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Issue 79 Autumn 2018
Veronica's Bird

by Veronica Bird & Richard Newman.

This book describes a colleague's remarkable life story of extraordinary resilience and real achievement. One of the strengths of the Prison governor grades was -and possibly still is the variety of background and qualifications of its members. But few of us, gathered together in Conference, would have overcome such overwhelming obstacles to achievement as Veronica Bird O.B.E.

The method used for her life account was, clearly, the result of a series of intense interviews conducted by Richard Newman where Veronica spoke with frank openness, however painful, about childhood experience and obstacles overcome.

One personal note, during her time in the service Veronica worked with Roger Kendrick, so did I. We share the memory and friendship of a splendid. a loyal colleague and regret his early death.

Resisting the temptation to reconstruct the story, because the book has intriguing readability, certain aspects stand out. The most significant is her remarkable, vivid memory which enlivens this story.

A childhood example. Born in Barnsley, then a mining town, the 6th of 9 children, with a bullying drunken Father. "Hungry, belted too frequently, cold in the Winter, I had grown used to being smudged in soot and coal dust, as the black stuff was as much in the house as in the street." Yet the precious memory "the single exception to the never-ending round of unhappiness" was a new bright red cardigan "it was wonderful, magical and it was mine." and then the enhancing detail "it was thick, it had no holes, it wasn't darned repeatedly and it smelt of something I could recognise, newness."

She longed to escape. One method was "a refuge provided on the doorstep so to speak; it was Betjeman's hidden gem, St Peter's Church." The other was a scholarship to Ackworth School, a Quaker foundation near Wakefield. She vividly describes the social contrast, her happiness and success, especially in sports.

And then the cruel blow, her Mother's death followed by being called to the Headmistress's study and told that it was to be her last term. Reason? She is told that "your family is no longer wishing to keep you here. I'm so sorry" "But I'm taking my G.C.E "O" levels in June". She protested in vain. It was final.

So she became employed as a stall holder at £1 a week in her brother in law's vegetable and fruiterer business and looked after three daughters over the weekend. He was married to her older sister Joan and reoccurs as an unwelcome and obtrusive threat throughout her life.

An attempted evasion was to join the police and then, to distance herself further, from family interference, the prison service in 1968 aged 25. I must resist the fascinating detail and let you trace the tortuous journey, the variety of experience and the tasks presented for each promotion. But I do I have fellow feeling for her time as Deputy Governor of Armley where in her first year when in charge she experiences an escape and a hostage incident. Clearly, she was recognised as somebody special and in Chapter 13, ‘Brockhill A Basket Case,’ we learn "It's a mess Veronica ...a right mess". Indeed Brockhill was a failed prison and the way the turned it around within a year is intriguing and recognised.

One old friend and colleague turns up, Rannoch Daley from the Council of Europe, sending Veronica to Russia, and hilarious chapter 14 IVANOVO where her descriptive powers, insight and eye for significant detail are evident.

Overall Highly Recommended.


MICHAEL SELBY

Michael Selby