93
That wasn’t the end of Barry’s military career though; he did a spell teaching in the Territorial Army in Eastbourne. “I found it hard to fit in as there just isn’t the same atmosphere and discipline as with regular soldiers. I was used to giving an order and the men obeying without hesitation. The TAs are part time and they opt-in and out. You could say ‘I need you Friday night for an exercise’ and they would come back with ‘sorry I’m meeting my girlfriend’. But don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of very dedicated men and wom- en in the TA - I knew one reservist that would run five miles each day to and from the unit and many went to Afghanistan.” After his time with the TA, Barry moved into the MPGS (Military Provost Guard Service) made up of trained men and women who’re responsible for protecting nearly 100 military bases around the UK. He started working in Salisbury, but moved to Dartmouth in 2003 and it was here that he finally settled down. “We moved into a house in Rock Park with other mil- itary families. It was great but a little insular. I ran two sections at the college and did a lot of admin - working out people’s shifts etc. But if I ever upset any of the men they told their wives and their wives would give my wife the cold shoulder!” During his time at BRNC Barry would often go running and one day he passed Bill Hunt who runs a garden business. “He needed to shift a large amount of stone so I offered to help. He couldn’t believe how
quickly I moved it all and I told him I like doing outside work, landscaping and gardening. Bill then offered me a job. It was only a few small tasks here and there which I carried out alongside my MPGS job, I’ve never been one to sit still for long so the idea of two jobs never phased me.” Barry soon gave in his notice at the college and set up his own gardening company, which he still has today. He says it’s his ideal job: “I love being outside, I’ve been outside all my life. I couldn’t stop now. My favourite jobs are ones where someone shows you their garden and you can’t even get from the gate to the front door without scrambling across a jungle of weeds and brambles. I really enjoy transform- ing it into something beautiful and neat.” Barry looks after around 60 properties in Dartmouth and more in Kingswear. Not all are big jobs - some are simply a mat- ter of mowing the lawn once a week. He also works with a few estate agents and holiday companies who call on him to clear or tidy gardens or deal with broken guttering. “My favourite part of the job is having a cup of tea in a millionaire’s garden surveying my surround- ings and pretending it’s all mine! I have made a lot of friends since moving to Dartmouth. Being in the army is an amazing experience, but it is a pretty rootless existence. Being part of a community is comforting - I can’t walk 100 yards without saying hello to at least 10 people I know and that’s a good feeling.”
DECORATING & RENOVATING inV ogue Decor ating ser vices After
OVER 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE • Dartmouth based
• References available • Fully insured • Free quotes and design service • No job too big or too small
Renovation featured in BBC’s ‘Britain’s Dream Homes’ Email:
in.vogue@hotmail.co.uk • Tel: 07977 038708
QUALITY PAINTING,
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140
