Editorial

The idea came to my mind quite simply. At the time HO issued some directive relating to a change in the pensionable value of quarters. This was to be back-dated, which of course meant we all had a little to come back. It appeared to me that HO would not have communicated with any Governor who had retired just previously and that they should be told in order to 'cash in'. I wrote first to Lionel Steinhausen and confirmed he had not heard anything, so I Photostatted the instruction and sent a copy off to those Governors I knew outside the Service. Their replies made me realise there was a need to keep all retired Governors in touch with each other and with current events.

Another matter of serious concern to them at the time was that of 'Index-linked pensions'. Several MPs were intent on doing away with these and had they succeeded many, if not all, retired Governors would have 'felt the pinch'. Consequently I kept them in touch with events and the later 'Clegg Report' (I believe that was the Chairman's. Game) made it clear that such pensions should continue - I sent out a copy of the report at a later stage.

From then, like Topsy, 'it just growed' and I found many of my colleagues were keen to get regular news of the Service. From then it is now history. The names in the No 1 Issue will show those who took the trouble to get in touch.

My mind tells me that amongst the first to offer encouragement were: Lionel Steinhausen, Mark Winston, Peter James, Dermot Grubb, Arnie Stapleton, Jack Smith, Jim Blakey, Doug Tacey (who was then Senior Principal at North Regional Office), Peter Marshall, Arthur Kearns, Sam Millar (now no longer with us) and finally, but perhaps the most important of all, was Norman Brown who, as my Governor at Manchester, could not have been more helpful.

As I have stated in my letter to you of yesterday, the Newsletter would not have got off the ground at all without the help of Norman, and in particular our Secretary of the time Mrs. Eileen Fox (I think she lived Bolton way).

"Terry Weiler takes up the story: "YOUR EDITORIAL COMMENT that the Newsletter is about to attain its tenth anniversary and twenty first issue, reminded me how much its readers, past and present, owe to Arthur Williamson, its 'onlie begetter'.

Not only did he conceive the idea, but he overcame all the difficulties of getting it launched and was responsible for all the early issues - and all this in such spare time as his duties as Deputy 10 Years of the Retired Governors' Newsletter Governor of Manchester allowed. (Any comment from the present Governor?) Since the revival of the Newsletter under your auspices, Arthur has continued to edit the personal correspondence - will any of this letter survive? - and to delight us with his personal comments at the end of our letters, very much reinforcing the 'family' atmosphere of the Newsletter.

As the first issue of the Newsletter coincided with my own retirement, I have always felt a close personal interest in it. And while I think Arthur was absolutely right that personal news - even when this was sad - would always be the heart of the Newsletter, I have been impressed with the way its scope has been broadened to wider issues, and the very professional format it has been possible to develop, which must have required considerable effort.

Arthur has made the point that maintaining this standard would be expensive but I feel most of us would accept that as a fact of (even retired) life and would feel we were getting value for any contribution required.

For me 1990 has so far been marked by three developments.

First, three days in hospital - my first ever in this country - following what has been diagnosed as an attack of angina. So, under close uxorial surveillance, I have now joined what I am finding is quite a large army of those taking two aspirins every morning and carrying a sub-lingual spray (shades of the Prison Medical Service).

Second, the Civil Service Commission have belatedly discovered that I passed their absolute age limit last October and I chaired my last Board at the beginning of March, so no more chin-wags in Manchester.

I expect now to be selling matches outside the more reputable London prisons.

Third, my research into the introduction of three and two in a cell has been completed and is now with the Prison Department.

I should like to repeat my thanks to Alan Packham, Charlie Pratt, Stan Mitchell and Ken Watson for their help.

What will happen to the literary and historical masterpiece has not yet been decided.

I will hope to report on this in due course".

Bill Martin adds the Treasurer's story.

"I AM NOT SURE why exactly Arthur asked me in August 1981 - to look after the Newsletter funds; it could not have been because of my accountancy skills! Of course we had already known each other for many years and had become friends.

He had been a member of the 12th Staff Course in 1955 Bill Martin and Gordon Lakes and I was on the 13th the following year in the course of which a joint meeting to share views and experiences - today no doubt we would call it a seminar - was held, and staff courses then were quite different from those of recent years and indeed the two courses together only numbered twelve souls.

I got to know Arthur then but I also have an earlier recollection of a rather crusty Works Engineer, but being in those days a fairly junior prison officer I would have steered clear of him.

Over the following years we had many encounters and have become firm friends although, apart from a brief spell at Wormwood Scrubs when Arthur did a period of detached duty there, we never actually served together at the same establishment.

I suppose we have much in common though in terms of origin and experience, both having come up through the ranks and both having been deputy governors of Strangeways for example, but I do have one abiding recollection which is that of Arthur getting to his feet conference after conference to argue for some means - such as a 'newsletter' - for keeping our retired colleagues in touch, but with little result.

In the long run he concluded that the only thing for it was to do it himself, and he did and did it well.

The Retired Governors' Newsletter is his creation and we owe its existence to him.

In the earliest days the Newsletter was a quite small scale affair, the first edition was issued in May 1980 - can it really be ten years ago - in the form of ten cyclostyled sheets.

The fund which floated the enterprise came largely out of Arthur's own pocket.

Despite its fairly humble beginnings the Newsletter did take off and maintained a steady flight.

It obviously gave much pleasure to those who received it and Arthur's personal enthusiasm for the project was fully vindicated.

It was of course 10 Years of the Retired Governors' Newsletter insufficiently funded and resourced to be able to develop to any great degree, but the money available which came from sporadic donations, occasional windfalls and other mysterious sources was adequate to keep the operation going since costs were kept to a minimum and the issue of an edition in that period only cost around £20.

I think the second and current stage of development is due almost entirely to the inception and inauguration of the Prison Governors' Association, whose officers saw it as their duty to support and encourage the Newsletter and logically in the end to take it into the organisation, still as a separate entity but clearly and unequivocally soundly based and reinforced.

This has allowed it to improve the image considerably with a contemporary format of professional appearance which in turn has encouraged circulation and response, so that the majority of recipients have committed themselves to ongoing financial support so as to provide an annual income, presently at some £800 per annum, sufficient to maintain the level of activities.

What the future holds will be interesting to see and it is possible that arrising from as it were the retrospective effects of Fresh Start there may well be senior staff who, although they retired while in the chief officer or senior works officer grades might still be motivated to join the readership.

There is obviously potential for further growth.

One of Arthur's hopes in the early days was that the enterprise might lead to opportunities for more social contacts between retired governor grades, and in regard to informal contacts this has I believe been realised to some extent and the interest in keeping in touch has been rekindled for quite a number of us.

It would be pleasant if this trend could continue to develop and eventually perhaps formalise, but like most families the most usual event to bring about a reunion is sadly a bereavement.

However, the PGA Annual Conference is able to provide at least one albeit limited opportunity in this respect and there are also establishment-based reunions.

One thing is sure though, and it is that the personal initiative of Arthur Williamson has served to provide this most welcome means to fill the gap that existed within our professional circle and our thanks must go to him for this service.

WELL DONE ARTHUR!