The Regimental Piano: A Story of War, Love and Peace: The Memoirs of Major Bob Orrell, RE by Tim Parker

Author:Tim Parker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HOP Publishing
Published: 2014-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

7

Retirement and a Return to Christchurch

I could have carried on working for the new local authority in Kent. I thought about it and would have liked to finish the work I had started, but change was in the air, not only for Maidstone but for the country. Reorganisation, so popular with politicians, was not always for the best, and big was not always beautiful. There were other things that troubled me: rabid commercialism was affecting all our lives and anything for a quick buck seemed to be the order of the day. The salaries paid to high earners, some of whom were little more than gamblers, had grown out of all proportion. And now there was big trouble with the miners. Where would it all end?

Perhaps I was too cynical. There was no doubt that most people were better off, better fed and better cared for than they had been before the war. For myself, I found that I was enjoying my new job working on planning appeals for Ton-bridge. I found it interesting and challenging mentally, a welcome change from the work I had been doing for the better part of 30 years. It is said that change can be as good as a rest and it was for me.

At Pickering Cottage life, too, was changing for Nancy and me. The house was so quiet. All our children had left home and we missed them terribly. But, despite their busy lives, they all kept in touch and in that we were very fortunate. I had persuaded Jon to get a job with McAlpine, who would give him day release to study. He would disappear for long periods, working in Scotland and on the North Sea oil rigs, a dangerous and demanding job, but I knew he would make good in the end. Robert and Martin were now doctors, doing important and responsible jobs, and Christine, who had done very well at university, was a teacher.

The most pressing problem we had to deal with after my retirement was what, if anything, I could do to help my father. Unhappily, there was simply no doubt that he was suffering from dementia and that it was getting worse by the day. It is a cruel affliction that can be as bad for the carers as for the sufferers. Aunt Rachel tried so very hard to keep my dad in some kind of order but there was nothing she could do. Dad was still strong, determined and sometimes violent. We tried putting him in several nursing homes but none could cope and in the end he had to be sent to a secure unit. It was a sad end for a remarkable man, who throughout his life had the priceless ability to make people laugh and enjoy themselves. Despite his faults, I loved him dearly.

After my father had died in such distressing circumstances, I was heartened when Rachel came to live with us. She was great company for both of us and, in particular, for Nancy, who had been feeling rather lonely.

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