Chip butties, my paper round and boxing

Delivering papers at 6am

I lived at 85 Whitehawk Road from 1957, and attended St Mark’s School and Whitehawk School. I was in Stan’s cafe every Saturday and can still remember the chip butties. I also have fond memories of the Whitehawk Inn and the Broadway. As a kid I delivered a paper round for ‘Lanes’ the newsagent. My route was all of Wilson’s Avenue; in the summer the views from the top, as you looked down to the sparkling sea past Black Rock swimming pool, were fantastic. However during the winter, the trudge up that hill with a gale blowing at six in the morning is something I have never forgotten.

A great new sport

I also remember the hours of playing football on the Whitehawk pitches or earning pocket money cleaning the coaches that used the ‘Coach Park’ which ran from the Broadway all the way up Whitehawk Road. I was one of those fortunate enough to go to Whitehawk School and can still remember the cross country runs up the racecourse hill, around the top and back down to the school. I vividly remember the first time I attended the old Whitehawk boxing gym run by Tony Brazil and discovered a great new sport which taught me the discipline and respect that have never left me.

Great times with my mates

I have fond memories of the walk down to Black Rock, the smell when passing the bakery on my way to St Mark’s School in the winter, of playing all day outside with my mates until it grew too dark to see, we had a great time. Many years after I left the area someone who knew Brighton well asked me if it had affected me, coming from such a tough and underprivileged area, I told them it had. But I do not think they got it that I mean for positive reasons.