| Description | Tape 1 Side A AGNES MARABELLE JACK nee MURRAY born Lerwick, Shetland, 19.6.1955. Background to names.Knew paternal grandmother, Isabella Murray who was bedridden. She lived in Mossbank. Grandfather was a shepherd at Garth House, Graven where uncles and aunts brought up - not far from present home.Mother, Margaret Barbara Manson. Grandmother died at 95. Grandfather, Arthur Manson, a crofter. After his death grandmother lived with family members. Recalls state of roads in earlier times. Reference Urafirth.Brought up in present house. It was a munitions store in wartime. Father renovated it. Details. Mentions unexploded bomb found nearby. Reference Jackie Jack, husband.1 of 3 children. Mother lost 2 sons. Details. Is a twin, 2 sets of twins in family. Recalls sympathetic behaviour of the other twins. (Living) siblings: Margaret, Lesley.Describes father, Thomas Lawrence Murray. He was as handyman, could turn his hand to various skills. He worked in Orkney, Fairisle - took work where he could get it. He worked on the piers on Fairisle. He was away from home a lot. He played fiddle in band with his brothers. Brother, sister can sing. Mother did a lot of knitwear to get extra money. Details. Later she worked in knitware industry in Mossbank. When oil industry came, she worked as a chambermaid in the first camp, later was canteen assistant - big money after the experience of poverty. She is in hospital now having taken a small stroke. Describes her personality - opposite to father. She remarried, lives in Brae. Father died in 1992.Education: Went to primary school at Firth. 2-room school, no running water, lunches delivered from Brae School, eaten at desk. Details. Cold building. Earthenware fire in classroom. Given awful hot (dried powder) milk in the morning. Teacher was Bessie Robertson. Describes. Later went to Lerwick Central School for technical, commercial subjects. For languages, maths, there was Anderson Educational Institute, (now Anderson High School). Reference Brae High School. Most people had good education. Went to Lerwick Central School, took secretarial studies. Other girls became teachers, nurses.Little change to home area. Own family, the only children around. Reference Graven. Grand aunt lived up the road, a character. Describes her appearance, personality. Graven a tight community. Recalls sitting at nights with Tilly lamps, radio, visiting relations to play cards etc. Mentions old Shetland game '500'. Grand aunt an ace, liked cheating at it too. Details. Reference Whist.There used to be a hotel in the area. The owners went away to England. Recalls being happy with Shetland life. Poor (financial) times. Explains.Dances every weekend - traditional. Religion not important but other family members went. Details. Shetland, Orkney were Liberal in politics. Reference 90 year old uncle in Lerwick; Jo Grimond.Always wanted to do commercial subjects. Explains. Mother was a teacher, sister became one. Own feelings about teaching. Enjoyed school, secretarial subjects - usually top in shorthand/typing. Left school at 16. Recalls involvement in sport - nothing too much.Didn't travel much as a child. Recalls trip to Aberdeen in 1971. Now travels frequently. Oil industry: Recalls scaremongering, terrible rumours re compulsory purchase when oil industry was on the way. Meetings held. Wild stories of mad Irishmen coming. Describes sense of security then. Fear that 'you wouldn't be safe to go out at night.' Not much looking forward to opportunities of oil industry. Granny thought it was terrible. She was from Calback area.
Tape 1 Side B Oil industry prospect made people really worried. Owner of hotel sold up soon after construction workers arrived - hotel later made a mint. Recalls Zetland County Council meetings to allay fears. Mentions wartime 'invasion' of Sullom Voe, NAAFI. Older people more worried than others.Describes Sullom Voe area in childhood time. Recalls hotel, now derelict, former neighbours, relations. Garth House was occupied for a while. Big changes to area. First sign of oil coming was tests for underground storage. Series of caravans in car park for workers. Mentions fish factory, block works.Left school in 1971, worked for Zetland County Council Finance, Public Health Departments. Boss was Holden Hall, County Treasurer. County Clerk was Ian Clark. Opinion of him - a good guy. Finance Department was largest in Council. Reference Jim Leask; Alister Cooper. Details re own duties. In Public Health, worked for Senior Nurse, Chiropodist, Medical Officer of Health. Details. In first permanent post, was Comptometer Operator - a glorified adding machine. Details. Recalls enthusiasm for oil in the Council. November 1974 a company got contract for doing earth moving for Sullom Voe. Massive amounts of plant first taken to Toft, then to Sullom Voe. February 1975, advert in Shetland Times - GMG wanting an office assistant. Recalls urging of uncle Gilbert, Postmaster in Mossbank, to apply; own horrified reaction. Had been living in digs in Lerwick. Details re travel, decision to apply.Describes GMG's offices in fish factory and a portacabin - not far from home. Details re interview with Ben Fitzsimons, starting arrangements. Reference salary.Reference 1983 Marriage to John ('Jackie') Jack.1975 Started with GMG working in a fish factory. Not busy at that time. Details re staff members, their accommodation etc. Reference Miller Construction who built Firth Camp; Commercial Catering. In first days, workers had to go to site by boat run by hotel proprietor. Workers had their own bar in the camp.Describes typical work in the beginning - phone, typing, time sheets etc. Did a lot of knitting in the first days. Details re lunch break etc. Has always been a knitter - girls were always taught Fairisle knitting.Colleagues: Ben Fitzsimons was a character, treated like a daughter by him. Was first woman employee at Sullom Voe. Strange at first. Explains. Was well looked after.Few troubles in the camp. The Irishmen worked hard. Explains their work routine, time off, occasional very long hours. Sand boats brought sand from Ireland. Recalls social activity with the men. A lot would come back up 'Marabelle's Lane' to 'Marabelle's house' after the pub closed. Mum enjoyed it. Mentions earlier closing of pubs then. Mother started working in camp quite early as chamber maid. Recalls some of her experience. Reference her pay. Father was still working in Brae for local building firm at the time. His reaction to house being inundated by men. Was close to father. Uncle Gilbert used to let men use his telephone; he and aunt (his sister) entertained men too. He has tapes of Irishmen singing songs etc. Reference ADC (advice duration and charge) telephone calls. Details re uncle who now lives in Lerwick. He was well liked by the Irish. Men used Post Office all the time. Post came to (own) home, took it to site, sorted it etc.Didn't have much idea of what was being built. Totally new. People got less worried. Local dances held at weekend. Shetland boys' noses out of joint because of Irish men dancing with the girls. Not much trouble.
Tape 2 Side A Catholic and Protestant Irishmen got on well in Shetland. Example of two - one of each - who became staunch friends who would not have dared talk to each other at home in Ireland. Both often in MJ's house. There were some from south of Ireland as well. Construction work was sub-contracted to George Dew & Co, English firm. Motherwell Bridge, largely Scottish, came and did the tanks.Explains procedure dealing with the wages, allocating a certain amount to families at home, an allowance for drinking, cigarette money etc. Got to know the names, amounts given to each. The men were earning good money. The money had to be good. Explains. GMG chartered their own aircraft to bring men to Sunburgh from Belfast. Details. There were always problems at home, (sometimes) had to send men home quickly. MJ's job to arrange that. Catholics had a mass every Saturday night, had priest as a counsellor. MJ had role of counsellor as well.Not many marriages between Irish and local women but a lot of romances - like wartime. Mentions anxiety re this of older local people.Firth Camp (1200 people) was first camp to be opened - in 1976. Describes. Toft Camp housed 2300 people. Most local women already recruited as canteen assistants etc so women had to be recruited from mainland. That started out with a lot of trouble (c1978). 'F' block built for females. Details re induction centre in Glasgow, temporary arrangements in Firth Camp, fights at a party, a murder. Actions of police getting records of girls. Some of the girls recognised by security officer, ex chief inspector from Strathclyde. Comments on frequency of murders in Shetland before that and since. Work was still very much construction orientated (rather than oil). After finishing with GMG, whose contract had come to an end, joined Foster Wheeler GB - head-hunted by them 1976. Details re GMG consortium with Wyllies, French Kier. Describes Foster Wheeler work - in charge of flights, accommodation etc. Mentions boss, Norman Spall, his family. His assistant was John Rubens. Liked them both.At Christmas, had to fly all c6000 people home. Details. Sunburgh airport couldn't handle it all. Explains logistics with c14x40-seater flights a day. Site closed for 3-4 weeks.Explains scope, complexity of services, eg transporting personnel. Plenty of work at the time. People on good money probably for the first time in their lives. In early days, Sullom Voe Hotel was the only hotel. Then the Northern Lights (now Brae Hotel) built. Details re others built. Camps had their own bars - probably cheaper. Many houses built in Firth, Mossbank, Brae. Knitting industry: Fairisle products were sought after, sold in thousands. Details.Fishing: None of family connected with it. Fishing and knitting had been Shetland's livelihood before oil.UK needed oil. No expense spared. Describes high quality food in canteens.Had no consciousness of oil companies until joining BP which was on operations, as opposed to construction. Details re own working hours over the years, increasing duties. Always 1 weekend a month where overtime had to be worked. Explains. Reference Franklin & Andrews, Quantity Surveyors.Social life got more hectic as time went on. Explains. Own home became a party house. Made a lot of friends. Had a holiday with wife of a worker in Ireland. Recalls fears at going there, armed security cordons etc.Comments on notion of Scotland's ownership of the oil. Likely attitude of other people. Comments on notion of Shetland independence.
Tape 2 Side B Access to the GMG site was non-existent initially. Describes hazards of getting to work via beach, tides, a burn etc.Accommodation ships, Rangatira, Stena Baltica, brought in because of shortage of accommodation. Details of allocation of staff to ships. Ships kept for senior staff. Plush restaurants etc, classy, posh. Best eating in Shetland. Queen had lunch on board on day she opened the terminal.Local cinemas with up-to-date films were in camps, and in Lerwick, also on ships. Mentions cabarets, bands. Everything laid on to keep the guys happy. Other people in district mixed with the men, also in Lerwick at dances etc. It was quite sociable.1980 Joined BP as Clerk Typist in typing pool. Explains reason for need of change. Reference Shetland Times. Has never considered leaving Shetland. Interviewed for BP job by Bill Manson (now Councillor), Hazel Kedenhead, BP Personnel Officer. Became Supervisor in typing pool until 1990, then back to travel work.Big contrast between BP and construction firms. Describes. Recalls fun of construction firms. BP serious, staid. Details re work. Still in admin service/travel. Tried to move on last summer through redundancy but rejected. Now employed by BP but working for Chaunton Controls who provide facilities management on site.1978 Tanker spill: Recalls terrible blizzard that night, Foster Wheeler closed for Christmas. Difficulties getting people back because runways, roads shut. Describes damage caused to animals etc by spill. Mentions own absence at the time because of sister's marriage.1978 First oil ashore: Recalls presentation samples for staff etc. Recalls horrendous weather, effect on transportation of men etc. Problems this past summer with fogs, wind. Reference Scatsta airport; helicopters.Safety matters came up from the start. Recalls time early on when a Lerwick docker was killed. Details. Mentions other accidents. More emphasis on safety now but it was considered in the early days.Did not notice effects of political changes (at national level).Not many women in the oil industry. Has never been offshore.1983 Marriage. Recalls helping in bars at Firth Camp when first at BP. Met husband John ('Jackie') Jack who was Head Barman. Details. Reference Jackie's previous marriage, children. Explains arrangements for own parents, taking over their house. Jackie and self renovating ever since.1986 Fall in oil prices. 1999 Another fall. Site reorganised, redundancies.Union: Is a member of the T&GWU. Details. When working for the Council, was a member of NALGO. Mentions union membership of people on site. Explains own feelings about unions, lack of union strength offshore. Site union not as strong as it was. Compares with earlier days in BP. Mentions opinion of brother, who is a control room operator on site. 1990 Moved into Travel: Compares work now with earlier days. Preparing for GPO (Gas Plant Overhaul) next year, flights getting busy. Reference AMEC, big contractor on site. Details re October statistics - highest figure since construction days.Details re colleagues since joining BP.Piper Alpha Disaster: Recalls hearing news, big charity concert for families of victims. Reference Jackie's involvement. Recalls Danair crash at Sunburgh, phone calls coming through from enquiring families.Present work different from early construction days. Reference West of Shetland; Clair; Magnus; possibility of more construction jobs in Sullom Voe in 2001. Construction work more fun, sociable, less staid than operations side. Explains.
Tape 3 Side A Senior BP people come up to Sullom Voe but doesn't meet them. John Browne communicates by video. Mainly sees local senior management. Reference General Manager, Gordon Grant. Has seen number of managers come and go. Comments on Terry Curtain - very popular. Explains. Rod Walker was an ex-construction man, liked him. Explains. Managers live in Voe House. Explains structure of Sullom Voe. Is under Business Team whose Manager is in Aberdeen. Reference John Robertson, Health & Safety.Feelings of ownership of Sullom Voe. Always said, was first female in the gates, going to be the last one out. Initially went there for 12 months.Feelings in industry re possible future of the terminal. Decisions to be made by the company before the end of the year (2000) re prolonging life of the terminal.Own plans for the future - will stay for pension, shares etc. Incentives offered by company in shares, concessionary travel etc. Likely to stay with company another 10 years. No knowledge of other oil companies. Reference Shell. Recalls visiting BP's London office, Britannic House.One of favourite people on site was Pollution Superintendent. Recalls fun with him, Jim Spark; recalls George Watkins, Power Station Superintendent, who spoke his mind. Own office a great gathering point. Explains.Comments on net effect of oil industry in Shetland, improvements, future, possibility of it going back to what it was before. Knitwear skills have been lost. Reference fishing. |