| Description | Tape 1 Side A.TONY BROWN, youngest of three, two sisters. Paternal grandparents were in agriculture in Cambridgeshire. Father in fishing industry, moved to Lowestoft at early age. Details. Mentions own children, grandchildren. Maternal grandparents from Great Yarmouth. Father was a fisherman for 63 years, retired at 75. In winter he went sea fishing, in summer he was chief engineer on paddle steamers. Describes routes. He was home two days per fortnight, Mother ran household. Moved to Lowestoft when 5/6 years old. Lived in town centre. Fishing village called Beach Village, now gone. Father born 1896, deceased. Describes his character. Family attended Bethel, fishermen's church. Changes in Lowestoft, fishing and tourism. Recalls father's two days leave. Contrasts his work with own internet publishing job now, contrast. Went to grammar school, passed 11+ exams. Describes fishing trips with father. Details re father's work, crew, manner of fishing. Mentions condition of father's hands. Describes mother. She strove for betterment. Recalls her sense of humour. Describes home, family's political orientation, remembers community life. Describes academic level at Lowestoft County Grammar School, buildings, education. When aged 15 went to Sea Training School, Lowestoft, against advice of Headmaster. Interested in deep sea fishing. Comments on sports, working as team, need for education system to promote child's potential. Turning points in life, patterns of change. Anecdote about effect on teenager of parents' divorce. Communication opportunities through internet. Went into fishing through peer pressure, financial limitations. During childhood worked for pocket money. Spent 18 months at Sea School. Describes Lowestoft Technical College, navigation section, course including sail-making, cooking.
Tape 1 Side B. Describes Sea School. Explains merchant service link, career route. One of first twelve candidates at new navigation school. Details re programme, fishing industry legislation. Spent few months at Tilbury Training Camp, Gravesend, 'boot camp', run like ship. Describes conditions, people in authority, philosophy, hardships, and shape up or ship out attitude to unsuitable candidates. Diverse postings, different disciplines, cultures. Merchant Service labour pool, registered in London. Recalls being at home, awaiting posting. Describes friend's postings. Telegram from P&O Shipping Company saying to report to SS Arcadia, Southampton, forthwith. Posted to Purser's department, not navigation. Explains. Details re administration of Purser's Department. Comments on motivation by instructor at Sea School, (?) Davidson. Details re Arcadia, world cruise, destinations, joining routine. Was on short term contract. Details re other cruises, conditions on ship, crew, their numbers, other races employed, exotic places visited, work, hierarchy in ship. Left P&O in 1964 to marry Rita, nee North, who came from a fishing family. Wedding memories. Explains career move, disadvantages of cruise life. Recalls first home. Recalls being recruited into newly emerging gas and oil industry, place of interview etc. Offices rented out by Walker Regis to Abertabella Company. Describes organisation, Head Office location. Mentions experience of supply, rig operations in Middle East. Local manager was Dave Wiley. Describes first North Sea supply contract. Offered Camp Boss job. Recalls first fixed platform in North Sea. Reference to Rycade 1, later Conoco 1. Describes first visit to platform in Smith-Lloyd vessel. Reference to Atlas barge. Comments on working in North Sea, working conditions.
Tape 2 Side A. Explains selection of team for rig, shifts patterns, work, and pay rotas. Reference to Albertabella, contracted to Conoco. Number of crew needed, cooks, cleaners, male only. Targeted merchant service, fishing industry. Explains. Lack of experience of workers. Recalls hire and fire industry, anyone taken, later improvements, and pioneers. Details re initial crew of 8 people including self. Describes length of time to set up operation. Did 8 weeks at sea. Explains situation re replacements, interruption of married life. Later, was office based. Remembers first crew including Scottish chef, Charlie Campbell, from Skye, his ability to improvise, obstacles of bad weather. Describes first rig, Conoco 1, accommodation, crew numbers, fixed platform, weather, hierarchy. Boss was an American tool-pusher. Describes Texans, their attitude to crew initially and later. Mentions pay. Describes shifts, conditions of drilling crew. Anecdote re Zapata Company, Glomar 4 drill ship in North Sea, two supply vessels, Captain Dalgo, a demanding barge captain. Details re BJ Limbocker, clothes, pay, American school in Gorleston. Comments on oil industry, local economy, Shell Oil base in sixties. Explains contracts at time. Reference to Continental Oil, Global Marine, BP, Chuck Weavers, Cleethorpes. Story of BP platforms, large cranes, river pirates on Humber. Details re Conoco 1, kitchen, feeding routine, supply shortages, crew changes, storage restrictions, balance of fresh and dried food, galley size, numbers fed, overheads. Location of rig. Mentions auctions for sectors. Description of drilling, then, now. Staff, visitors, head counts, signatures for meals. Submission of account for meals provided.
Tape 2. Side B. Describes own administrative responsibilities, reporting to office, dealing with weather, transportation, food contractors, local, continental deliveries. Reference to Marseilles, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven. Recalls French rig Neptune in North Sea, contract, shipments of wine. Comments on alcohol on rigs. Routines were still experimental, lack of fire safety regulations, buckets of sand only. Mentions advent of BP in North Sea, British safety standards for offshore installations. Lack of safety equipment, life rafts, life boats, life jackets. Comments on potential for oil rig fires, height of rig above sea level, fishing situation, own Health and Safety rules. Describes lifting of Conoco 1 from Atlas barge, transfer of food to rig, refrigeration. 1964. Late1965 drilling rig Sea Gem toppled over, implications for North Sea installations. Describes human relationships in North Sea, international crews, Europeans, Americans, British, recruitment office in Hartlepool, Jackson Dock. Details re recreation. Sickness routine on rig. First aid, later St. John's Ambulance qualification or above needed, early drawbacks. Exploring for North Sea gas, some oil strikes, celebrating successes. Commuting by helicopter between rigs. Became United Kingdom manager for Albertabella. Describes company, holdings, mode of operation, and employment of local people to run local operations. Bill Watson, Public Relations officer in United Kingdom. Describes three Bella brothers, Palestinian Arabs. Story of land rigs in Nigeria, Albert Bella's demands for chefs, special foods. Mentions Hollis's foods. Salary reviews, additional contracts. Comments on similarity to Klondike gold rush boom and bust period. Moved from Lowestoft base to Great Yarmouth. Only Shell stayed in Lowestoft. Explains oil industry's need for warehousing.
Tape 3 Side A. Talks of Lowestoft, past, industries, warehousing, opportunities in oil industry, compared with Great Yarmouth. Mentions Reading and Bates. American oil rigs included Endeavour, set standards. Shell's commitment to Lowestoft. Describes atmosphere, noise on rigs. Comments on friendships in North Sea industry. Recalls absence of unions on rigs, reasons. Comments on gold rush situation, land speculation, exploration, changed conditions. Recalls 'Plastic' Texans, 'Great Yarmouth' Texans', American effect on local population. Was mainly in gas/oil industry in North Sea 1964 - 1969 but spent time in Nigeria. Recalls Albertabella's need for chefs. New bases opened. Mentions Neptune in Italy, Aberdeen. Impressions of Aberdeen, reaction to gas and oil industry, local industry, waterfront usable space. Recalls Amoco's discovery of Arbroath oilfield in 1969. Growth of Aberdeen as oil town, new fields north and south, decline of Great Yarmouth. Relocation of Albertabella. Offered job in Aberdeen, alternative Saudi Arabia. Details. Declined both positions. Left company, handed over to second in command, Fred Webster. Details re Webster. Decision to come ashore, go into Sales/Marketing. Mentions 6 months offshore working as catering consultant to Joe Lyons. Bought garage, difficulties encountered. Took job as sales person/manager with Tri-Central, Great Yarmouth 1971-79. Reference to Vauxhall/ Bedford, vans, trucks. Headhunted by Toyota 1979 as Sales/General Manager, franchise, Lowestoft, till 1991. Feelings on leaving Toyota. Took three months break.
Tape 3 Side B. While at home offered job by friend, Simon Woodgreaves, in motor industry as General Manager, Sales, Volkswagen Company. Comments. Employed there five years. Details re researching own collaborative project. Left Volkswagen October 1997. After holiday, floated company Personal Development Workshop.com, ongoing to date, 2002. Reflects on oil and gas industry, Shell Oil in Lowestoft. Mentions pleasure cruises to oil rigs, wells which are now capped, Bacton central pumping facility, Lowestoft, Oil and gas industry has little effect on local economy now.
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