This month we were thrilled to receive a ‘life story’ from
Terry; a prisoner in the North East of England. Thanks for sharing Terry;
you’re a natural story teller!
My name is Terry and I’m a Traveller. I was born in Ireland
in 1957 and only a month or so after I was born my mother left me with my
sister in a big house. I was there until I was 5 years old, then one day out
of the blue my sister took me to the front door and handed me to a big man in a
big wagon. God I was so frightened! I yelped and shouted like a banshee! It
turned out this was my uncle – my Daddy’s brother. He’d come over to Ireland to
renew his driver’s license and my mother had asked him to collect me and bring
me back to her in Manchester. The shouting paid off and I got sweets, chocolate
and pop all the way back ha, ha, ha.
My mother and family was parked on the side of a field near
a big mill. In all there were about 10 – 15 trailers. I did not know my mother
and it took a little time to get used to her and being in a trailer. Everywhere
we went we got called gypos, tramps, pikies; but my father would run the
country people away.
I went to school once and got into a fight with two boys who
I caught spitting at my brothers. I never went to school after that and I was
quite happy running around with my daddy all day collecting scrap or my uncle
doing tarmacking and grinding the butchers’ knives.
The time soon came around and my mum got tired of being on
the road, so back to Manchester we went and settled into a house. We kept the
trailer and mammy said we can still go travelling in the summer and be back in
the house in the winter. We went fruit and veg picking every gear in the summer
around Peterborough.
I had to go to school again and I did not like the name
calling but I was glad I stuck it out for 2 years. I still can’t spell properly
but I’m learning!
I still have the old country roads in my blood and what I
would give to be on the side of the road now with a trailer, a fire outside and
a coddle cooking slowly while listening to a bit of music!
Would you like to hear more about my life? Then watch this
space and tell your friends about the Traveller Equality Project. They don’t
have to be strangers just “friends we haven’t met yet”.
Good luck and God Bless.
Terry.
