Still Alive

I was amazed to see Alan Whicker (aged 87) the other day. I was just going into the JEC showrooms up Queen's Road, and there he was, coming out of them. He was unmistakable, because he was still wearing the same glasses and the same kind of check jacket that I have seen him in on his TV programmes, all those years ago. It was as if he had stepped out of a time warp, or perhaps the JEC building houses a cryogenic chamber, and they've been testing it on local celebrities. Alan is looking very well for his age, and I'm amazed to see he is still alive.

Unless, of course, it is one of those doppelganger Alan Whickers who turned up in a Monty Python sketch about Whicker's Island, an Island populated entirely by Alan Whickers! "There are just too many Whickers on Whicker Island" said one, and other gave the riposte "And not enough people to interview".

Speaking of other ancient people still alive, I was equally startled to hear the plummy tones of Robert Robinson (aged 81) on Radio 4, with a Quiz show of some sort, still giving the same patronising put-downs that I remember from his TV show from the 1970s. Private Eye used to lampoon Robinson under the nickname 'Smuggins' because of his pompous manner. The TV show was "Ask the Family", which I always thought should have been called "Ask the Teacher", because pretty well every family competing was a family of teachers. Perhaps they had enough time to take off for quiz shows in their school holidays?

Teachers are quite an odd crowd. They often marry other teachers - Jurat Nick Herbert - a former head teacher - has just celebrated a milestone wedding anniversary (Diamond, I think) with his wife, who was also a head teacher, and their daughter is a teacher too. It is probably due to the fact that most of their conversation is with other teachers in the school staff room, especially I think - from observing teachers at Mont Nichole for a term in the 1970s - with primary school teachers.

At least the air was clear there, whereas the staff room at Victoria College used to reek of stale tobacco from cigarettes and pipes. A number of the teachers there used to go down to the Lilly Langtree in La Motte Street, a lovely building - part of a hotel - that was just knocked down one day for building flats. I'd not even seen a notice in the JEP at the time, and it was before the modern practice of sticking up site notices mentioning planning permission.

I do think that of all the recent changes in planning that has to be a great advantage, as it highlights the planning permission where it takes place, not some obscure field number only available if you have an Ordinance Survey Map, or a copy of Jersey Place Names, which made checking for planning permissions about as easy as finding that demolition notice in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.