johnsunter.com >> pictures >> me young
My collection of old pictures, Me during my younger days.
At Christmas time, at mums house.
I am next to the famous sideboard, and some goldfish that David won at the fair.
On Holiday at Butlins.
My mum bought me this coat and a pair of Adidas Los Angeles trainers when I was 13 for my return to School after the summer holidays.
I loved that coat so much, that I even wore it indoors. Its stopped fitting me shortly after (I was 6 feet tall a year later when I was 14.)
I had always had a Raleigh Chopper, and I had amazing adventures on it for 3 years, until it finally fell apart.
My stepfather (Fred) "gave" me a bike, but it was never the same.
Mum was the warden of an old peoples housing estate. In the background, is the house of the assistant warden.
A picture of me as a baby, with my dad (Geoffrey Sunter).
My parents separated just before I was 4, and I hardly ever saw him afterwards.
I remember he bought me a train set (the Hornby 125 series) for Christmas and had it sent to our house.
He died when I was 13.
Me on parade as a Cub Scout.
I had 3 great years in the Cubs, I went camping 3 times, and met a friend called Darryl while there.
I used to go every Thursday, and I enjoyed it that much, that I even played football.
I loved the adventure, and learning about nature and different countries, and being in the outdoors.
I never realized it at the time, but my growing up life was quite chaotic, and I liked the identity that my uniform gave me.
Me driving a go-cart on holiday in Wales.
Although mum brought us up on her own, and money was tight, she still did her best to look after us.
Using the money from her 2 jobs, she booked a Caravan for us each year in North Wales.
I have traveled all over the world since then, but they are still some of the happiest times I can remember.
There had to be an embarrassing one !.
I took up guitar lessons at primary school (it was doomed to failure, as even now I cant actually choose good music on CD, let alone play it !)
One day when it was snowing, I borrowed my stepfathers leather Jacket, and did an "Elvis" outside the front of our house.
The first of 3 pictures taken when I was in the Infants at Hague Street School.
A picture taken the following year on the climbing frame.
Sadly, Frank (my oldest friend) wasn't "on my table" and so doesn't feature in any of these pictures.
I look like some sort of mini-me French hairdresser in this picture.
From left to right are Richard Flanigan, Jason Plant and Christopher Hughes.
Jason and Richard went to Moston Brook and I spent the next 10 years at School with them.
Christopher went with Frank to Abraham Moss.
Me at Wit Walks.
I used to spend Sundays with my dad.
On one of the Sundays, he took me to Oldham (where I was born) and I walked there.
My first day at Secondary School.
I can honestly say that it was the worst experience of my life. It robbed me of my confidence, enthusiasm and innocence to be replaced with anger and cynicism.
Unlike the Cubs, I hated wearing the uniform. It made me feel part of something awful.
It was several years after leaving before I regained all the things lost, started my career in technology, pursued a life of adventure.
I would like to thank Mr Cook-Martin and Dr Devlin, who did so much to help me while at School and inspired a love of Computing, Technology and Science which I have with me, to this day.
Just to prove that I have always had a "legs" problem when being photographed here is a picture of me aged 12 at Brookdale Park.
The ill fitting of the Jacket didn't help the picture much either.
