User:CJTurnock

My full name is Colin James Turnock. I was born in Liverpool on 10 September 1939. My parents were Laurance Turnock and Amy Turnock (nee Hancock). I was educated at Dovedale Road County Primary School from 1944-1950, and at Liverpool Institute High School for Boys from 1950-1957. Towards the end of my time at 'the Institute', the headmaster called me to his study and told me that a local shipping company was looking for three Commercial Apprentices, and asked me if I was interested. This was the start of my long period of employment with The Pacific Steam Navigation Company. I joined PSNC on 12 August 1957. The terms of my employment required me to spend time over the following five years in every department of the Company, learning about the functions of the department, but always with the accounting interests of the Company as my primary consideration, as it was intended that I would eventually become a qualified accountant after completing my studies for the examinations of The Assocation of Certified and Corporate Accountants. I enrolled in a day-release course at the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, and undertook a correspondence course in addition. In 1962 it was decided that I should visit the Company's offices on the West Coast of South America. This was before jet travel had taken over the trans-Atlantic trade, so I embarked on PSNC's 'Reina del Mar' in Liverpool on 13 August that year. Our ports of call included La Rochelle, Santander, Vigo, Trinidad, La Guaira, Curacao, Cartagena and Cristobal, before our transit of the Panama Canal. We arrived in Callao (the port for Lima, Peru) on 4 September, and I called in at the Lima Office before settling in at the Pension Beech in San Isidro. I spent most of the next four weeks in the Lima Office, with a few days at the Callao Office. I embarked on PSNC's cargo/passenger vessel 'Cotopaxi' at Callao on 3 October for the journey down to PSNC's Chilean Offices. I went ashore at Antofagasta to visit the Office there, then we continued our journey south until we arrived in Valparaiso on 10 October. I stayed at the Chalet Suisse in Vina del Mar. I spent five of the next six weeks in Valparaiso, with a week at the Company's Santiago Office. (I remember a group of us being clustered round the Deputy Chairman's radio listening to the latest news about the Cuban missile crisis, as there was concern that my return journey may be disrupted as a result. Eventually, all was well). I embarked again on 'Reina del Mar' on 19 November for the short journey south to San Antonio, then commenced my journey home, calling at Antofagasta and Callao, before transiting the Panama Canal again, then calling at Cartagena, Curacao, Trinidad, Vigo and Santander, before arriving back in Liverpool on 20 December. This journey was without doubt the highlight of my long career with PSNC, but I soon resumed my duties back at the Head Office in Pacific Building. I finally qualified as a Certified Accountant in 1967. I was appointed Assistant Secretary in 1969, and was promoted to Secretary/Accountant in 1973. I voluntarily relinquished my accounting duties in 1980, and was appointed Personnel Officer and Officer Manager, while retaining the position of Company Secretary. Following a reorganisation which resulted from PSNC's earlier takeover by the London-based shipping company, Furness Withy, I was declared redundant in 1982. I had served just over 25 years with PSNC. I applied for several jobs and eventually obtained a temporary position as Site Auditor at the Festival Gardens in Liverpool. This lasted for about 5 months until the site closed for the winter. I had hoped to be re-employed the following year, but the company running the site went out of business. I worked there again in 1988, as the site was under new management, but this situation did not last for long. I applied for many jobs, but was unsuccessful. Eventually, I took early retirement, and am now in my 68th year. I have many happy memories to look back on, especially my many cruises prompted by my trip to South America in 1962.````