George Smith 1983

I attended Barrow Grammar School from 1933 to 1938 and I can honestly say that I have always regarded that period as some of the happiest years of my life.

I must confess, however, that I cannot claim to have been an academic success at school and readily admit that I exercised my mind too much on the sporting facilities available and too little on the classroom activities.

For some reason or other I acquired the nickname of "Flicker" and to this day there are some who still refer to me as such. I mention this merely to help to identify myself from the many others bearing my surname.

Like my predecessor, I started my working life in the offices of the Barrow Steelworks but very quickly move to the Cost Office at Vickers Shipbuilders, Barrow.

I joined the Royal Air Force in October 1940 and was eventually demobbed in November 1946, during which time I served overseas for four years .Despite all the circumstances, I thoroughly enjoyed my six years in the RAF and would quite happily have stayed on and made it my career.

After the war I did not return to my job at Vickers, Barrow, but obtained a very interesting and responsible position at the Vickers Aircraft Works at Weybridge in Surrey where I spent three very happy years. I found that I had very strong roots in Barrow however and could not settle in the south so I returned here to take up a position with the Electricity Board where I stayed for five years.

Following that I worked for 14 years at the Barrow Paper Mills, where I was Personnel Officer, before moving on to Oxley developments Ltd Ulverston as their Purchasing Manager.

In 1972 the factory I was managing closed down and I was made redundant at an age when getting another suitable job was almost out of the question. 

This proved to be a turning point in my life and I turned my full-time attention to politics by accepting an appointment as Secretary/Agent to the Barrow and Dalton Conservative Association, which has also afforded me the facilities to serve on Cumbria County Council for the past 10 years and Barrow Council for 13 years. I thoroughly enjoy my involvement with the two local authorities and gain immense satisfaction from being able to help people in the local community

Whatever I have done in life so far I have never once forgotten from whence I came - Barrow Grammar school because it taught me standards of behaviour and principles which I have tried to maintain ever since. I consider it a great honour to have been President during this year and I have tried hard to live up to the very high standards set by some of my more illustrious predecessors.