Exam Results.......

Thousands of school kids have been receiving their exam results from the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) this week.  I actually received my SVQ credit certificates from the SQA for photographic techniques last week and although I wasn't excited at all, my thoughts did turn back to 1973 when I received my O Grade results.

I was actually in the last year of the Scottish education system which had a normal school leaving age of 15.  My three elder brothers had all left Stewarton High School at the age of 15 but because I had worked hard I had been encouraged by a number of teachers to stay on at school at progress to Kilmarnock Academy to study Higher Grades.  This however did not go down well with my father and rather than being encouraged to stay on at school, I was thrown out and found myself having to sleep in nearby woods for a while.

I was working at a local farm at the time and milking cows at 4am, during the school break the farmer gave me additional work and being employed by Howies of Dunlop I was fortunate enough to get a wide range of experience at many of the company's diverse operations. These included pig farms, sheep farms, timber, mills, hay and Lainshaw Farm Eggs - where the name Jimmi Henshite came from.

With not living at home, my O Grade Certificate had to be collected at the local post office and it was my boss the Dairy Man that took me to there and congratulated me on my successful exam results.

Soon after this, after some persuasion from my mother, my father let me move back home but I continued to support myself by working at the farm at 4am six and sometimes seven times a week before making my way to Kilmarnock to gain my education and make some great friends too.  Some of them invited me to Rugby Park and I've been a fan of Killie ever since.

After one year at 'The Academy', I was fortunate enough to secure a sponsorship from Denholm Ship Management to study marine engineering.  At the time only about 5% of people went to further or higher education.  I moved to Southampton to become an Engineering Cadet and a supporter of the local team 'The Saints' who I was fortunate enough to follow when being in the second tier of English Football they beat the mighty Manchester United to win the FA Cup.  Moving from the west of Scotland was great for me and I loved my time there.

I've always appreciated the benefit of a good education and although I've picked up loads of qualifiactions along the road including an HND in Engineering, a BA in Social Sciences and an MSc in Public Policy, I'll never forget the day that I opened up that brown envelope collected from my local Post Office.

Music by the Conning Brothers