Mike Conyers: Insight without sight

Today’s speaker was Mike Conyers MBE. He is a blind member and Past President of the Rotary Club of Brentwood. He was accompanied by his fellow member of the Brentwood Club, Adrian Philips.

Mike lost his sight at the age of 12 as a result of a cricketing accident. He had several months of medical treatment in attempts to save his sight, to no avail. He went to a special school for the blind where, among other things he learned braille. This took him two years as at first his fingers were not sensitive enough to feel the raised dots. The school was near to a school for the deaf, leading him to comment that “They couldn’t hear us and we couldn’t see them.”

Despite being blind, he gained A levels and qualified as a chartered physiotherapist. He has also been quite adventurous, raising money for charity through such things as a sky dive and several entries in marathons, half-marathons and the Great North Run. He did not like the London Marathon because so many people took part it was difficult for he and his guide to progress.

He told us he likes dogs but has never had a guide dog because it would be too much of a tie. [Sorry, I obviously chose the wrong main picture for this meeting. Webmaster]

He told us many funny stories, a lot of them connected with his blindness. We weren’t sure how many of them were true!

For example, he said that on one occasion he was treating a female patient in a hospital cubicle when he felt something fall near his foot. He thought nothing of it until he started walk away and the patient parted the curtains and called out “Hey, don’t you realise you’ve got my knickers on your shoe!”

More believable was the story that someone once advised him to take care while walking because “It’s a bit misty today.”

One story he insisted was true concerned the blind jazz musician George Shearing. Apparently George was on a flight with his guide doe from the UK to the USA with a brief touchdown in Newfoundland. While the plane was on the tarmac at Newfoundland the captain saw George and his dog and offered to take the dog for a walk before they took off again, which George accepted. In due course the captain returned the dog to George and went back into the cockpit. There was then a delay as twenty passengers had seen the pilot walking with a guide dog and refused to get back in!

One story which had nothing to do with blindness took place on a bus. A young woman got in. The driver gave her her ticket and complimented her on her beautiful baby. The woman was absolutely fuming when she took her seat, complaining she had been insulted. The passenger next to her said “Look, you go and have a another word with the driver while I look after the monkey.”

Mike left us in no doubt that he is more than able to carry on a purposeful life and has a great sense of humour.