1978-1980 Methodist College

Methody 1978-1980

Anyway, at this point Dad did the needful. How ungrateful I was to my father at the time, and for many years afterwards- to everyone –including my parents.

Western youth are the most appallingly soft and spoiled youth of any culture that I know.

But psychologically they are isolated and vulnerable because no-one really gives a damn about them apart from their biological relatives.

such a culture is a sad 'joke' compared to many others I have read about, seen and even experienced.

Sadly, I have more respect for the youth of many other other cultures than I have for western youth.

In retrospect, I myself was no exception. I was an obnoxious youth obsessed with myself and my own problems.

What I needed was to have some responsibility beaten in to me. but it never happened.

So ultimately , it was not my own fault that I was this way. But neither was my family able to do anything about it.

It was the culture itself.

The same is true today. It is not the fault of youth that they are the way they are -it is the culture they are brought up in -and are surrounded by.

That is the tragedy.

I was not belligerent as a youth, but still a pain in the neck in a passive-aggressive way.

Anyway, Dad stepped in and took me to see Ernie R who was the Head of Grosvenor High school in Belfast. Dad was related in some way. I nodded and didn’t say much. Ernie subsequently phoned the Head of Methodist College – Jim K – and he phoned me to come for an interview. I met K and Peter P a few days later and was offered a job at Methodist College as a Biology teacher– my first and possibly last job at a really good school!

So, I had Dad to thank for that – although I didn’t thank him at the time. Dad was worried about me not having a job course but I wasn’t: the arrogance of youth!

‘Methody’ was a great school. Although I had my work cut out in the first year keeping up with the preparation I found it almost therapeutic compared to King’s hospital. The students were much better behaved and I felt much more comfortable with the staff. I really learned how to teach at Methody. In retrospect I should have stayed another couple of years but I was bitten with the African bug. In my second year I was asked to go into the boarding department and I had a great year there. On the social scene I became involved with the RVA or Returned Volunteer Action Group which met once a month and organized activities for overseas students in Belfast with Bruce and Janet R ex VSO’s from Tanzania, Jim and Eileen R, and Jim and Hazel A. We were the mainstay of the group –and we organized parties and picnics for various Pakistanis, Iranians Africans etc.

Among these was one chap I became very friendly with-a Pakistani called Muzaffer K. Muzzafer was an Ahmedi Moslem – which from what I could gather was a liberal type of Moslem. He was a tall impressive figure and a PHD student at Queens University. I used to enjoy his company and invited him home regularly to meet the family. He spent one Christmas with us at Robin Hill. We often went to the Queens University Social Club and had a Guinness. He even had one or two himself. We used to chat and discuss the social scene. we called it “Zoological studies!”

I took M and his brother to Portaferry one day – I still have the photos. Muzaffer was a great favourite with Mum and Dad. Dad used to call him ‘Mustafa’ and the latter would laugh at this –he had a good sense of humour – not a characteristic of all Muslims!

Later in the summer , I remember taking him to Donegal with David C and having an animated discussion about the the divinity of Christ.

The ‘Methody’ years were fairly uneventful otherwise. Socially, apart from RVA nothing happened. I still was clueless about how to approach the opposite sex-especially Irish girls –they seemed so complicated – rather like myself in fact. Women appeared to me to be a bit like rich kids in a classroom: they wanted to be entertained. It was all ‘form’ and no ‘content’. I wanted intense, deep and meaningful conversations which is of course the last thing women wanted! No surprise then that I wasn’t ‘successful’ with them.

I was a very frustrated guy in all senses of the word at this time. My intuition told me I was never going to would never going to have a satisfactory relationship with any Irish, English or modern type ‘white’ female – and I don’t think I ever will.


I developed a distinct ‘persona’ to cope with my social situation in these years. I was basically very shy; but with a serious need to be noticed! (I hate being ignored)

Hence the blog!

This was a very dangerous combination! The persona had two opposing aspects. On the one hand, I was the quiet, silent type who observed (with feigned calm) the frivolous but fascinating interchanges of others.

On the other hand, (when ignored for too long) I could be unpredictable - even jovial – in a forced and frenetic, contrived and backslapping way-nudge, nudge wink! wink! etc.

This complex persona quite naturally confused many people at times–including myself as I wasn’t quite sure which of the two persona’s was the real me! Of course they both were me. It was (or they were) a persona which I was to use for most of the rest of my life in ‘white’ cultures.

The boarding house at Methody was quite interesting. Stephen L was an interesting character who was my boss as Housemaster-a physics teacher who was in the process of retraining to be an engineer. Stephen was basically a straight guy , an excellent housemaster, who found me entertaining and perplexing.

Then there was ‘Eaky Peaky’ - with huge brown eyes and blond hair, and who had grown up in Chile. I remember he was an old Campbellian. ‘Eaky peaky’ was weird –but a cartoon character really and an excellent teacher assistant in the boarding department.
To this day I don’t know if Eaky-peaky” was being real or just playacting a role in his daily dealings with people.

There was Gerry T-the only catholic, a real rarity at Methody on the staff.

Robert K-from the Geography department was also in boarding. Nothing special but a fine agreeable colleague.

‘Ooh haw’ McCluggage from Larne was a Biology teacher and dated one of his sixth form students. He eventually married on of my former from three students-Lynn J, who later replaced me when I left Methody-it’s a small world!

Near the end of the year J, a “Collegian” joined the boarding department. He was a fine fellow-as indeed were all these people in their own way. But he was a little crude. I remember one very funny incident in the staff TV room. I went in one night and Johnson was sitting watching the T.V. The next thing Johnson let out the most enormous fart – it was so loud. Before I knew it , I had said in a tone of serious irritation:

‘Johnson , kindly ameliorate your manners!’

The phraseology, as much as anything else, made L , who had just entered the room burst into laughter every time he thought of it for years to come.

It was quite a good example of what a little prude I really was in those days. If you had told me at the time I would never have admitted it.

In fact, I have always been a bit of a prude about many things –come to think of it-I still am.

There was also Ian M, a very friendly fellow (ex VSO I think) in the boarding house who developed cancer at the age of about twenty two. Tragically, I died at the end of the year from a brain tumour at the very young age of 26.

This incident had very little impact upon me. The arrogance of youth.

The boarding staff were all a great bunch of people-and I quite often went out for a drink on Friday nights with them to the local pub. I sometimes went on other nights as well.
We had the ‘Monday club’; the ‘Tuesday club’ etc. The teachers were easy to get on with compared to the Kings Hospital Gang in Dublin.

So. Why, you may well ask, when I seemed to like the place so much did I start looking for jobs in Africa again?

A very good question indeed –which would need a skilled psychologist to give an objective answer. I don’t know what my biographer would say. But that is exactly what I did.

I always felt I was different from other people in Ireland or England. I think I was in love with the warm congeniality of Africa which had given me the opportunity to break out of my complex persona which I had developed to survive in Ireland. That is really why I think I went back to Africa.

Anyway –not too fast- at the end of my first year in Methody I went for a summer vacation trip to Kenya, Zambia and Malawi with Martin R – the sister of Janet R-the VSO in Jirapa, Ghana.

We had a marvellous trip. Zambia was good and we visited Gibson and Karen F in Kaoma –who were there on contract teaching.

Malawi was beautiful - and I fell in love with it. The purple mountains, the azure blue skies and the friendly people – it was just too much for me. I was smitten and knew I just had to go back.

So, In October, when I saw an advertisement in my oldest friend, the Times Educational Supplement, for a science teacher in Malawi with ‘Christians Abroad’ I applied and was invited for interview in London.