1900 eMails

Love Pam

I replied....and a week or so later......

Hi Mike

Sorry for delay. Here is a quick update. Will write more when I am better. Oh dear where to start. William Henderson and I were married in 1970. We had 2 sons, both of which now work in IT (surprise surprise). Unfortunately it didn't work out and we divorced some 8 years later He married again and now lives in the states. I married again and stayed in the UK. That lasted 24 years and I had another son. I married again 2 years ago and we are both very happy.

I understand from one of my sons that William is not very well. I believe he has had a heart attack and his sight is failing. As a response to your e-mail my son will give me his details so I can get him to contact you directly. I am sure he would love to catch up with old friends. Not yet followed up with LInda as I have also been unwell.

On my way to work late 2003 had a pain in my chest and after subsequent visits to hospital was told I had 5 blocked arteries to my heart. Had by-pass surgery that wasn't so successful followed by stents which worked a treat until last November. Started to feel really tired again and the angina has just returned. So I have been in hospital again hence no reply to yourself. This time they thought it was a blood clot in my lung but tests proved otherwise so we are back to heart failure again. A bit scary but I know they can do wonderful things to make me better.

So back to me. I continued to work in IT through the 70s and 80s moving through data analysis and enterprise modelling through to consultancy and IT strategy. Then my mum-in-law was diagnosed with cancer at the same time I was made redundant. I moved to Lincol to be her carer and after that life wasn't the same. I sat at work and said if I didn't come in tomorrow would it make a difference. The answer was no so I resigned. I then worked as a health care assistant but decided I didn't want to be a nurse. I trained as a counsellor and then a teacher. I worked with the police as a drugs counsellor and became a probation officer. But life became very stressfull when I had teenage boys bringing guns into class. So I retired in January last year. Mike is still working but we like to travel and have a cruise booked for September.

I know I have some photos of my 21st birthday somewhere so I will try to find them for your website. We all looked very different back then. Will get in touch with William.

Love Pam

Pam,

No need to apologise - getting yourself well again is top priority...

Yes, yes - heard you and Willie (Should I still call him that??) were married - but nothing more than that - thanks for the update..

Was he ever in South Africa?? The way I remember it - I just missed him in South Africa... I think he'd been there for a few months, but had returned to UK before I got there - around May 1970. Anyway - Congrats on the 2 sons....

OK - I'm up to date with your/his subsequent marriages - AND - can see (in my Inbox) a mail from him - just making contact - Many thanks for putting us in contact!!

FIVE - blocked arteries??? Wow!! - but I have to say... do you remember Graeme Wallace - back at 1900 - he went to Cape Town very soon after joining - so you may not have come across him - But I knew him for years previously - and have recently had a mail from him in Canada - he also had a Quintuple bypass a couple of years ago!! Sounds very trendy!! Also - the lady I live with - Janet - had Angioplasty or Angiogram or something or other - but I know that 3 or 4 stents were put in a few years ago - all has been well since then... Many fingers crossed for you too... maybe it is a stent or two that have collapsed (Dr Curley here....) - I know when Janet had hers installed they asked her if she wanted expensive or cheap - and apparently the difference was - how long they lasted

Your career sounds as though it was going well until mum-in-law had her problems... what a change for you to become a carer - stressful in its own way too!! Well done with the subsequent Zen/Buddhist-type thinking.. "what is the meaning of life?? Why am I here?? etc.." and brilliant for making a change. The guns and counseling sound extreme - a friend of mine's wife did some terminally-ill-children-caring/counseling - and found it too emotionally wearing (there were few "good days" - and many "bad" ones).

Congrats with the retiring and hope the September cruise goes well - I'd guess, at least, it'll be relaxing!!

Photies of your 21st would be welcomed!! AND.... I'd like to put our emails up on my web-site... but you may want to keep bits and pieces confidential.... may I put them up - or what bits should I censor....??

Now...... back to you....... be positive, get the tiredness and Angina sorted out - concentrate on getting your health back - sod everybody else!!

Love & kisses,

Mike C

What a wonderful New Year gift. I have been many places since we last met and now reside in Houston, Texas. I hear you are attempting to make contact with as many of us as you can find and are prepared to be found. Regards William (Bill) I replied.............

Willie!!!!!!! Or should it be William/Bill?????? Fantastic!! Many thanks for getting in touch!! You have no idea how long I've been looking for you!! From at least 2001...... the search started out with me saying "William Skoogal Henderson the Third" must be easy to find.... and nothing came up... and only now do I realise...... wrong spelling... silly me!! You're in Houston!!!.........Why???? Funnily enough I was supposed to be in Houston some time during end Feb and 1st May - but currently its all been changed and I'll be in Florida for those weeks - but if things change - or a meet is arrangeable - I'll keep you posted.... Good old Pam (less of the old!!) has passed on lots of news (she's been in a bad way - shame) - and she tells me - you're in a bad way too...... nothing more than that - what's up?? As to finding 1900 people - it all started out as a bit of fun.... I had retired in Hong Kong 1st April, 2000 - having just completed a Y2K project (that earned me more money than any previous contract) - and I did so love the idea - that for years I/we'd been paid to create the Y2K problem - and here I was being paid even more - to fix the (non) problem!! Anyway - my 2 daughters (both living in England currently - Taunton & Cheltenham) often said I should write a book - instead, I started putting stuff up on the Interweb.. which attracted others - and all of a sudden I was a bit central - and others were coming via me - to old/lost friends of their own. Most notable/prolific - was Johnston - and we did have so much fun (I had to censor so much of what we sent each other, to make it palatable) recollecting... I'll give you this link to me working at 1900P - and maybe you can follow it through the various links and pages... http://mikecurley.simoncjwalker.net/mjc/Papsy-Worked/1900Prog.htm A couple of things...... 1. Anything you send me - may I put it up on my web-site?? Or would you like it sanitised before publishing?? 2. I think you went to South Africa - and left before I got there - true?? I'm in contact with lots of ex-1900'ers - let me know if you want to contact someone who is not plastered on my web-site - I fail to update it sometimes... I shall tell you some of my news/history... Got sent to Jo'burg with Johnston around May 1970 - failed to keep the company afloat - started to lose contact with the likes of Fred Boulton, Graeme Wallace, KPJ, Dave Lewis, Jenny Morkel - got married to a German lady - Almuth - we returned to England - had the 2 daughters, lived around Bucks - same road as Paul Basson (worked a lot with him over the years) - got separated, she went to Hamburg, one daughter went with her - the other stayed with me in Denham - 1993 I get a phone call from Mike Waller - "want to do a 6 month contract in Hong Kong for DHL??" - I was there within 2 weeks - fabulous place - met Janet (a Filipina), moved in with her, we came to Singapore 2001, will retire to Manila in a couple of years. Have recently heard from Graeme Wallace, Fred Boulton, Jenny Morkel - am in daily contact with Brian Stoate and Roger Fieldhouse (don't know if you knew them)... Reply immediately/quickly and I'll pass on more gossip, details... Stay well, Mike C