A Pastime From Time Past #21 School Part-Time Jobs

Graeme Robb: Like a lot of our generation if you wanted anything you got a job. My first job was delivering papers for Ewarts Newsagents (Oxgangs Broadway) - quite a good round with everything above Ewarts i.e. Caiystane, Swanston, Oxgangs Road up to Fairmilehead Crossroads providing good Christmas tips. Then sweeping up and stacking shelves in the chemist at Oxgangs Road North now The Chip Inn. The best job I had was washing dishes at the Hunters Tryst Inn - a good laugh. I remember the fist things that I bought with my paper money - T. Rex,  Ride a White Swan and Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child - I still have them both.

George Fraser: I worked in the Hunter's Tryst too, washing dishes - a good job, but all the chefs were toss-pots. I can remember a fellow dishwasher - when a plate came back with a bit of fillet steak on it he ate it; I will not name him and it wasn't me. I was disgusted - all I will say is he was from the Oxgangs Farm side of the area!

Ruth Kaye (Blades): Yes I delivered papers for Ewarts too.

June Rafferty: My husband John Rafferty cleaned at Hunters Tryst before he left school

John McDonaugh: I also washed pots and dishes and cleaned at the HT - enjoyed the occasional knocked bottle of beer as well!

Audrey Dixon (McLean): My god when l was about 13 l worked at Hunters Tryst pot washing - had some great laughs.I also worked at the woollen mill shop in Morningside on Saturdays and during the holidays. In the summer-time I was at Toni's Cafe down Leith at weekends and on a Sunday; he would take me to the beach where I manned the ice cream and sweet trailer. The first record l bought was Marc Bolan's l Love to Boogie.

Peter Hoffmann: Nice post -  #70sSummer

Laurence Calder: I delivered milk at Gemmells Dairy 223 Morningside Road during the week and behind the counter. I carried on at weekends once left school up until I was 20. The owners then bought the Kildonan Lodge Hotel at Craigmiller Park and I worked there at weekends for many years. My first job was an apprentice draughtsman at Mackenzie & Moncur at 49 Balcarres Street Morningside for five years. I also played rhythm guitar in The Paper Chase from 1966 until 1970.

Paper Chase and Friends. Tiny Burns; Mike Jarvie; Howard Anstruther; Duncan Mathews; Laurence Calder; Billy Wilson; John Kennedy and Douglas Miller.

Lisa Sibbald: I had a couple of jobs when I was about 14. I delivered the local free paper - think it was maybe the Edinburgh Advertiser in these days. I covered most (or it might have been all) of the Oxgangs Farm streets. Hard work, but well paid. In fact, it was so well paid that I used to pay some of the younger kids to run up and down the stairs for me! I also was an agent for Cancer and Polio football coupons. I used to have to go round to the people who took part in them and collect the money. I can't imagine a 14 year old doing that sort of job these days. The army houses at Dreghorn were part of my round and I remember one particular house I called at where the wife was usually out at the bingo and the husband never had any money. I'd end up having to go back again the next day.

George Fraser:  I delivered the Edinburgh Post in 1972, paid £1.20 to deliver 500 and I had two of the high flats at Firrhill.

Lisa Sibbald: It would have been 1972 for me too, so must have been the Edinburgh Post.

George Fraser: To be honest I can't really remember if they all got delivered.

Dougie Begbie: I delivered papers for Ewarts aged 13 then at 14 years old I delivered milk for Murchies Creameries Ltd, Lochrin Place. I then worked for Edinburgh Dairies - John Clement was a driver for Edinburgh Dairies; I met him years later and he reminded me that I bumped him - gladly he doesn't hold a grudge!

Yvonne Thomson: I delivered papers at Oxgangs Park and Oxgangs Road for Ewarts; I can't remember how much we got - 5 shillings or maybe not.

Morningside Road, Scotsman Publications Ltd.

Carole Shearer: I worked in the Orchard at Morningside (now Boots the Chemist) on Monday Thursday and Friday after school and all day Saturday, during the school holidays I was full-time there or at their shop in Dundee Street. i worked alongside Diane and Marion Watson and Moira Wilson.

Colin Laidlaw: I delivered papers for Ewart's, but was called 'Sleepy-Joe' by Ian; thereafter as I was always late.

Dougie Begbie: Was that the afternoon delivery ha ha!

Del Trotter: Same way for me to - I think we all did.

😂

The Sunday Post #2 In The Season Of The Year

Hearts pre-season training, Dreghorn, in the lea of the Pentland Hills

Today sees the opening matches of the Scottish leagues’ football season and for many Oxgangers the annual ritual may be one going back over half a century. Indeed, I noticed this morning that Colin Laidlaw was travelling up from Manchester for Hearts’ opening away match at Hamilton - he’ll be a happy boy with a 4-1 victory.

Two aspects of the pre-season build-up were going up to Ewarts at The Broadway to buy in my copy of the Wee Red Book and to go along to the former Polo Fields at Dreghorn to see Hearts undertaking their pre-season training.

Extract from Retep Nnamffoh’s Letts’ Schoolboy Diary

Tuesday, 20th July, 1971

‘I was out on the dawn patrol doing the milk round. It wasn’t the most enjoyable of mornings as I had an argument with our new boss; he's very different from Sid.

I'm hoping these girls come up later on.

Former Polo Fields, Dreghorn (Dave Hennicker)

In the afternoon a bunch of us walked up to the Army's Polo Fields at Dreghorn to watch Hearts doing their pre-season training. They were all there including Donald Ford; Jim Cruikshank; Alan Anderson; as well as Oxgangs' Eric Carruthers. It was just a wee ten minute walk up the road for him from Oxgangs Farm Drive!

We all walked back home together; I then had to head straight down to Bairds Newsagents at Morningside Drive to collect my newspapers to sell up at the City Hospital. I'm a busy boy. It was no wonder I fell asleep on the couch afterwards; now I'm enjoying my crisps 'n juice.’

Postscript: Comment from Colin Laidlaw: 'I well remember doing this. I used to be pleased as punch when we used to get a lift home on the Hearts bus and they'd drop us off in the 'Drive'. John Harvey the manager/trainer at the time used to go to great lengths to stop the players swearing. When we didn't get a lift I fondly remember the walk back home as well; we used to gather wild strawberries growing at the roadside.'

So, did you support Hearts or Hibs?

Attending football matches at Tynecastle or Easter Road was a right of passage for many boys from Oxgangs.

My father, Ken Hoffmann, was a rugby man. I only ever remember going to a single match with him - it was Hibs v Dunfermline and I recall him getting into an argument with a Hibbie when Roy Barrie the combustible Dunfermline player got sent off - I actually sided with Ken on this occasion, because there was a sense of injustice about the decision. The other thing I admire today, from a distance, was that Ken subscribed to the philosophy that it was better to play the game than to spectate.

Boo-Boo Hanlon, back garden, 6 Oxgangs Avenue

At our stair (6 Oxgangs Avenue) I think John Duffy (6/8) attended games with his dad; he was a Celtic supporter. Boo-Boo Hanlon must have been too - see above! Colin Hanlon was a Hearts man and a regular at Tynecastle in later years. Alan Hanlon was perhaps too young back then, whilst for all his enthusiasm for football, I can't recall if Michael went along or not. Michael, Colin or Alan - if you're reading the blog, please let us know!

Douglas Blades (6/6) and Gavin Swanson (6/1) were completely uninterested in footie - indeed they may never have ever kicked a ball in their lives. Although Iain Hoffmann played a wee bit he only ever went to a match on rare occasions, but he was a Hearts man - I seem to recall us going to see Hearts v Brechin City of all matches on Saturday, 27th January, 1968.

For a season or two I attended Hibs matches in the company of the Allans from 4/7 Oxgangs Avenue - this was with Andy and Gavin Allan and one or two of their pals who attended the Catholic secondary school.

It was exciting stuff - good crowds; often it was sunny; the green and white programmes reflecting the strip; and some good players on the pitch - Bobby Duncan; Pat Stanton; Peter Cormack; Peter Marinello - there was a real buzz about such outings

Today I'm not a supporter, but when Hearts met Hibs in the Scottish Cup Final a few years back, my heart was very much with the Hearts - my instinct tells me that if I should follow any team then it is Hearts. When I move back to Edinburgh I’ll invest in a season ticket.

Perversely, for a while I also used to attend Raith Rovers matches at Kirkcaldy with a slightly older Rovers supporter called Kenny from Oxgangs Crescent - it was good fun getting the train from Haymarket to their ground which still boasted an old siren from the Second World War.

So was it Hearts or Hibs or indeed Raith Rovers? Well, ironically, at that time I also 'followed' Rangers because I was so close to my Glasgow born grandfather, but never attended one of their matches back then – my father stipulated that we weren't allowed to go along to any games involving The Old Firm because of potential trouble.

Today, my local team is Ross County – relegated last season, but as I type this they’ve just won their opening game 1-0 against Alloa Atletic FC with a goal two minutes from time - 'Come away the County!'