1971. Reference to Bill Gordon. Details re indoctrination in Thompson organisation, own attitude to work, wages. Benefit of training there. Recalls Ken Peters, Madge McKenzie. Details re trip to Australia, work for Medical Benefits Fund as assessor in Sydney. Impressions of Sydney coming from Aberdeen. Recalls feelings about summer Christmas. Compares Australians' attitude to Scots, English. Thought of staying there. Feelings about taking citizenship in another country. Reference to Melbourne. Family situation leading to decision to come home. Returned 1975. Details re brother's, mother's health situations. Mentions own acquired Australian accent. Details re secretarial, financial work in Australia. Background to appointment as secretary to Elmer Leon Daniel, in Occidental Oil. Recalls interviews in Charlotte Street, Causewayend. Details re old Causewayend area shops. Describes first days at work, Leon Daniel who is still fondly remembered in Aberdeen. Ended up helping with his family. Oxy was then unknown. Details re their situation at that time, their block awards of Piper, Claymore fields. At that time platform jackets being built. Explains. Details re anticipated start dates. Involvement of Alistair Dunnett with Flotta oil terminal.
Tape 2 Side A: Joined Occidental 1975. Details re personnel, partnership companies including Allied Chemicals. Recalls first dinner-dance, numbers of staff there. Own reaction to informality in company. Mentions growth in staff numbers, opening party. Recalls building programme of jackets, Flotta Terminal, costs involved, money spent by company. Explains weather windows, day rates, revenues from oil. Recalls other personnel, contractors. Details re people being sent to Aberdeen from Libya. Oil industry a small world. Explains. Recalls divers. Over 1000 people working in offshore construction. Hard work, many social occasions. Recalls excitement of launch of Piper, Claymore jacket, excitement of the industry. Mentions construction locations. Recalls people from Lousiana, 'Coon-asses'. Describes own daily routine in office. Many calls from company partners. Recalls adjustment of Oxy to situation, laws etc different from in US. Typing, copying procedures. Became minder for Leon Daniel, his family. Attitude of American wives. Mentions travel, housing work. Oxy had regular arrangement with local corner shop for supplies. Regular social occasions, close group. Mentions proportion of Aberdonians in company. Americans wanted to integrate. Cautious reaction of Aberdonians to oil industry, expectations of its lifespan. Reaction of people during 1980s slump. Comments on Sir Ian Wood, his attitude. Attitude of own neighbours. Mentions salary. Recalls private entertainment. Mentions Maitland Mackie. Some information shared among companies, other was coded. Details. Recalls well discoveries. Details re Piper's record production. Recalls atmosphere, colourful names, conversations, going on dates with Americans, their attitudes. No room for slackers in the industry. Explains integrated working patterns, high pressure. Compares Oxy with other companies. Details re Armand Hammer.
Tape 2 Side B: Development of oil companies in Aberdeen controlled by local authorities. Got to know Armand Hammer. Recalls first meeting with him 1977 at Flotta inauguration by Tony Benn. Explains own way of assessing people. Mentions Mrs Hammer. Details re Armand Hammer. He employed good people. Feelings about him, his world. He controlled the Board. Value of Oxy stock. Hammer's relationship with Russia etc. Recalls other companies in North Sea consortium, John Paul Getty, Lord Thompson of Fleet. Story of lunch where none of them had any cash. Leon Daniel was a Texan gentleman. Recalls Hammer's hands-on style, Daniel's relationship with him. Piper opened 7 December 1976. Move into Piper production, Claymore, Flotta construction phase. Contrasts arrangements with oil industry of Orkney and Shetland. Details re disturbance payment negotiations. Comments on Flotta design. Attitude of Orkney Council, people. No union recognition in Oxy. Workers were earning good money on contract. Mentions later strike at Ardersier. Secretary to Leon Daniel for 6 years. Background to own establishment of public relations section in Aberdeen. Work, social life revolved around Oxy. Started with job, ended up with career. Lived with mother, brother. Other job prospects, e.g. in London. Own role working with Daniel. Explains move to fulltime Public Affairs Officer. Comments on relationship between secretary and boss, own experience. Mentions courses done, interest in news, politics, reading. Comments on Tony Benn. Explains role as secretary, relationship with others. Effect of being close to budget. Mentions senior women, problems with women offshore etc. Own attitude. No women in senior administrative positions. Reason for few British people in senior positions.
Tape 3 Side A: Public Affairs Officer (cont'd): describes routines handling media, emergency response etc. Had team of up to 36 people. Oxy started early in emergency response. Mentions contact with Oxy partners. Details re community support, donations, supporting charities, appropriate ways of dealing with people. Attitude to media. Constraints of budget, procedures followed. Recalls dealings for Armand Hammer with Highgrove, Prince Charles. Details re Oxy offices, Hammer's routines, requirements, travels, accommodation patterns. Comments on rumours that he was a Russian spy, derogatory writing about him. Feelings about him. Has never spoken about him to media. Some of Hammer's representatives more difficult than he was. Details re some of his ways, unpredictability. Recalls raising of Mary Rose, Globe Theatre. Feelings about PR work for Hammer. Reference to Sam Wanamaker. Recalls da Vinci exhibition in Aberdeen. Reason for preferring to work in Aberdeen. Comments on Oxy's emergency response. Mentions fatal and other incidents. Feelings about judgements on Piper disaster, potential for disaster on other installations. Feelings about blame for Piper being placed by Cullen on two men. Pre-Piper safety standards high but industry was young. Piper was becoming old. Details. Comments on stories that Piper was not a good platform. Evolution of own job, development of politics in office. Enjoyed work less. Bought makeup business, due to leave when Piper disaster occurred. Mentions being among highest paid women in Aberdeen. Details re changes in Oxy. Recalls night of Piper disaster, hearing news. Coincidence of leaking roof. Explains routine dealing with journalists. Details re emergency procedures followed, people's reactions, own reactions. Details re communications. Recalls first news of extent of disaster.
Tape 3 Side B: Piper disaster (cont'd): information coming in was sparse. Concern was with what happening to the men. Explains losing temper re false 'expert' information. Impact of situation on colleagues, families. For many, story didn't break till next morning. Grampian Television stayed on air all night. Details re media. Peter Morrison, Energy Minister flew offshore. Complexities when politicians involved. Recalls press conferences, premises used, visits of Armand Hammer, Margaret Thatcher, procedures involved, e.g. security. Details re time away from home during aftermath, hours worked. Mentions brother's heart surgery at time. Feelings about attitudes to Oxy. Recalls difficult demands. Describes situation. No severe environmental problem after disaster. Recalls despicable episodes. Comments on behaviour, demands of media people. Details re one casualty, false stories etc. Requests re Red Adair from individuals, media. Recalls false drug story, consequences of this. 'Pot-shots' taken at Armand Hammer. Details re dealing with families wanting news. Recalls Hammer's visit. He never recovered from disaster. Explains. Details re compensation, redevelopment questions. Own attitude to 'spin', lies. Took weeks to recover, didn't go out for long time. Explains. Mentions counsellors. Couldn't watch television. Press room went 24 hours a day. Details re routine. Own method of recovery. Left Occidental, set up own business. Developed ulcer. Explains continuing feeling of disbelief. Mentions time off shore, impressions, unreality of situation. Compares with other disastrous situations. Still thinks about Piper. Feelings about watching war footage etc on films. Mentions PR work on emergency response etc. Comments on 'experts' on crises. Does media training, lectures etc. Attitude to telling truth. |