Open Writing

In 1968, in order to enjoy the benefits of the college's long summer holiday, we first bought a tent and the following year progressed to a caravan. During the next decade the family enjoyed many halcyon days touring France and Italy.

1976 was one of the driest since environmental records began. Even before we left on our caravan holiday in mid-July, there was talk of a water shortage and the use of standpipes. That year we ventured much further afield than normal. The reason was that Michael, now fifteen years of age, went on a school exchange to Germany and we arranged to collect him, rather than him returning with the school. After picking him up in North Germany, we travelled south and enjoyed Switzerland, Venice and Florence in Italy, before finishing up at our favourite site at Frejus in France.

Amazingly, at each of these places, it started to rain shortly after we arrived. It was as if a rain cloud was following us all over Europe. It even followed us up the Rhone Valley as we travelled home.

Petrol in 1976 was much cheaper in England than in Europe, so the first thing we did when arriving in Dover was to fill up with fuel. An astonishing thing then happened. As the petrol attendant operated the pump, it started to rain. The effect was amazing. He started shouting, "It's raining! It's raining!" as if he had never seen it before. He reminded me of Gene Kelly in 'Singing in the Rain'. We later found out that it had not rained in England since we left five weeks earlier. Arriving back in Huddersfield the next day, we found standpipes in the street. Fortunately, the rain cloud followed us home and they were never used.

Looking back at those carefree and innocent times, it's amazing to think we didn't have such things as electricity, a fridge or a water pump in the caravan, and we didn't bother with a spare caravan wheel or a stabilizer.

In 1978, after enjoying five stimulating years helping to train teachers for further education, and studying for a Master of Education degree at the same time, I sought pastures new. After several interviews throughout the country, I was eventually successful in obtaining a post at Dewsbury and Batley Technical and Art College - (DABTAC) - only nine miles away, first as a Head of Department, then as an Associate Principal.

Had I stayed at Huddersfield College of Education, the ex-Stanhope Road lad, who failed his 11 Plus, would have finished his career as a University Lecturer. First the College of Education merged with the local Polytechnic in 1975, then in 1992 all such institutions were granted university status.
Ex-Reyrolle apprentices get everywhere, and if this had happened, I would have joined Pro-Vice Chancellor Fen Arthur and Professor of Manufacturing David Little, both of whom were former Reyrolle Graduate Apprentices from the nineteen sixties.

The years between 1975 and 1981 in the Leeds/Bradford and Huddersfield area were outraged by a criminal who became known as the Yorkshire Ripper. During these six years there were twenty murders or attempted murders of young women in the West Yorkshire area.

It was in the middle of this tense environment that I started my new job at DABTAC. I found our evening class numbers were down as many young women refused to come out at night, and there was traffic chaos outside college by fathers and boyfriends coming to meet those who did. The police often made random traffic checks and I was stopped several times whilst driving home from college.

Then in 1980 there was a breakthrough. Letters and an audio-tape with a strong Geordie accent were sent by the alleged murderer to the police. The tape was soon released to the public, and anyone with a north-east accent living in West Yorkshire was seen as a possible suspect. It didn't take long for some anonymous individual to suggest to the police that they should come to talk to me. The two detectives asked for a sample of my handwriting. After conscientiously copying a supplied script, they tore it up! "Would you do it again Sir?" was their
comment as I looked amazed. I later found out that this is based on the theory that it is much easier to forge one copy than two!

As I was completing the second copy, one of the detectives casually asked, "Where were you on the night of the recent murder, Mr Owen?"

Their reaction was very noticeable when I said, "About 800 yards away from the scene of the crime."

I had been in a meeting at the University of Leeds. They asked for witnesses, whose names I gladly supplied. The problem was that the university had now finished for Christmas, so I gave them another non-university contact. It was just my luck when the police went around to her house a few days later and found she had just left for two weeks in Australia! My alibi remained un-substantiated!

Fortunately the situation was overtaken by events when Peter Sutcliffe, a lorry driver from Bradford, was arrested in Sheffield on 4th January, 1981. We all breathed easy again.