Peacock


the buttons and keep them for a future emergency. We hear rather a lot about looking after the earth`s


precious resources along with plenty of advice on how to recycle. Good old grandma would throw little or nothing away. Drawers were full of pieces of string, paper bags and all manner of other detritus, all of which would “come in handy” someday. Even when I was small, bottles were glass and taken


back to the off licence. To my recall this was rewarded at the staggering rate of 2 pence (that`s OLD pence) per bottle. Guess what? This weekly ritual provided me with my pocket money. To be fair, recycling paper was not so much of a


challenge back then as newspapers were used to light the fire and in even extreme circumstances cut up and used in a certain small room……… Next time you visit a restaurant (this even includes


MacDonalds and Burger King) have a look at the amount of food which is left uneaten. I can vouchsafe that,


in my experience, those of us brought up in the austere 1950s leave nothing on a plate after any meal! As for holidays, a


week in Southend for us southern “softees” or Blackpool for you tough northerners were the height of our aspirations. In addition to this we travelled to these eclectic hot spots by train as very few families owned a car back then. Long haul flights to far flung parts of the globe were the stuff of fantasy. I often reflect that from my position in our family history my dad died never


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in the UK. In recent years he held the post of Marketing Manager for Mobility which also involved supporting and working with the BHTA. He has now retired and is looking


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forward to finding the time to perform useful tasks in the industry, playing drums in a blues band, travelling and most important, being silly with his grandchildren.


Ability Needs Magazine


having travelled in an airplane of any description. My daughter uses jets almost like buses! I realise fully that there were fewer choices involved


at the time and this is not intended to be a mist-eyed look back to the “good old days”. I am suggesting that there is perhaps just a little too much emphasis on material goods these days. We know that there will be more and more older


people in future as modern medicine keeps our ageing bodies thriving to some degree or other. I would suggest that this older generation holds immense knowledge and wisdom that could be put to very good use. The elderly and less able often have a very valuable


commodity at their disposal…… TIME. Along with this time, they possess a vast reservoir of knowledge and wisdom which could be used to much greater effect than currently occurs. Just because a person is in a wheelchair, has poor


vision, is a bit deaf or just elderly it does not mean that they cannot use their wealth of experience for the greater good of all. Being one of us “oldies”, I think it is also our


responsibility to make ourselves heard. So, whatever it is that “turns you on” think about what you can contribute to help the current lot! They need some assistance believe me. Here are a few quick possibilities; Politics (the local council will do. Does yours need a


few home truths?). Your hard-pressed doctor`s surgery (we are constantly told that our doctors are over stressed. I am not suggesting that we take on the patient workload, but with respect, the administration at our local surgery, for example, could do with a dose of energy and customer focus). Are you a capable gardener or car mechanic? There are untold skills and experience lying


untapped. If you think about it, we could make a significant difference in all sorts of ways. Pete Townsend and the Who were possibly more


astute than they realised when they sung about “Our Generation”.


To contact Eddie send an email to


eddiepeacock@btinternet.com or write to him at Ability Needs, 7 Montgomerie Terrace, Ayr, KA7 1JL


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