Chris Beale - Job Talk

11th May 2023 My Life and Times   Chris Beale

Chris began by explaining that he was born in Sheffield and spent about 40 years there before moving to Nottinghamshire for a further 37 years, so far! He went to Birkdale Prep school from 4 to 11, where he passed his 11+, which enabled him to go to King Edward VII School, rather than having to go away to Boarding school. He developed his ability for languages, doing Latin and Ancient Greek, which won him a Exhibition to the Queen’s College, Oxford. However, in his ‘gap’ year he got employment at United Steel Company, where he alternated between operating a valve computer and recording data in the ‘Cogging Mill’, where the steel was rolled with great noise.

Once at Oxford he dropped Classics to study Law. The College Principal was a Nobel Prize Winner, Lord Howard Florey. He moved on to the College of Law at Guildford, where he passed the Solicitor’s exams except accounts, which he passed after serving his articles in his father’s Solicitor’s practice. He did three voluntary activities, joining the Special Constabulary, continuing in the Scout Association and becoming an Assistant County Commissioner and an occasional volunteer with the Peak Park Warden service.

His main hobby has always related to railways, as a voluntary trackman for the Severn Valley Railway in Worcestershire in the 1990s, then a new project The Ecclesbourne Valley railway, eventually to become an Engine driver, and along the way purchasing a class 31 mainline loco!

He talked fondly of his family, and also spoke about all his volunteering and hobbies, which included long distance walking having covered between 50 and 100 of English long-distance paths.

President Rob gave the vote of thanks congratulating Chris on all the fascinating facts he had provided in an informative and interesting presentation.

The members joined Rob giving a prolonged applause, in the normal manner                                   AR